Coffee lovers from across the UK flocked to Manchester last weekend (Saturday November 1st and Sunday November 2nd) to attend the city's first major coffee festival, Cup North.
We at DRWakefield headed to Manchester earlier on in the week to prepare for the event, attending an opening party on the Friday evening at local independent cafe North Tea Power, hosted by coffee machine maker La Marzocco. This provided us with the perfect opportunity to network before the festival got into full swing, as well as finally put faces to the names of some of our northern customers.
Coffee catalyst at DRWakefield Henry Clifford was in attendance – along with other members of our team – and he reviewed the event upon his return.
DRWakefield was hosting cupping sessions throughout the weekend, with Daterras proving particularly popular among festival attendees. This is one type of coffee served four different ways – pulped raisin, pulped, washed and natural – allowing roasters to experiment with a variety of flavours from the same bean.
Henry noted that a Kenya peaberry variety was among the most coveted from our stand during the festival, as well as a fruity Ethiopian natural cup.
However, there wasn't just coffee cupping and tasting taking place at the event, but also the opportunity to try out some of the north's finest cuisine, while rubbing shoulders with top names in the coffee industry.
"We particularly enjoyed getting the chance to see Tamper Tantrum's talks at Cup North – it was great to see some leading industry figures in the north," Henry said.
For those who are unfamiliar, Tamper Tantrum takes its name from a piece of equipment used in the espresso-making process and is an online hub of coffee-related information, whose speakers attend events around the world to offer the latest advice and educational tips on the beverage.
Henry also recommended a few independent cafes for coffee fans in Manchester to check out, including Takk and Pot Kettle Black – both of which are based in the city's Northern Quarter, along with North Tea Power.
