To make it more than just a drink

For the first time ever Delhi played host to India International Coffee Festival with an aim to increase its consumption in North India.

The fourth edition of the festival saw participation of about 400 delegates from 16 countries including Australia, the UK, Netherlands, Italy, Germany and Kenya, Norway, Sweden and the US.

Anil Bhandari, member, Coffee Board and president, India Coffee Trust says that the coffee culture has developed very well in North India over the last six to seven years with the coming up of cafes and cheap coffee making machines. “Coffee buzz has begun now! North India has become coffee conscious and it is interesting to note that there has been a 30 to 35 per cent increase in the rate of growth in coffee drinking in North. We thought it was the right time to hold the festival in Delhi to further push the usage of coffee as a drink and food ingredient,” he said.

The previous three editions of the festival were organised in Bangalore considering the predominant coffee culture in South India. When asked why the festival was kicked off in a southern state? Anil replied, “We though it would be better to begin from South India where the coffee culture was already present.”
The three-day festival’s main focus was to increase the consumption of coffee. In order to encourage this trend, ‘Cooking With Coffee’ session was conducted by Australian chef and restaurateur Mark Sayers at a workshop that was held prior to the festival.

The chef prepared recipes infused with black beans. “India, with its diverse culture, is a place where people are willing to experiment with their food menus. Coffee is also being welcomed as a food ingredient the world over and I hope India too welcomes it wholeheartedly,” Mark said while expressing his happiness over the efforts to promote coffee.

“Internationally, coffee is used for preparing regular meals, food items and meat to add a unique flavour in the dish. With this workshop, we wanted people to learn how to use coffee for cooking other than just consuming it as a beverage,” shared Anil.

Workshops were also conducted  by experts from across the world with a special focus on roasting and grinding, filter coffee and espresso making.