On Saturday, May 10, the Jackson Coffee Festival will make its debut, welcoming java enthusiasts to indulge in the popular beverage while hearing from leaders from the state’s coffee industry. The event will be held at the Mississippi Trade Mart, located at the state fairgrounds.
“Our city is pleased to host a new annual culinary event that has found a home here. This is a fun activity on the day prior to Mother’s Day, many families will stay downtown to celebrate the weekend,” Christine Blackmon, Chief Experience Officer at Visit Jackson explained.
The festival will feature specialty coffee roasters from the state, offering samples, brewing demonstrations, and educational sessions on coffee roasting, tasting, and brewing techniques.
The festival will feature:
- Specialty coffee roasters from Mississippi
- Samples
- Brewing demonstrations
- Educational sessions on coffee roasting, tasting, and brewing techniques
“Our festival is as much about coffee education as it is drinking new flavors. The world of coffee is complex and there is so much to explore in terms of different beans, different roasting options and different brewing methods,” Event organizer, Jim Currie highlighted. “Our exhibitors are coming from all over Mississippi to share new coffee experiences with our festival visitors.”
Some exhibitors include CUPS Espresso Cafe, with local roaster Shawn Rogers leading a coffee cupping session.
“Cupping is a traditional method of quality control and flavor assessment that is done both at the farm, before the coffee buyer selects the beans, and after the ship arrives in America, to confirm the flavor and quality is intact,” Rogers said,
“We are sponsoring a cupping demonstration to allow people to see how this is done. We will invite about 60 guests to taste these coffee samples to understand the wide variation in flavor from different coffee farms in different countries.”
Northshore coffee shop owner Trey Malone will showcase new cold brew creations as well as host an “Intro to cold coffee” session.
General admission to the Jackson Coffee Festival is $10 per person with free parking included. Tickets will go in April at local coffee shops and online.
