People have been drinking coffee since 800 A.D., so says the internet. But the Grind City Coffee Xpo is only going on its fourth year, so says Daniel Lynn, the event’s founder.
If you haven’t been to the event that has only grown each year since it’s been around, Lynn describes it as “really focused on education of the whole coffee experience, just trying to spread the coffee culture to people who maybe aren’t as familiar.” For the day, as in years past, more than 20 vendors, both local and from as far away as Wisconsin, will pass out samples — anything from cold brews to pour overs — and folks are encouraged to ask vendors questions. “I’ve heard from multiple vendors in the past, especially from our out-of-town vendors, that Memphis always has some of the best questions that they hear.”
Being able to host both local and out-of-town vendors, Lynn adds, “really increases the value of the expo. I look at it as like showing people from around the country how cool the Memphis scene is. It’s really spreading our coffee community around. Everybody in the community around here is so cool. Like, that’s why I keep doing the thing.”
This year, for the first time, the expo will have coffee-infused cocktail samples, latte art demonstrations, and panels. The panels will be about sustainability around coffee, coffee’s journey from farm to cup, and an “Ask a Barista.” The panels, Lynn hopes, will lend themselves to creating a bigger picture of the coffee industry.
Sustainability itself is a theme within the event, with all the profits going to Protect Our Aquifer. “We like to say that you can’t have good coffee without good water,” Lynn says. “That’s why the coffee and beer in Memphis are so good. So, we gotta we gotta make sure that doesn’t change.”
Additionally, Lynn says the expo plans to be as zero-waste as possible, thanks to the help of the Compost Fairy. Plus, tickets include a ceramic tasting mug made by Kelsey Berry.
Tickets can be purchased at grindcitycoffee.com and are priced according to entry time (i.e. $35 for 9 a.m., $30 for 11 a.m., and $25 for noon). After the expo, all are invited to the free Grind City Throwdown, “a latte art competition in a party wrapper,” at Comeback Coffee at 7 p.m. Guests can expect Grind City Brewery beer, food from Kinfolk, a live DJ, and, of course, coffee — and lots of it.
Grind City Coffee Xpo, Bridges USA, Saturday, November 11, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., $25-$35.
