Dubai Food Festival 2020 is not just about the food – it’s a chance to indulge in a range of coffee drinks specially created just for the 18-day festival, with the Limited Edition Coffee Series.
Until Saturday 14 March, coffee lovers can try a drink concocted by baristas at nine local coffee concept stores, or one of three international franchises.
Coffee lovers fans should pick up a Dubai Food Festival coffee passport and get it stamped at each venue for the chance to win AED 1,000 worth of coffee.
Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO, Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) says: “Coffee is so entrenched in society, we thought it would be remiss to leave this much-loved drink out of the festival. Dubai’s coffee culture is growing year on year, with the city not only attracting franchise operators for global brands, but also fantastic home-grown concepts. We invited them to serve limited edition coffee-based drinks throughout the 18-day event and hope to encourage residents and visitors alike to visit each and every one of these special outlets.”
Home grown coffee houses and cafes taking part in the coffee festival include Cupagahwa, DOH, Drop Café, 20 Grams Café, Emirati Coffee, Nusantara Coffee Roasters, Qiso Café & Minimart, Andes Café, Spill the Beans and One Degree Café.
International franchises taking part are Costa Coffee, Café Frei and Boston Lane Café.
DIFC-based Cafe Frei already serves more than 67 different global coffee varieties. For Dubai Food Festival, it is offering a short-run antioxidant-rich coffee called Superfood Frappe, using beans sourced from shade-grown plantations.
High Street favourite Costa Coffee is bringing a Spiced Toffee Cappuccino to its menus at 155 outlets across the UAE. Expect espresso topped with spiced toffee foam.
Head to South American/Asian fusion venue Andes in the Trade Centre area before 4 March to try its Festival creation – a Vietnamese Iced Latte. Made using specialty medium-dark roast coffee beans from South America and infused with condensed and fresh milk, the drink is served hot or over ice.
Boston Lane in the charming Courtyard, Al Quoz, has concocted a locally inspired beverage, the Ice Rose Crystal Coffee, infused with rose petals and Boston Lane’s signature coffee jelly.
Everything’s organic at Dubai Silicon Oasis outlet Qiso Café, which has gone all out to get guests buzzing during the festival with the chance to sample a flight of three different single-origin drinks. After choosing a favourite, guests can then enjoy a full measure of their chosen brew, alongside tasting notes and the chance to try a tempting tiramisu flavoured with your chosen beans.
Drop Dubai, in Dubai Mall and Jumeirah, is bringing a taste of la dolce vita with its Italian-inspired Cold Brew Spritz, designed to cool and stimulate the senses while people watching at this artisanal, home-grown brews and bites venue.
For a sip of truly local flavour, try Emirati Coffee’s Cascara Fizz, a cold drink made from the pulp or skin of the coffee cherry (known as the ‘qishr’). With a Dar Wasl Mall store and an Al Quoz roastery, this outlet is bang on trend, but it’s been around since the 1930s.
Take a taste of the great outdoors with your specialty coffee from DOH at Last Exit, Al Khawaneej with the Doh Oreo Latte – a limited edition Oreo cookie-inspired drink, as quirky as the outlet itself.
Pioneers of ‘third wave’ coffees, Sustainable City’s Spill the Beans’ special drink, the Bounty Brew, is a vegan, gluten-free pick-me-up for the more health conscious. But it’s still an indulgent ‘drink’ – expect a cold Colombian brew and coconut milk, poured over coconut chocolate truffles, a raw chocolate brownie bite, mocha syrup and coffee-bean infused ice spheres.
As you’d expect from the popular outlets called Cupagahwa, its offering is inspired by local tastes and culture. The Falooda Latte is a creamy milk-based drink with traditional rose-flavoured notes, layered with Cupagahwa’s Italian coffee blend for a modern twist.
For a quick caffeine fix in one of Dubai’s most quirky dining and retail district, head to the Storm Cafe
food truck at Boxpark, Al Wasl Road. Its signature Storm Latte is a specialty blend made from top-of-the-line coffee beans and sporting a distinctive Arabic taste.
Whatever the choice of coffee Festival goers prefer, they’re sure to find something to suit their tastes at one of the participating coffee outlets.
Organised by Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), the annual 18-day Dubai Food Festival is now in its seventh year, and includes Foodie Experiences, Dubai Restaurant Week, Etisalat Beach Canteen, Hidden Gems, Home Edition, Tasty Tunes and much more.
For more information and a full update on DFF activities, visit https://www.visitdubai.com/en/dff or @dubaifoodfest and #dubaifoodfest.
