Highly Visible
Tea a coffee associations, growers, packers, processors and shippers from regional coffee and tea producing nations, of which there are more than a few, took advantage of the opportunity to meet with buyers and packers from around the world, who came in large numbers, eager to renew old acquaintances, meet new faces, to source new varieties, and to establish new supply chains.

Espresso and coffee and tea machines were highly visible, with the majority of the world’s leading manufacturers displaying and demonstrating the latest models to hundreds of knowledgeable and eager customers old and new.

An impressive line-up of domestic and commercial grinders and roasters dominated much of the floor space, and the aroma of freshly ground and roasted coffees mingled with the delicate scent of fine teas from around the world throughout the show, a soothing olfactory backdrop to the often frenetic, colorful and imaginative booths exhibitors created.

Alongside these traditional exhibitors were many suppliers of goods and services to the industry, covering diverse fields such as espresso machine cleaning and maintenance, container moisture control, agricultural and plantation management software, production line accessories, coffee and tea shop accessories, tea and coffee bagging and filter manufacturing equipment and finished products.

Solid Reputation
The general perception was that the quality of trade visitors was extremely impressive, a testament to Tea & Coffee World Cup’s solid reputation as the most effective international trade show for the coffee and tea industry and the effort the organizers put into promoting the event.

A few comments canvassed from a couple of exhibitors serve to illustrate the point:

“We found the results to be extremely favorable," said John Dishion, president of Actionapac Scales and Automation, suppliers of precision weighing technology machinery. “the response is more or less what we expected, visitors are astonished at the possibilities of our equipment."

“We are very satisfied with the exhibition," according to Inga Jerkovic of Probat. “We actually sold two units during the show, not something we would normally expect to do."

“"We have had a very successful show," commented Niels Van Nielsen, exhibition manager, marketing department of Niro A/S in a brief moment when he was able to talk to Tea & Coffee Asia between meeting visitors at the stand. “We have done great business here, we have actually closed a couple of deals here, and we are talking about entire factories and production lines! We are very happy with the results."

Seminal Seminars
While the exhibition floor itself was obviously a major focus of the event, the tea and coffee seminars and various special events that ran concurrently were all oversubscribed and well-attended by professionals from all walks of the industry eager to learn more about the many topics being discussed by leading experts in their fields.

From current health findings on tea and coffee to global trends in tea and coffee production and consumption, the World Cup seminars embraced a wide variety of subjects of interest to attendees, presented in the comfortable and well-appointed seminar rooms at the Suntec Exhibition Center.

Special Events
Alongside the seminars, a variety of special events were conducted throughout the three days of the show, including a Japanese tea ceremony, tea tasting with a master tea taster, a series of cupping seminars, a demonstration of the Japanese coffee siphon method and the world’s first Latte Art World Cup Competition (see below for details), won by a barista who created his masterpiece while blindfolded to the ecstatic cheers of encouragement from a huge crowd of spectators who gathered to witness the finals.

The organizers, Lockwood Publications, who produce the world’s leading tea and coffee trade magazines, Tea & Coffee Trade Journal and Tea & Coffee Asia sponsored a well-attended welcome party at which the wine, food and conversation flowed equally, the perfect relaxed networking function.

The First Ever Latte Art World Cup Competition
The first ever World Latte Art Championship was held at Tea & Coffee World Cup Asia 2004 alongside tea and coffee symposiums, workshops on barista skills, cupping coffee, tea blending, tea tasting and much more. The event is hosted by the tea and coffee industry’s leading publications, Tea & Coffee Trade Journal and Tea & Coffee Asia.

At the World Latte Art Championship, participating Baristi (espresso bartenders who expertly prepare espresso coffees) from Japan, Canada, Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Philippines, China, Singapore and Thailand competed for top honors at this first ever event of its kind held in Asia. Like Iron Chef, baristi had a very tight window of time, just 5 minutes, to prepare a macchiato, a cappuccino, a latte and a signature beverage for our discerning panel of coffee judge, who reviewed drinks on taste, clarity of milk design, speed, showmanship, and creativity.

The energy level from baristi and over 200 attendees watching was high as they worked under pressure to prepare their best latte art. Sammy Piccolo, from Caffe Artigiano, Vancouver, BC, Canada came half way around the world to participate. During the final round he blindfolded himself, prepared incredible milk designs in coffee, and served the judges as spectators and the other competing baristi cheered him on, proving he was truly worthy of World Champion title.

Congratulations to Sammy Piccolo, World Champion of Canada, Chihiro Yokoyama of Japan, 2nd Place and Justin Metcalf of Australia, 3rd Place.

This event was made possible by sponsorship from the Lucky Coffee Company Ltd., Brasilia, and of course, Tea & Coffee Trade Journal and Tea & Coffee Asia.

Contact Analia Pereda, Tea & Coffee Trade Journal, e-mail a.pereda@lockwoodpublications.com or visit www.tcworldcup.net for further information on upcoming shows.