Sydney July – August 2015 (12 photos)
We are all after that killer (great) taste in coffee, but would you drink coffee that might kill you? It’s a creepy proposition, and logo to match. According to the website of the coffee company depicted above, it’s “…the strongest cup of joe you’ll ever taste in your life… The Killer Coffee Co. endeavors to take caffeine hits to death-defying new levels, featured in this post-blended, small batch of coffee that’s strong enough to wake the dead.”
Would you? That’s a big “no thanks” from me.
Anyway ….
Recently the Aroma Festival of Sydney was on for 2015. An annual festival dedicated to coffee. The streets of The Rocks region of Sydney were closed to cars and street stalls set up.
I got there early, and even then I could see that the queues for this Mayan coffee stall were much longer than all others, and this continued throughout the day. A good endorsement. As they have a cafe in Sydney, I by-passed the queue but will go to their shop one day instead. I think the key to this kind of festival is to limit your intake and try new blends you might not get elsewhere. Besides, where else are you going to get quality coffee at about half the usual price? Instead I went to…
The production line of baristas in action.
An interesting way to promote tourism, don’t you think?
Tea drinkers were catered for too. So were the chocolate lovers.
I didn’t know chocolate could be matched to wine. This Adelaide based chocolatier is opening in Sydney. Based on the free samples which I ate plenty of, I’ll be a regular there.
Of course a much more relaxed way to enjoy coffee is at home, or at a cafe. But this event is definitely for me.
Why?
“If you build it they will come”
… For the crowds …
“Cool and the gang”
… because I like to watch …
“Love is a cup of coffee in one hand and a phone in the other”
… and I like to shoot people …
“Another one bites the dust”
… especially other photographers.
Creepy, huh?
Bwahahaha!!! Bwahahaha!!! Bwahahaha!!!
Etcetera Etcetera Etcetera 
God, I need some of that! Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome. The queues get very long though. That’s why I go early. 🙂
I love the java jive and it loves me.
I kno – I can feel your “buzz” over here. 🙂
Another festival I’ll have to come down for!!! How great is that, a coffee festival! You have it all down there hey. Great shots and as always, an enjoyable post 🙂
Thanks, Norma. There are dedicated wine and tea festivals coming up soon. I’ll not sure I can take all this excitement. 🙂
I am Italian but I am not an espresso coffee addicted😱😬I prefer cappuccino thick foam with some chocolate power over it 😉but …. sipping in a cafe not at home! I like to sit down & see people around me , have a look to a newspaper & have a chat with someone close to my table : this means for me , to have time to share a very good moment of mine with others 😉😍☕️☕️☕️
Mostly I drink cappuccinos, but if I’m feeling daring I’ll buy a latte. 🙂 I prefer cafes as well. Best to have an expert make it for you. It’s a lifestyle choice. 🙂
Yes, it’s nice to go out just to have a break like this : a very pleasent one!👍😉👏☕️
Agree – it makes for a good day. 🙂
😉👍If you visit Tuscany one day I promise you the best cappuccino ever☕️👏 with a special thick foam you will hardly forget…all the others will be become juat a mix of some milk & coffee😒
Thank you. That’s a very good reason to visit. My normal cappuccino is already looking sad. 🙂
Really??too bad 😁😁it has to be beautiful & tasty😉👍in Tuscany we have the king of cappuccino just near my town 😉check on my blog you will find some picts of it !
Wow. So crowded. Sounds like a great day.
Queueing for coffee sounds a bit strange when you can just be served at a table at a cafe, but I like the crowds. 🙂
Fine series!
Thank you.
Coffee, tea, wine, chocolate…what’s not to love? looks like my kind of festival! Fantastic shots, as always!
Thanks. There are several more food related festivals coming up soon. I’m not sure my body can handle all of them. 🙂
Reblogged this on Mickey~2~Travel and commented:
I have so got to plan a trip for this festival! It looks great!
Great people shots, as usual. How do you know that another photographer didn’t get you? 😉 Not sure I’d try that Killer Coffee, either. It’s funny how a whole new profession – barista – has emerged from the coffee house revolution.
More than likely I have been photographed as part of the crowd, but that’s to be expected. Not many do what I do, though. 🙂
A good barista does make a difference to the quality, or should I say experience of the drink. I’m sure there’s a bit of showmanship in there as well.
Strong set of urban life with such a popular daily habit to tie it together.
Thank you, Sally.
Wow, the big event is back! I see a lot of happy faces there. :), love these photo captures, Dragon!
I guess the Chocolate festival will be here soon. 🙂
Thanks, Amy. With all that caffeine around, there were sure to be happy people around. The chocolate festival? You know me too well. 🙂
I guess I wouldn’t have much fun since I don’t drink coffee! 😀
There’s something for everyone. A tea festival is coming up soon, as is a wine festival, and a chocolate festival. Can’t go to all of them, sadly.
You got my attention at chocolate! LOL 😆
LOL. I went last year for the first time to the chocolate festival. On 2 separate days. 🙂 If you’re interested, the post is here:
https://lignumdraco.wordpress.com/2014/10/06/smooth/
I actually remember that post! I think I may have chastised you for it back then! HAHAHA!
🙂
As a tea drinker, I’ve always felt a little left out of the celebration that is grabbing a cup of coffee, and your photographs shed light on my outsider status. Try as I may, I can’t develop a taste for the stuff, so I settle for a nerdy shaken iced tea…lame, right? Love your killer pics!
