When I thought I was a coffeeholic, who am I kidding here? I have no idea what I was talking about. Huh. I realized I was not coffeeholic enough when I attended the coffee competitions at the Coffee Festival 2026 at La Trinidad last February 17-20, 2026.
February 17. Coffee Competitions. Latte Art Throwdown in the morning, Coffee Brewing Competition in the afternoon.
I am no latte drinker. Too sweet, too much milk, and I just don’t really enjoy it. Then there was art. The precision, the symmetry, the position, the art itself. How does one create a dragon’s head or a bear or a unicorn? On your coffee, that is. Whew. I was too focused on my coffee that I never gave enough recognition to the art that they’re making. So the Latte Art Throwdown, it was liberating. Literally.
The Professional category for the Latte Art Throwdown was shorter compared to the Beginner’s category. I did not expect that, but I sure should have anticipated because…beginner…professional. Oh well, you get it. I didn’t. That was slow of me. But I guess the best part of it all was when I saw someone familiar from the participants. I had someone to root for! AHAHA. And as the competition progressed, I never thought I’d be recalling names and faces in one seating.
The Coffee Brewing Competition started late due to the former competition finishing late. I was dumb-founded when the judges started with their thing. Not only did they have their own special spoons, they slurped while tasting and judging the brewed coffee. Every single time. And then they told me that’s how it’s done. And, your brewed coffee is not just some random boiling of coffee grounds and whatnot. There’s a right temperature, right timing of everything. Like…Wow. Just wow. Baristas and coffee itself has gained a new level of respect and place in my heart.
All I can is that, I was glad I stayed for the coffee competitions, and I couldn’t thank the La Trinidad Coffee Shop Association enough for inviting me to be part of this all. The lessons I learned in this event is something else. Now, my curiosity is piqued and I want to know more. I know that I am not allowed to drink too much coffee due to recent circumstances and how my 2025 ended, but what could go wrong, right? I mean, yes, if they have a liquor saying “drink moderately”, I can definitely apply that to coffee too. Ehe.
P.S. This is a more personal thought from the ones I write on Black Volume.
