By Chelsea Jarrell
Coffee Fest is a trade show that travels around the United States every year showcasing everything involved in the world of coffee. It is viewed as one of the best trade shows produced nationally and internationally. Coffee Fest includes an exhibition, education classes, and competitions since 1992. Step foot into Coffee Fest and you will be surrounded by that familiar aroma we all have grown fond of; after all, “If it looks like coffee, smells like coffee, goes well with coffee or is coffee, you will find it at Coffee Fest.”
This year Coffee Fest is traveling to Baltimore, Denver, and Los Angeles to teach about coffee, explore coffee, and look for the best in coffee. The CWJ team attended the Baltimore show since we’re fortunate to be so close. Classes were offered such as “The CoffeePreneur One Day Intensive”, “Cold Brew 101”, and “Drink Innovations Lab” to help educate not just people in the coffee industry but those generally interested in the topics as well. We walked around the floor to visit tables where we smelled and tasted coffees, specialty drinks, and food from roasters, vendors, and shops from all over. We watched the competitions unfold over the weekend and saw perfect shots pulled in the America’s Best Espresso Competition, and watched baristas pour incredible art in the Latte Art World Championship, and observed different companies hand off their best cold brew to be judged in the America’s Best Cold Brew Competition. Commonwealth Joe Coffee Roasters not only attended this year’s Coffee Fest in Baltimore, but also competed in the America’s Best Cold Brew Competition against 16 other companies.
The CWJ Team began competing against 15 other coffee companies on Friday March 16th to kick off the Nitro Cold Brew competition. We handed off our Nitro Cold Brew to the judges and anxiously awaited to hear who moved on. We were selected to move on to the next round – the semi-finals! On Saturday, March 17th we competed for the second day against 8 of the companies that advanced. Shortly after our flight time ended, we were excited to find out we’d been selected again to move on to the finals! After three tough days of competition, we’re excited to announce that Commonwealth Joe placed 3rd in the Nitro Cold Brew competition! We’re already looking forward to returning next year.
Want to try our winning Nitro Cold Brew for yourself? Stop into our shops to try one of our six Nitros on tap, or see how you can get Nitro Cold Brew on tap in your office by visiting officenitro.com.
