Everything You Need to Know About World of Coffee in Budapest

World of Coffee comes to Budapest, featuring global competitions like the World Brewers Cup Championship and the Cup Tasters Championship, and bringing together coffee professionals from all over the world.

BY ASHLEY RODRIGUEZ
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE

World of Coffee starts this week in Budapest, Hungary. The event will be held at the Hungexpo Fair Center June 13–15, and attendees are expected from over 100 different countries across the world. “Coffee professionals and enthusiasts attend World of Coffee each year for inspiration, education, and networking,” a press release states.

The city of Budapest will play host to the 2017 World of Coffee event, which is the Specialty Coffee Association’s premier European conference and exhibition. This marks the first time the World of Coffee will be held in Eastern Europe.

World of Coffee is a multi-faceted event, featuring a number of different programs and competitions. Budapest will feature a new iteration of the Re:Co symposium called Re:Co Interactive, “featuring three days of sensory discussions salons, workshops, explorations, panels, presentations, and sensory explorations in an exclusive engagement and connection space,” the press release states. Re:Co Interactive participants will learn more about coffee through sensory experiences in other specialty food and drink items, including wine, cheese, whiskey, and beer.

The Specialty Coffee Association enjoyed crowds numbering more than 10,000 over the three-day event in Dublin, Ireland, in 2016. Organizers hope for a similar turnout this year. Photo courtesy of the World of Coffee.

The event in Budapest will also highlight Mexico as its Portrait Country, sharing with attendees the stories and coffees of Mexico. Coffee producer Joel Arenas García, along with members of SAGARPA (the Mexican Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food) will be on hand to lead cuppings and offer insights on the country, which is one of the largest producers of specialty coffee in the world.

The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) has also partnered with the Cup of Excellence to produce Touch of Excellence, an initiative aimed at showcasing coffees made on super-automatic machines. Five of the top manufacturers of super-automatic machines— Eversys, Faema, Franke, Nuova Simonelli, and Thermoplan—will come together and brew coffee for attendees to try, hoping to start discussions on how specialty coffee can break into the out-of-home market and make coffee brewing accessible for those who aren’t trained baristas with specialized tools.

Bestia, a beautiful bar and restaurant located in central Budapest, will host an incredible party on the evening of June 14, hosted by the Barista League, Barista Magazine, and Ally Coffee. Everyone is welcome! Photo courtesy of Bestia.

And of course, World of Coffee will host some of the biggest coffee competitions in the world. The World Brewers Cup Championship will take place at the event, pitting brewers from all over the world against each other to prove they can brew the best cup of coffee. The World Cup Tasters Championship will also take place in Budapest, along with the World Latte Art Championship, the World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship, and the World Cezve/Ibrik Championship.

Against a backdrop of sensorial experiences, super-automatic machines, and competitions, attendees will also get a chance to walk the show floor, where they can taste some of the best coffees in the world and use some of the most sophisticated coffee-brewing tools available. All three days of the World of Coffee event will be packed with lectures, coffee tastings, and unique experiences sure to deepen anyone’s knowledge of coffee.

Don’t miss the Barista League—Barista Magazine—Ally Coffee party on June 14, The Hungary Games, at Bestia. Everyone’s invited!

You can see the event program for Budapest by clicking here, and learn more about the event itself by visiting worldofcoffee-budapest.com.