Grind City Coffee Xpo – Memphis Flyer

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.”

Grind City Coffee Expo at Wiseacre HQ in Downtown Memphis on Saturday, November 5, 2022 (Photo: Mark Adams)

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.

I’m proud to say I’ve attended and covered all three Grind City Coffee Xpo events since it began in 2019.

I love coffee. I drink it black like a film noir reporter. And I make it on the stove in an old-school percolator with the little glass thing on top.

So, attending Grind City Coffee Xpo, held November 5th at Wiseacre Brewing Co. downtown, was like being in coffee — and tea — heaven. I drank carbonated coffee at Comeback Coffee’s booth and tea at the booth for Rishi Tea & Botanicals out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. And lots of little cups of hot and cold coffee at other stations.

Dante Baker, Joseph Jenkins, Noah Randolph, and Raegan Jenkins at Grind City Coffee Xpo (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Ken and Mary Olds and Averell Mondie at Grind City Coffee Xpo (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Amy McPherson at Grind City Coffee Xpo (Credit: Michael Donahue)

David Lambert, Drew Smith, Teagan Griffith, Kim Lambert at Grind City Coffee Xpo (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Tamer Younis at Grind City Coffee Xpo (Credit: Michael Donahue)

This year’s event featured 18 vendors, says founder Daniel Lynn. “It was awesome,” Lynn says “I think we’re going to end up with around 600 people. It was incredible.”

He doesn’t yet have the final amount of how much they raised for their charity, Protect Our Aquifer.

Alden Schmidt at Grind City Coffee Xpo (Credit: Michael Donahue)

MIcah Dempsey and Daniel Lynn at Grind City Coffee Xpo (Credit: Michael Donahue)

They didn’t feature tea at their first Xpo, which was held at the old Memphis College of Art.

The event now features “anything in the coffee community,” including tea, Lynn says.

The Xpo also included Ounce of Hope. “I’m a big believer in wellness, health. And CBD in coffee is a really nice thing.”

Cat Brooks, Collin Bercier, Kyle McFarland at Grind City Coffee Xpo (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Ounce of Hope at Grind City Coffee Xpo (Credit: Michael Donahue)

I asked Lynn what it is about coffee that gets people so excited. Besides caffeine, of course. “It’s so welcoming,” he says. “It not only tastes good, but there’s some incredible science behind it, too. Anyone can make a cup of coffee, whether you’re a novice and you just like your drip machine with your Community Coffee in it. Or you want to get crazy into it and you’re doing a Chemex pour over where you measure out the water and the coffee in grams. It’s a multi-step process. You put the timer on and start the pour and its super relaxing.”

You “let the coffee bloom and then come back and pour the rest of the water over the coffee.”

Making coffee is universal. “Anyone can do it. From the novice to the super nerd. I think it’s very approachable.”