Coffee Fest 2013

Viva Café!
This is a long time coming to write a review about the Coffee Festival in La Villita, but it really was a great event!
They offer a wide variety of coffee from various places around the world. You buy a handful of tickets to splurge on various coffees. They offer a bunch of classes to learn more about the various types of brews, grinds, how water impacts the flavor, etc.
Nancy Maladecki is about the most knowledgeable person I know when it comes to coffee. She has worked in the field for years, and has a genuine passion for coffee! They have Nancy teaching classes, and pouring cups of joe! Delicious!
La Villita is the perfect setting for this event. The weather was nice, and the coffee was delicious!
Thank you for putting this on!

Coffee Festival was cool for two reasons: good friends and good desserts.
I’m a coffee snob. Just like I’m a food snob.
I was expecting at least to see some of my local joints make it to say hello because yo… the name says COFFEE FESTIVAL and I saw many of my jams sponsoring. So sad.
I was disappointed with my first two tries so I gave my remaining tickets away and started drinking water ($ 5 for four tix). I heard Independence Brewers out of Brenham were awesome though and their coffee infused chocolate was spot on.
Next year I’d like to see more participants. I would prefer not to use styrofoam. I’d even buy a mini commemorative mug for refills over using styrofoam. I would like to see more variety of coffee. And hot damn I want to be super wired by the time I leave from gnarly good caffeine and not from delicious sweet dessert overload!

Coffee Fest 2013 was just A-​Ok. What actually made it fun for me was being able to hang out with other Unilocalers and sharing all the food we bought from the various food trucks and vendors. The live entertainment was also nice.
I paid $ 5 for the 4 flights. Luckily for me, some vendors let me try their coffees for free! Not sure why… my dazzling smile perhaps… who knows? But thank you kindly! :) So I ended up sampling numerous cups of coffee… until my bladder couldn’t take it anymore on just two tickets. I gave away my remaining 2 tickets to my Unilocal buddies.
Because my husband couldn’t make it and he’s the coffee connoisseur in our household, I bought 2 blends that I thought he would enjoy. He thought my choices were just ok. He really wanted kopi luwak, Jamaican Blue Mountain, or the like. But those weren’t available. So it’s a good thing he missed out on this festival. He would have been disappointed.
Debatable at this point whether we would go to the next one… if there is a next one.

Really fun event! I liked that this year there was a coffee cocktail portion added to the fest. It balanced out the noticeable absence of some rare coffees that were present in the 2012 Coffee Fest which I was looking forward to seeing.
Live bands, a few food trucks, and a small Peruvian stand (they served relleno de papa for $ 5!!) rounded everything out.
Give this a try next year if you’ve been thinking about it.

Actually I give this year’s festival 3 and a half stars. I think last year’s festival in its initial inception nailed it more or totally engendered the idea of why the festival is being thrown in the first place. It had more of an expo feeling and vibe. And in my opinion an overall entrepreneurship of businesses old and new. But first here are the things that I liked about this year’s festival.
I liked that it was held during more seasonably cooler weather. The first one was I believe in November and although during Autumn, it was nonetheless warmer. There were food trucks this year, last year that was not the case. I also noticed that there was music and a better variety of it. For example they had a really cool bluegrass band playing, kinda like out of a Coen Brother’s film. In addition they had a Peruvian musical troupe that added to the ambiance of the festival.

But given all these things it felt like something was somehow lacking. Some sort of transcendental experience, as only a cup of coffee can do. It would be totally ungracious for me first explain to you how the festival works.

For 5 bucks a coffee flight, similar to the ones brewpubs do you can sample coffees from around the state as well as region. You are given four tickets, a small cup and then you are free to choose whatever coffee you like from the vendors there. There are booths, where companies take your ticket and you get a small sample pour. In addition you are given a pamphlet of all the businesses there and what styles are coffee they are serving.

