Portland coffee lovers are having a fine week. For the first time in its 21-year history the Coffee Fest trade show has decamped from Seattle to Portland. It’s an industry event focusing on specialty coffee and teas with a strong emphasis on educational programs for businesses and baristas (there are 75-plus sessions). Also taking place is the Latte Art World Championship Open, where 64 baristas compete for a $2,000 prize, and America’s Best Coffeehouse Championship Finals (though no one from Portland made the cut).
For non-industry folk who want to explore the city’s coffee (as well as tea and chocolate) culture there is a Caffeine Crawl (although as it takes place daytime Thursday and Friday it’s certainly intended for those with flexible schedules). There are four sessions with three routes, covering different parts of town; each one visits six establishments (an example route: Extracto Coffee House, The Arbor Lodge, Caffe Vita, Mr. Green Beans, The Red E Cafe, and Townshend’s Tea). As well as sampling drinks there are educational presentations at each spot and what is described as “killer swag”. Plus, people who want to talk about coffee as much as you do. Coffee Fest Portland 2014, October 17-19, Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE MLK, full details here. Caffeine Crawl Portland, October 16-17, $30 per tour, full details here