The aroma of coffee was in the air as 10 coffee enthusiasts sipped and savoured the java at a cafe-hopping trail organised by the Singapore Coffee Festival yesterday.

Participants learnt about the delicate art of brewing coffee from baristas and coffee roasters at five cafes which will be participating in the festival.

The cafes are Chye Seng Huat Hardware in Tyrwhitt Road, Jewel Coffee in GSH Plaza in Cecil Street, Caffe Vergnano 1882 in South Beach Avenue, Hyde & Co in North Bridge Road and Common Man Coffee Roasters in Martin Road.

In its second edition, the Singapore Coffee Festival, which is organised by The Straits Times and presented by DBS Bank, will be held from Aug 3 to 6 at Marina Bay Cruise Centre. Coffee lovers can expect a robust line-up of more than 60 exhibitors, including equipment distributors and cafes.

Participants at the cafe-hopping trail were selected through a contest that was held last month. They bought early-bird tickets to the festival and posted their favourite cuppa memories and top-down photos of cups of coffee on their Instagram accounts with the hashtags #sgcoffeefest and #scf17cafehop.

Besides getting their caffeine kick, participants also interacted with baristas, who shared details about varieties of specialty coffee around the world. They also mingled with Kiss92FM DJ Desiree Lai, who joined the trail.

At home-grown coffee purveyor Chye Seng Huat Hardware, which houses its own roastery, participants had a behind-the-scenes look at how Thippanahalli beans from India were roasted. The company's head of wholesale Adryll Lin, 34, also shared information on the evolution of the beans and their aromas.

Participant Jeffrey Qu, 49, a director of an e-commerce company, said: "It is fascinating to observe the scientific process of roasting the beans, such as how the temperature of the drum roaster affects the taste of a brew."

At Jewel Coffee, participants tried their hand at cupping, a coffee-tasting technique, to evaluate the aroma and flavours of beans from Brazil, Ethiopia and Indonesia.

At Caffe Vergnano 1882, Italy's rich coffee history took centre stage. Participants sipped on three quintessential beverages that are found in coffee houses throughout the country: espresso, cioccolata (hot chocolate) and bicerin (espresso, hot chocolate topped with whipped cream).

Financial consultant Renga Naidu, 59, learnt how to concoct a coffee cocktail. She said: "I hope to experiment with more interesting ingredients on top of the usual gin and raspberry syrup that I've added into my coffee."

After a quick pit-stop at Hyde & Co, the trail ended with a visit to Common Man Coffee Roasters, where participants picked up tips on making a flat white. Head trainer Lucky Salvador, 29, also demonstrated latte art.

Information technology consultant Angela Lee, who is in her 40s, said: "This cafe-hopping trail showcased a good progression of how a cuppa is made. Now, I have a better appreciation of coffee culture."