Covid-19 lockdown levels messed up a lot of planned events and Creative Coffee Week 2021 was one of them. It finally got under way at The Bond Shed in Durban from the 15 – 17 September. It was a hybrid event with quite a few people attending and the rest “attended” via Zoom.
What did I know BEFORE attending Creative Coffee Week 2021?
- The coffee community is awesome
- Coffee people are friendly
- Coffee people are welcoming
- Coffee people are willing to give advice
- Coffee people love to chat about ….. coffee
What did I learn at Creative Coffee Week 2021?
- The coffee community is awesome
- Coffee people are friendly, welcoming, willing to give advice and they love to chat about …… coffee
- Water can’t just be used out the tap. Water is destructive to an expensive coffee machine. Use the correct water for machinery and for making coffee. (Ultimate Water and Ronnie Billemon)
- Packaging isn’t just something to keep roasted coffee in – different sizes, different ways of sealing, different materials, packaging can also be recyclable. (Foster Packaging and The Pouch Shop)
- Takeaway coffee cups can be recycled and composted. There are even compostable paper lids. (Dartpac)
- Social media is important for a coffee business . It’s important to showcase YOU. I loved watching the livestream with the guys from San Jorge Coffee Roasters in Spain. They have a unique way of showcasing themselves and their coffee on social media.
- Wanting to transport freshly made coffee without losing half the cup? Speak to Coffee Lift Movement about their CoffeeLIFT seals.
- You can train your palate. I enjoyed the sensory training with Lizaan Alberts from Genio Roasters
- Burnt or over roasted coffee is not the only thing that can go wrong in coffee roasting. Coffee beans can also be susceptible to Scorching (temperature too high and drum speed not fast enough), Facing (coffee gets stuck or held against the drum wall), Tipping (roaster too hot and dark marks appear on beans), Baked (hard to tell and can only find out when trying the coffee), Quakers (don’t turn dark brown when roasted) and Elephant Ears (beans grow in the coffee cherry in 2 halves).
- Own a coffee shop or restaurant? Make sure you look at the Barista Wage Calculator app.
We also got to taste amazing coffees from Colombia, Nicaragua, Burundi and Ethiopia.
A few more photos :
The last day of Creative Coffee Week 2021 was also the announcement day of who took first place in the 2021 A Shot in the Dark roasting competition.
The results were as follows :
- Gegrond
- Beethoven Coffee Co
- Black Sheep Coffee Company
- Toro
- Infood Coffee Roastery
- Cuppa Coffee
- Scuro Coffee Crafts
- Tribe Coffee Roasting
- Favour & Grace Coffee Company
- Exhale Coffee Roastery
This was the first time that I had attended the Creative Coffee Week and I had initially thought it would be above my coffee knowledge. I did learn to my surprise that I have absorbed a lot of coffee knowledge over the years and I enjoyed all the talks. I do still have a lot to learn but coffee is an interesting journey #lovecoffee
Another amazing event organised by The Coffee Magazine.
Thank you for gifting me your ticket, Robyn-Leigh van Laren.