Some of the styles that come to mind are Hawaiian Hazelnut, Ethiopian, Brazilian, Pecan etc. You can try high end java that will set you back more than five bucks, a deal with the flight. They also have businesses with environmental friendly messages, others whose mission statement means you are drinking coffee by fair trade. That is if you want to get up and ethical about what and where you are drinking your goods from. In addition you can purchase a bag directly from a business, whose stuff you enjoyed, which is pretty awesome!
Unlike last year, the lines were sparse and not long, which in a weird way I missed seeing. There seemed to be this excitement, an air of a a free flowing marketplace spirit that was not there. In all honesty I did like the coffees, most were good but I was not wowed. Last year I had a great cup of coffee, among others, by businesses like La Bella Vita that encapsulated the vibe that year.
In my opinion I would like to see more local coffee shops, like The Brown Coffee, Local Coffee but primarily up and coming brewers participate in the festival next year. While I think it is important to showcase the state’s regional places, I’d like to see more of an effort on our part to cultivate local coffeehouses as well. That would indeed serve as an inspiration to local brewers who will use the festival as a way to promote their businesses.

Coffee, much like wine or even craft beer has become a bit of an exclusive sport as of late. The goal of this festival should be to make coffee drinking more accessible as well as approachable to everyone.
I like the festival but above all, I like the idea of it. It gives brewers the chance to showcase their businesses but above all a chance to great exposure to a market they would not to be able to otherwise. And in return we get to indulge or in some cases overindulge in our state’s other favorite past time, second only to beer drinking. The search for that elusive that perfect cup of coffee is a never ending one, but with the Coffee Festival a most fun endeavor.
p. s. Aspen Brewing Co’s Hawaiian Hazelnut was the coolestl!

Beautiful weather, great location, the company of fun fellow Unilocalers and lots of coffee to sample. What more can a guy ask for in a great way to spend a Saturday morning.
Live music, food trucks, vendors selling trinkets and coffee hawkers makes for a fun La Villita kind of day.
Got there early before the crowds and really enjoyed the day. For $ 5 you received 4 ticket, each ticket worth a taste. So was just a matter of deciding which ones to taste. That was the only difficult part of the day.
I would definitely return next year for another caffeine buzz.

Might as well write this review since I’m still buzzing with a slight hum from the copious amounts of strong coffee I consumed today.
Showed up around midday, bought $ 10 worth of coffee sample tickets for me and my sweet mother and then went to seek out some delicious brews. Out of the 5 booths I sampled from, 4 were great. Friendly and informative and accommodating to my mom that likes a bit of cream and sugar (I like it jet fuel black). One booth, don’t remember their name, was cold as yesterday’s coffee though. The didn’t have most of their samples ready, and the Guatemalan blend they did have available was the cold bit of dregs at the bottom of the carafe. Ugh.
Highlights were a pumpkin spice blend and the one from the Galapagos Islands. Mmmmhmm. Good stuff.
My kids enjoyed the friendly artists at nearby galleries that had activities set out and they also enjoyed spending all my money at the food trucks and other food vendors. Bite Street food truck had a crème brûlée French toast. That + good coffee was a great way to wrap up the experience.
Looking forward to doing this again but next time I hope to see more local coffee businesses representing what they have. Cool event concept, but stepping it up a bit would make it so much better.

I enjoyed the Coffee Festival. There were about nine coffee vendors and each had at least three to four samples ranging from bold & earthy to the mild & floral flavors.
The take is you purchase your tickets ($ 5 for 4 flights) and you’re given a cup to use for your samples. They even had coffee mugs available as well if you felt like being a little more earth friendly. You’re also supplied with a brochure outlining the vendors and the different samples. From there you can pretty much have at it.
I think the two flavors I enjoyed the most were:
— The Signature roast from Fara Coffee
— Blue Blazes from Summermoon
The Signature was very full bodied and intense. The smell carried notes that were a bit thick and heady but the flavors weren’t at all bitter. It was a strong coffee that I was fine without adding any sweetener to. The Blue Blazes was more on the lighter, smoother side of the house. I tasted a woodier and slightly earthy flavor but with vanilla notes. Behind the initial drink of it I detected a hit of chocolate.
Each station had sugar, creamer, and stirrers if you prefer. Plus food trucks were on hand as well as other vendors serving food and selling jewelry. Entertainers danced and sang and all in all it was just a good time. I’m looking forward to the next already!