Singapore's first Coffee Festival opened yesterday, attracting around 1,000 trade visitors including roasters, distributors and cafe owners.
The four-day event at the F1 Pit Building celebrates Singapore's vibrant coffee culture and features more than 100 exhibitors, including coffee bean suppliers, equipment distributors and cafes.
It welcomed trade visitors yesterday and opens to the public from today until Sunday.
It is organised by Sphere Exhibits, a subsidiary of Singapore Press Holdings, presented by DBS Bank and hosted by The Straits Times.
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What's brewing at the festival today
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Music @ SCF
Jive to tunes by a stellar line-up of home-grown music acts curated by Singapore Coffee Festival creative director Daniel Boey. These performances are held at the F1 Pit Building, which is accessible only to ticket holders. Where: Coffee Stage and Intimate Stage, Level 3, Food & Drinks Zone
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TODAY
• Coffee Stage
4.45pm - Charlie Lim
7.15pm - Enec.e
• Coffee Stage
6pm - Pleasantry
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ST Reading Room sessions
Get your burning questions on anything from property to politics answered by journalists from The Straits Times at these interactive sessions.
They will be taking questions from the audience, and readers can send their questions to askst@sph.com.sg Where: ST Reading Room, Level 3, Food & Drinks Zone
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TODAY
Noon - Deputy managing editor Fiona Chan and reporters Rachael Boon, Lester Hio, Olivia Ho, Yeo Sam Jo and Charissa Yong talk about their new book, Cafe Sg: A Cafe Lover's Guide To Singapore
1pm - Film correspondent John Lui on Getting Serious About Funny Writing
2pm - Senior education correspondent Sandra Davie on College Or Uncollege: Is A Degree Still Worth It?
3pm - Digital reporter Lisabel Ting on The Hottest Gadgets To Own This Year
4pm - Business editor Lee Su Shyan on Taking The Plunge Into Property 5pm - Cartoonists Lee Chee Chew and Miel Prudencio Jr give live demonstrations
Nitrogen-infused cold brew coffee on tap piqued the interest of many visitors.
Ms Marilyn Eng, 40, founder of Made Cold, a cold brew coffee wholesaler, said: "We received many queries from eateries and events companies.
"It is still a novel product in the market. The foam generated by the nitrogen gives the coffee a creamy mouthfeel reminiscent of beer foam."
Mr Colin Yeo, 42, director of cafe- bakery Baker's 13 in Changi Road, visited the festival to source coffee suppliers and trends. "I like the diverse range of suppliers," he said. "My customers are always looking out for new types of coffee."
Visitors also interacted with Straits Times journalists in the ST Reading Room.
Ten Straits Times readers snagged a VIP experience that included attending a speciality coffee workshop by Common Man Coffee Roasters and chilling out in the VIP lounge. They were picked in a social media contest held last month.
A guide to 50 cafes in Singapore was also launched yesterday. Cafe SG: A Cafe Lover's Guide To Singapore is written by Straits Times journalists Rachael Boon, Janice Heng, Lester Hio, Yeo Sam Jo, Olivia Ho, Pearl Lee and Charissa Yong.
They ate and drank their way through hipster cafes in places such as Tiong Bahru, and also checked out time-honoured coffee shops such as Heap Seng Leong Coffeeshop in North Bridge Road, famous for serving kopi with butter floating on top.
Ms Fiona Chan, 34, The Straits Times' deputy managing editor, who edited the 117-page book, hopes it will be an authoritative guide to the cafe culture here.
Published by Straits Times Press, the book costs $16 and is available at major bookstores and online at www.stpressbooks.com.sg
Some of the book's authors will be at an ST Reading Room session at noon today, talking about their cafe picks and what makes a good cafe.
•The Singapore Coffee Festival is at the F1 Pit Building, 1 Republic Boulevard, until Sunday. It is open from 11am to 9pm. Tickets cost $18 per person and $43 per person for VIP tickets, with discounts for DBS and POSB cardholders. Buy tickets at the F1 Pit Building.
