Seattle Coffee Fest 2012

     While the organizers of Coffee Fest plan for next year's stop in Seattle, I'm just getting around to writing about this year's show.  It was the first time that I had attended a Coffee Fest, the specialty coffee industry's tradeshow with stops in Chicago, New York City, and Seattle.[ad#Google Adsense - use me]     It was a great experience, with a very happy ending, as you'll see below.Aeropress was one of the exhibitors.  They have created a new brewing method that involves forcing hot water through the ground coffee into your cup.  It was cool that I just recently bought this coffee maker, so that I had time to try it at home before bring my questions to the exhibitor.  I wanted to be sure I'm getting the most out of it.  It was Jeremy Adams, owner of Portland's Cellar Door Coffee, that had introduced me to the Aeropress.Read: The Aeropress Brewing MethodRead: Profile: Cellar Door Coffee     Nesco was another exhibitor.  They have designed the home roasting system that I use to roast green coffee beans for myself at home.  I found it interesting that they would exhibit at a tradeshow for roasters who do professionally what the Nesco unit allows you to do to some extent at home.  While a representative from Nesco described the system to a coffee lover, my timing was good to back up what he was saying, and how much I have enjoyed and relied on my own.Read: Why Roast Your Own Coffee at Home?Read: Introduction to Roasting Coffee     There were a couple exhibitors on hand from the chocolate business.  There are so many similarities between coffee and chocolate, including how they are grown and the rich diversity of flavors.  I met a representative from Guittard Chocolate and described to him how much I was starting to enjoy dark chocolate, and have been writing about it.Also on hand was the Portland Roasting Coffee, named by Roast Magazine as the 2012 macro roaster of the year.  Speaking of which, Roast Magazine themselves were on hand, and I was able to catch up with founder and publisher, Connie Blumhardt.Read: Profile Roast Magazine     And the happy ending I mentioned earlier?  After a week of travel, I returned home,  to find waiting for me at my door...16 POUNDS of chocolate courtesy of Guittard Chocolate.  I had mentioned that I'd love to try their dark chocolates from different sources, and they came through with more chocolate than I know what to do with.The Seattle Coffee Fest was a fun experience, and my first coffee trade show.  As a coffee lover, it was interesting and enlightening.  Tradeshows keep their industry informed and educated, and as a coffee lover, it was cool to be a part of it.