Coffee from all points of view, has now become a real fashion. The clamor for the descent into Italy of Starbucks has not yet died down, the American coffee chain which has 28.720 points of sale in 78 countries around the world, which has opened an office in Milan in Corso Garibaldi which will be followed on Saturday 24 November by second, in the Piazza San Babila area, and the third in Terminal 1 of Malpensa airport, which will also host another Milan event featuring coffee. From November 30th to December 2nd at the Spazio Pelota in via Palermo, in the heart of Brera, the "Milan Coffee Festival" will be held, an international format conceived by Ludovic Rossignol-Isanovic, co-founder of the Allegra Events Coffee Festival together with Jeffrey Young who will offer free tastings, interactive workshops, performances by bartenders, roasters and mixologists dealing with a reinterpretation of the classic Milanese aperitif between signature cocktails and DJ-sets.
“Milan has always been a model city – declares Ludovic Rossignol-Isanovic – and a point of reference for art, design, architecture, fashion and cuisine. It is the home of espresso, the first bars and the famous aperitif. In the new millennium, however, the culture of coffee across the border has changed its face and undergone a radical transformation from which even Italy, while still remaining mostly linked to tradition, has been affected. The recent openings of specialty coffee shops in Milan and the spread of artisanal micro-roasters throughout the peninsula testify to how much this revolution is making its way in the very homeland of espresso, where it all began. This new generation of artisan roasters and specialty coffee shops, combined with the espresso tradition, represent the beating heart of The Milan Coffee Festival which aims to bridge the gap between these two realities".
Scheduled at the Milan Coffee Festival The lab, powered by Lavazza with an interactive program including demonstrations, workshops, tastings, conferences and live debates on various topics - from the diffusion of the female figure in the world of coffee to curiosities about its origins passing through the secrets than a good roast at home. The most authoritative opinion leaders in the sector will take part, including: Paolo Scimone, roaster and owner of the His Majesty The Coffee roastery in Monza; Francesco Sanapo, Italian champion of cafeteria, owner of the Artisan Company of Florence; Dario and Matteo Beluffi of Bel.co, a company that deals with consultancy in the coffee and vegan world; Chiara Bergonzi, official trainer SCAE – Specialty Coffee Association of Europe; Alessandro Longhin, founder of The Botanical Club project, first micro-distillery in Milan and double gin bar.
LA Marzocco's true artisan cafe' will instead be the pop-up in which 12 of the best venues and cafes on the Milanese scene will take turns offering signature drinks and cocktails, offering the public the opportunity to meet coffee artisans. The line-up of the Festival includes the presence of Cafezal, Tipografia Alimentare, Taglio, Orsonero, Cofficina, Pavè, Panini Durini, Milano Roastery, Hygge, Café Gorille and Trippa.
There will also be Latte art live, an area entirely dedicated to Latte Art with a series of demonstrations and competitions between the world's leading experts in techniques for decorating the surface of espresso and cappuccino using milk, such as the Thai Arnon Thitiprasert (champion of Latte Art 2017 and Brand Ambassador of Astoria) and the Dutch Merijin Gijsbers (winner of the 2017 barista championship of her country and Brand Ambassador of Alpro), as well as the Italians Chiara Bergonzi (multi-champion and international judge of Latte Art competitions of the WCE circuit - World Coffee Events) and Matteo Beluffi (blue champion of Latte Art 2017 and several times finalist at the world championships of the same discipline). The machine chosen to support the Latte Art champions in their scenographic performances is the legendary Storm from Astoria.
There will also be space for Alpro's Vegan coffee bar, the first vegan coffee bar in Italy, open from morning to evening to offer cappuccinos, macchiatos, affogatos and 100% vegetable milk-based cocktails.
“The Milan Coffee Festival” will also be the stage for CMx™ – ITALY, the first national competition for baristas linked to the international format of Coffee Masters which will see 7 of the best baristas in Italy compete in 8 different disciplines, who have passed the selections of the past weeks, Carlos Alvarado (Checchi Downtown – Brescia), Ravane Conrado (ChicEasy – Milan), Elisabetta Paviglianiti (Cofficina Coffee Roasters – Rozzano, MI), Gian Andrea Sala (Bugan Coffee Lab – Bergamo), Ilaria Nocentini (Espresso Academy / Caffè Piansa – Florence), Matteo Pavoni (Peacocks Coffee – Monza), Simone Cattani (Coffee Training Academy – Verona) and Simone Zaccheddu (Artisan Company – Florence - A large space will also be dedicated to MIXOLOGY and, in particular, to drinks based on coffees created by the expert hands of the best barmen around.The line-up, all to drink, includes special guests of the caliber of the Greek Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, world champion of Coffee in Good Spirits 2016, the Dutch Merijn Gijsbers, and Federico Volpe , bar manager of Dry Milano.
