Have you ever wanted to try all the coffee in Ohio? Well, the 4th annual Columbus CoffeeFest is the closest you can get, with a congregation of the best vendors in the state. Even if you’ve come out in previous years, you don’t want to miss Columbus CoffeeFest 2019, since they’re hosting twice as many vendors, workshops, and live demos. If that sounds right up your alley, read on, because we’ll be covering:

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• General information
• How they’re keeping it sustainable
• What you can expect from the vendors

General Information About CoffeeFest 2019

Columbus CoffeeFest will be held on September 28 and 29, 2019 on the grounds of the Ohio Village. This history museum gives the CoffeeFest a distinct charm, and includes a bicycle shop, town hall, and lodging house out of which vendors will operate. 

For each day, there are two ticket levels available: the Early Bird and General Admission. The Early Bird has the benefit of early entry from 9am-11am, entry into Session 1, and an option to buy an exclusive commemorative mug. General Admission tickets can be purchased for either Session 1, from 11am-2pm, or Session 2, from 2pm-5pm. It’s a wise idea to buy your ticket online before the event, since tickets will only be sold at the door if it’s not sold out (which it most likely will be). Tickets will be up for sale in August. 

All coffee samples are included in the ticket, but any additional bean purchases or meals are not included. Scheduled events are also included with a ticket, and an official list will be posted in early August. Parking is free. 

If you have questions, you can contact the organizers at info@columbuscoffeefest.com or (614) 657-9439. If you’d like to stay up to date on ticket releases and event announcements, you can sign up for CoffeeFest’s email alerts. 

How CoffeeFest Keeps Sustainability in Mind

You might think that many small samples might generate a lot of waste, but Columbus CoffeeFest has a solution for that which you’ll probably like: free mugs! Each attendee (regardless of their ticket tier) plus any vendors, volunteers, and staff members, receive a free commemorative mug that they can use to sample all the delicious coffee, without any worries about being wasteful. The cardboard packaging that is used to deliver these mugs is recycled.

Brewing a lot of coffee also leaves behind a lot of coffee grounds — over 350 pounds in 2018, to be exact. All of this is composted, meaning that it becomes food for plants! And, while they have doubled the vendors in 2019, CoffeeFest is also doubling their sustainability efforts with new sorting tents that will encourage attendees to recycle and compost, as well as educating them about which items are appropriate to recycle and compost, and which are not. 

CoffeeFest Vendors

With 18 coffee vendors alone, CoffeeFest certainly has a lot to offer. In addition to these coffee-makers from all over the state, 9 food vendors and 7 retail exhibitors will also be selling their wares. Since coffee is obviously the star here, we’ll give you a taste of what you can expect from some of the coffee exhibitors. 

Akron Coffee Roasters

While their roasting expertise is really what makes ACR’s coffee so flavorful and rich, they also understand the importance of bean quality. For this reason, all their beans are high-grade, single-origin, and sourced directly from farms and mills. The best part? You won’t even have to travel all the way to Akron to enjoy their coffee. 

Coffee Connections

A staple in the Hilliard community, this cafe’s mission statement is to “love our neighbor and serve our city.” Coffee Connections is passionate not only about good coffee, but also about creating meaningful relationships with the people they serve. They’ll be sure to serve your sample with a smile!

Coffee Emporium

While Coffee Emporium’s claim to fame is being the oldest coffee house still operating in Cincinnati, Ohio, they also have an unwavering focus on finding the best beans from family-owned farms all over the world which use traditional and sustainable practices. These beautiful beans are then artisan roasted with meticulous care, and finally served by highly-trained staff. It’s no wonder they were awarded “Best Coffee House” in Cincinnati for 10 years straight by City Beat.

Crimson Cup Coffee

A homegrown Columbus business, Crimson Cup Coffee has been exploding in popularity, and for good reason. With unique drinks such as coffee cocktails, as well as well-executed classics, Crimson Cup has managed to move out of the US, just recently opening its fourth international shop in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Just think — you’ll be able to taste coffee that’s world famous!

Deeper Roots Coffee

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The roots of this Cincinnati coffee house can be found in several non-profits that were founded to support farmers in Guatemala, which eventually generated the experience and knowledge that led to the opening of the for-profit Deeper Roots Coffee. With ethical sourcing as their Number 1 priority, Deeper Roots strives to provide the best for both their producers and their customers. 

DrankTank

Want a break from all the seriousness of expert brewers? Scope out the Drank Tank, and try one of their delicious home-brewed coffees, or even an adult beverage. 

Flatlands Coffee

Founded through a valiant Kickstarter campaign, Flatlands Coffee promises you the best coffee you’ve ever tasted, using the multi-roaster approach to find that perfect coffee, then serving it to you with competition-level baristas and pristine, futuristic equipment. But don’t take their word for it — try it yourself!

Florin Coffee

Using his experience in roasting and sourcing coffee, Hans and Joelle Hochstedler, the founders of Florin, plan to eliminate “boring” coffee. They take pains to ensure that every roast is unique, and with the subscription service offered by Florin, you can get new flavors delivered right to your door as often as you like.

Hemisphere Coffee Roasters

From their headquarters in Mechanicsburg, Ohio, Paul and Grace Kurtz, the owners of Hemisphere, travel around the world to meet and shake the hands of their coffee growers. While a handshake isn’t about to make great coffee, what does is Hemisphere’s responsibly sourced and expertly roasted coffee beans from both hemispheres. 

Jenning’s Java

Jenning’s Java is a family-owned, small-batch roasting company based in Orient, Ohio. They sell their wares at farmer’s markets all over Ohio — including Columbus CoffeeFest!

Kampfire Coffee Roasters, LLC

Focusing on environmentally friendly roasting, Kampfire uses hand-roasting techniques to create heavenly premium coffee. If you’re really a fan of their coffee, you can even pick up some Kampfire beanies, or the manly Kampfire beard oil (smells like coffee!).

Ramble Coffee

Inspired by a road trip across the country, Ramble Coffee was founded in October 2016, with the intent of imbuing every cup with their sense of adventure. Their natural curiosity has led them into the intricate depths of the coffee world, from whence they’ve emerged with all the knowledge necessary to make a delicious cup.

Serve Coffee

Serve Coffee is a family-owned business that buys coffee beans from award-winning farms, and turns it into award-winning coffee. They offer this coffee in a subscription service that’s delivered monthly, as well as offering green coffee so that you might delve into the wide world of coffee roasting too. 

Silver Bridge Coffee Company

Silver Bridge Coffee Company boasts the freshest of beans, which they then roast to perfection in small batches. You’ve likely already seen this coffee sitting on the shelf of your local grocery store — now’s your chance to try it!

Tinker Coffee Co.

One of few out-of-staters, Tinker Coffee Co. is based in Indianapolis. Tinker doesn’t have a cafe in which to serve their specialty coffees, so you’d better try their delicious brews while you can. And don’t worry — if you fall in love, you can always visit their online store. 

Also included in the line up are Drip Coffee Co., Jump StartJava, The Goat, and Viking Coffee Co. Whew! That sounds like a caffeine overdose to me. All I can say is be prepared to taste the best coffee that Ohio has to offer. And don’t forget to have fun!

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