Stand BB1. Three days. Four coffees. Somewhere around 3,000 people through the door across the weekend.

Dublin Coffee Festival 2026 was the biggest I've seen it. Not just in numbers - in the quality of the conversation. People were asking better questions, noticing more, lingering longer at the table. That says something about where the Irish specialty market is right now.

Here's what we brought, what surprised us, and what's on our minds heading out of it.

The four coffees we featured

Anaya - Yellow Pacamara, Colombia

Anaya came back this year. The same farm, the same producer, but a new varietal - and people asked for it by name before we'd even finished setting up. That kind of recall doesn't happen by accident. It happens when a farm or producer earn their place on a global stage. Yellow Pacamara, a co-fermented coffee - the coffee cherry is fermented alongside fresh cantaloupe, which shapes the flavour compounds through processing, not flavouring. People started pouring in and asking - 'is this the coffee from last year?'

Lord Voldemort - Wush Wush, Colombia

The Wush Wush varietal is originally Ethiopian - a rare heirloom cultivar, Geisha-adjacent in complexity - but this one was grown in Colombia. It went through a 40-hour anaerobic ferment in cherry leachates, which amplifies the aromatics and drives intensity. The result is layered and unusual. If you want something that rewards attention, this is it.

Ethiopia Kurupe

If the co-ferment and the Wush Wush were the talking points, Kurupe was the dark horse - and I mean that as a compliment. It's a naturally processed Ethiopian with clean fruit, floral notes, and a balance that's harder to achieve than it looks. Sourced from the Kurupe washing station in Sidama.

Peru Cleber Córdoba

A washed Peruvian from a single producer, Cleber Córdoba, in Cajamarca. Clean, sweet, structured. The kind of cup that converts people who think they don't like Peruvian coffees.

A standout - not what was expected!

On the practical side: the Bevi water station was a 'cool' addition this year and a standout we all weren't expecting. A cold, still, sparkling water station on the floor of a coffee festival is exactly the kind of thing that sounds small and matters enormously when you're resetting your palate across twenty stands! Really, what could be more dangerous than a floor full of coffee drinkers who are dehydrated! 

On the physical side: we have to be biased here and give a shout out to our stand designers in - Think Design - from concept to pack down they just got it, it's incredibly hard to work with a brand when you are looking after it too, but we really feel like they stole the show! Thanks to Fee, Sean and team! 

The Scene

The energy at Dublin Coffee Festival 2026 felt different to previous years. More roasters, more cafes bringing staff, more genuine knowledge in the crowd. Roasters from Northern Ireland made the trip south, everyone seemed to be levelling up at the same time, which makes the conversations at the stand more interesting. Customers aren't just asking for recommendations anymore. They're comparing varietals, asking about processing methods, coming in with opinions already formed.

That's the market Dublin has built. It took a decade of good work from a lot of people before my time and it's showing.

What's Next

Firstly, full credit to Husky Events  they picked the festival up a couple of years ago when things weren't looking good, since then have driven it from strength to strength - thanks team! 

The festival format will no doubt evolve. Three full days feels inevitable - the footfall was there, the demand was there. The bigger shift I'm watching is what happens between roasters, suppliers, matcha numbers and the obvious next steps of cafes taking space and showing their abilities to all as well! I for one, can't wait for some of the best cafes in Dublin to be serving up espresso and some runny eggs in 2027!

Cloud Picker will be reaching out to a handful of cafes and potential partners we met on the floor this weekend. If you were one of them, you know who you are, and if you took our details and we missed yours - give us a call!

For anyone who tasted the Kurupe or the Peru Cleber Córdoba and wants a bag: both are on the shop now. The Anaya and the Wush Wush are limited - if you want them, don't wait. It already might be to late! 

Thanks to everyone who stopped by Stand BB1. See you next year!