The Rocks Aroma Festival 2016

By Ben Stephens.

There isn’t too much in this world that excites me quite like a festival, with all the people watching, the foraging of foods and the downing of drinks, I get a real kick out it. Though there is a certain kick I enjoy more than others, that comes from the golden crema from a well-tampered extraction of the finest South American beans. It comes with a huge caffeine-riddled smile to let you know that later this month the beans are taking over the oldest part of Sydney in one of the tastiest festival of the year, the Rocks Aroma Festival.

To tantalise those tastebuds of yours just a little more, let me tempt you with some more of what’s going on during this one-day festival in celebration of the brown bean grind. The Rocks will be swamped with the best in the Sydney coffee world, with the likes of the ethical dudes from the local establishment, Rusty & Pablo, talking roasting techniques and how they do such a damn fine job. The team at Sensory Lab will be showing off their unique brewing methods mixed with their fine bean selection and The Argyle Oracle will be around if you want to talk about what your tea leaves and coffee have in store for you in the future.

Along side all this absolute golden magic, the crew at Breville will be hosting the Latte Art Smackdown, a competition that will see the best baristas in country compete live on stage to produce their best art work, in knock out rounds until the best is left standing – this is something not to be missed. If you want to give it a go yourself, stick around for the At Home Barista challenge. Registration is open on the day, so get creative.

The food on offer will be coming from some of the top places in town, with Creperie Suzette, Mama Linh’s and Happy as Larry just to name a few. To accompany your foodstuff choices, there will be The Aroma Brew Bar, with coffee flavoured beer and liqueurs, while over at Cruise Bar, the team will be teaching you how to pair your coffee in cocktails and all that jazz.

Lastly, the Aroma Festival takes place on a Sunday, so you’ll be in the heart of The Rocks Markets, where you can always find something you never knew you needed, or a German hotdog with sauerkraut that you’ve been craving.

The Rocks Aroma Festival is on July 24 2016.