Have a cup of espresso, chow down on good food, groove to beats, and chat with fellow coffee lovers and Straits Times writers.
At the Singapore Coffee Festival, you can do all these things and more. To be held in June at the F1 Pit Building, this inaugural event aims to bring together everyone in Singapore's coffee scene, from cafe owners to coffee drinkers, for a hearty java jive.
Festival-goers can participate in coffee-centric forums and discussions on topics such as bean origins and coffee equipment, and hands-on sessions covering latte art, barista skills and home-brewing techniques.
In between, they can have food and drink, listen to live music, or chat with Straits Times journalists such as senior writer Wong Kim Hoh and senior sports correspondent Rohit Brijnath.
The journalists will be there as part of the paper's recently launched reader engagement programme, askST, where readers can tap the expertise of ST writers for information on topics ranging from personal finance and education to entertainment and health matters.
Organised by Sphere Exhibits, a subsidiary of Singapore Press Holdings, presented by DBS and hosted by The Straits Times, the four-day event from June 9-12 will feature about 100 exhibitors and is expected to attract 15,000 visitors. The first day will be a media and trade preview.
"Many of us look forward to a good cup of coffee to start the day, or to keep us going through the day," said Straits Times editor Warren Fernandez.
"We also want to catch up and keep up with what's going on in the world, and many turn to The Straits Times for their fix of the news. So The Straits Times and the Singapore Coffee Fest are a great match."
Some confirmed exhibitors include Common Man Coffee Roasters and Chye Seng Huat Hardware, cafe chain The Connoisseur Concerto or TCC, and Oriole Coffee.
Mr Leon Foo, 33, owner of Chye Seng Huat Hardware, said festival-goers will be able to experience his coffee company's sensory approach to coffee retail. "Visitors will not only be able to sample the coffee, but also smell ground coffee, and find out more about the farm that it came from," he said.
Common Man Coffee Roasters will create a miniature cafe at the event, serving brews and signature menu favourites such as pancakes with caramelised banana, salted caramel sauce, nut crumble and berry coulis.
Other food and drink providers include restaurant-bar Kuvo and cafe Two Bakers, which serves both sweet and savoury food.
As the festival's tagline is "Creating Conversations Over Coffee", visitors can chat with Straits Times food editor Tan Hsueh Yun and food critic Wong Ah Yoke.
Mr Fernandez said: "Got a question about the latest places to hang out over coffee? Come along and ask the columnists over a great cup of coffee."
• For more details, go to http://sgcoffeefestival.com.sg/ or visit the event's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/sgcoffeefest/
