Coffee Fest to Debut New Events at DC Show

Bellevue, Washington-based Coffee Fest returns to Washington, D.C., for its late winter show February 24-26, 2006, at the convention center. Numerous workshops, presentations, and events will be debuting. Among them is the inaugural Annual Roasters' Speakeasy, sponsored by Roast Magazine at which roasters can discuss roasting; it will take place on Saturday, February 25 from 5 until 6:30 p.m. in Room #150A.

Kent Holloway, David J. Morris, Tommy Thwaites, and Greg Hartlein, Coffee Fest's popular three-day specialty coffee business seminar presenters, will host the Coffee Fest-International Academy of Specialty Coffee (IASC) Hands-On Barista Training sponsored by Nuova Simonelli and Torani from 8 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, plus from 1:30 p.m. until 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Additionally, IASC Barista Certification testing will also occur for the first time ever at this show.

Coffee Fest, along with Murkey Coffee, is hosting the Specialty Coffee Association of America's Mid-Atlantic Regional Barista Competition, as well as the third "Stirling Signature Beverage Open," a free-form competition designed to highlight quality and creativity in beverage making with co-host Stirling Gourmet Flavors. Two cash prizes of $500 each will be awarded -- one for best-tasting beverage and one for most creative beverage.

Six hands-on latte art classes will premier at Coffee Fest Washington, D.C. They will be taught by all-time Coffee Fest Latte Art Competition money winner Chris DeFerio of Carriage House Coffee in Ithaca, N.Y. DeFerio, who has also been named the newest judge in the Millrock Latte Art Competition, joins Sarah Allen, editor of Barista Magazine, and Henry Patterson, owner of Patterson's Coffee. The competition will occur from 9:45 a.m. to noon Friday and Saturday.

On Sunday, the top ten competitors from the previous two days' competitions will face off. The winner will walk away with $1,000, 2nd place with $500, and 3rd place with $250.

For all class and event admission limits and prices, please visit Coffee Fest's web site at www.coffeefest.com, or call 425-283-5058. Admission to the event is $20, if registered prior to February 6; thereafter, it will be $30. All of the above is in addition to Coffee Fest's usual spectacular lineup of more than 65 educational sessions and a focused exhibition featuring more than 175 booths.