Event Review: I Am Caffeinated From The Coffee & Tea Festival

Run by event planners/ promoters, Starfish Junction, whom are also planning a beer fest in March, the festival ran very smoothly. With three rows aligned with coffee and tea from around the world, and sprinkled with vendors selling jewelry, food, and even spinal massages, the festival was perfect mix of eclectic, lively, and overall chill. For however many people aligned to get coffee or listen to the origin stories of their tea, there was a general warmth and friendliness. I say that because certain tests attract certain crowds, but coffee lovers are good people so you can’t go wrong. Friend groups laughed as the tickets were 7 dollars for admission with a free tote. Every vendor explained why their coffee was so unique and what it takes to make a cup of Joe stand out in a social media/ business world that asks you to sell both your “niche” and 2 or 3 other things.

To be honest, no one was “just selling” coffee. From skincare to CBD or paintings, kitchenware, and clothing, every coffeemaker was also 2 or 3 other things. Yet, I understood why. Every brand has to be multi-faceted, and the “coffee world” has become an influencer magnet. Nowadays, finding the “perfect” coffeeshop is the equivalent to finding the best bar in New York, or as one brewer put it” coffee is the new alcohol,” and people are happy to get drunk/ caffeinated by it. Thus, here are my faves out every single coffee & tea I enjoyed.

Note: It was pure coffee. No milk. No Sugar. Just the bean water.

1) 4 Jacks Cold Brew: Perfectly smooth! It’s solid taste made it neither bitter or sweet even without sugar or milk, which just makes me dream of all that you can add to this brew like, a canvas ready to be painted.

2) Orfeu Coffee: This Brazilian coffee is world renown for being the perfect balance of strong and tasty. It, literally, is the coffee of your dreams; making you feel like you are having its warm, vibrant taste like a movie-star would in a morning scene. I really enjoyed it!

3) Bull Master Coffee: I LOVED how strong this coffee was, and, as you could see, I love strong coffee. For me, if a cup of Joe does not wake you then what is the point. That is like having CBD, and it does not relax you. There was something oddly sturdy and even wooded to its taste that I really enjoyed.

4) Sail Away Coffee Seltzer: Perfectly strange! This coffee seltzer oddly tasted like neither. It was as refreshing as soda, but is still comparable in taste. With flavors like, mimosa and ocean berry, its sweetness was light, its texture was bubbly and VERY crisp, and its taste was 100% unique. A great drink for a hot summer’s day.

5) Dirt Rich Hemp Tea: This blue tea will make you feel like Alice in Wonderland. It was very earthy and grounded in taste, and as someone who is known for her “cheap teas,” this tea was very strong in taste. It was almost like a coffee, which was surprising and great.

6) Chixtoxic Tea: This purple Tea from Kenya is not only deliciously aromatic and light, it is also SO GOOD for skincare. Whether you choose to drink it or mix it into a mask, you NEED THIS TEA!

7) Caribbrew Haitian Coffee: AMAZING! This coffee felt dangerously addictive, in part, because its cold brew was like pure cinnamon bliss. A speciality coffee, if you like cinnamon in your iced coffee, you NEED THIS!

8) Bang Cookies: Okay, this is not a coffee. Yet, these cookies are delicious, and they kind of feel like a straight, out of the oven cooked from a bakery…. yet you can buy them in packages online.

9) Afrocoffee: Like CariBBrew, these were my personal favorites because I like when my coffees have a natural flavor. In essence, I am 100% that person that orders cinnamon  or vanilla coffee, and I want to TASTE IT!. Thus, if you like flavored coffee, this is a must.

10) Distressed Coffee: This coffee just felt warm. It was another solid, cup that may not have been my fave, but was certainly good.