Thanks. Well, there’s the Sydney Tea Festival which would suit you to a tea. 🙂 Something for everyone here.
Yer a bloody madman, LD !:)
I have a new espresso machine – the like of which I have never had before. I think I’m in love again … [grin]
Home espresso machines are like mechanical works of art. Something to be treasured, particularly when you know how to extract the magic.
This one allows/enables me to ! 🙂
🙂
http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2015/08/mirrored-ziggurat/?mc_cid=515c6ca8fa&mc_eid=85f2872d4d
LD, did you see this ? I can’t believe you did, or we would’ve, too … Watson’s Bay?
Thanks, but that’s a small arts festival I didn’t know about – 2 days only. The 2nd photo in the link shows the Bridge on the far left and Centrepoint on the far right. I think this was displayed on Cockatoo island.
Ah. Never been there. 😐
Neither have I, although I keep meaning to.
Me too.
Very cool festival. And I like the opening shot.
Thanks. Makes me wonder if the manufacturers of that coffee need an insurance policy. 🙂
This would be for me too, crowds and coffee would be too much of a treat to pass by, although I am with you ~ queues would make me turn away and visit their shop another day instead. Great shots ~
Sounds like we’re on the same wavelength. Thanks.
Killer Coffee heh! I would love to try it 😉
You always get the last laugh don’t you 😆
Take out an extra insurance policy before you try it. 🙂 🙂 🙂
Woweee, that is a lot of people. Like you, I’d rather go to the shop and get what I want. I suppose most of the people went there for the coffee. Like you said to Amy, hope you go to the chocolate festival at some point, taking that is happens every year in Sydney 🙂
I’m already in preparation for the chocolate festival. Salad intake up for now, in preparation for added calories/weight later. 🙂
I missed the Aroma Festival this year *sad face* but at least I’ve got your pictures to look at 😉 Seems like another successful year. I also didn’t know you could match chocolate with wine. It’s definitely on my to-try list. I might even spot a Dragon 🙂
There’s always the Smooth Chocolate/Dessert festival. Who knows, you might come across a dragon there. 🙂
Those 5018 chocolates tasted fine without any wine. 🙂
Cappuccino and some chocolate, would be nice… don’t sure about the wine…
The chocolate tasted very nice without any wine. 🙂 🙂 🙂 I limit the coffee but anytime is a good time for chocolate. 🙂
:)))
Just heard on the news tonight that coffee is now touted as being good for preventing bowel cancer and a whole host of other baddies. So from being the bad guy it is now being encouraged (I wonder if the coffee council, or some such, funded the research!!! Now is that being cynical!!!) Great photos and wow how crowded it was.
Thank you. That’s interesting news. The same has been said about red wine and chocolate at various times, if I’m not mistaken. “Research” should always be considered on its merits. I think the important thing is a little of everything and don’t overindulge.
I agree moderation in all things…
🙂
Quite interesting…strong coffee (for me) is like hot sauce…it has to have more than heat or caffeine to make it flavorful and enjoyable…it is the complexity that brings me back for more. Nice post!
Thanks. I agree, it sounds a bit one dimensional.
That looks so fun! I love coffee, black without sugar/milk please! I highly doubt that coffee so strong it kills you, tastes any good though.
It does sound a bit one dimensional. I do like the flavours to come through.
Awesome post! No I couldn’t do that coffee either … Oh what a great event. Love the sign better coffee in Melb or Syd! Hilarious no competition there. Fab pics ..great being out and about. Cheers
Thank you, Julie. It’s the second time I’ve been and the crowds have been huge each time. There are local markets as well to fill up the day. I was initially stunned when I saw the Melbourne stall, but then it made me smile. Good on them. 🙂
who does coffee better Sydney or Melbourne? The answer is Sofia 😀
I’d love to try the Killer coffee…
what a lovely series, Lignum…I may be repeating myself but I love how you always have a general context shot, to show how many people there are… I usually forget to do that and have only individual portraits in the end…
what camera/lens do you usually bring to such busy venue?
You’d drink it? You’re a brave woman, Alex. 🙂
Thanks, I try to take a mix of photos and field of views to see what works best. I had a Leica with a 50mm prime lens and a 90mm prime lens that day.
I haven’t been to Aroma for a couple of years but loved it when I did. And yes to the crowd pics 🙂
It’s a great event for a candid photographer. Yes, I’m a bit sstrange that way. 🙂 🙂 🙂
Maybe two eye drops just for the taste, and to satisfy my curiosity. I am intolerant of too much coffee – I usually get tachycardia. .. and you shoot them so well, even the fellow photographers.
Thanks, Paula. I can’t drink coffee after a certain time, otherwise I’ll never get sleep. 🙂
I am prone to insomnia too, and now I am drinking cola zero which is not going to help with sleep either.
Sugar and caffeine hits hard – I sometimes still have lemonade, but have otherwise stopped drinking soft drinks now.
and alcohol?
In moderation. I’m old enough to know better. 🙂
😀
Hardcore stuff! Hehe! 😀 I’m glad i don’t actually drink coffee but would still go there for the tee and chocolate 😉 I might even buy a round of the killer coffee for someone i don’t like, without them knowing… “Oh don’t be a sissy, it’s just coffee”…I’m not evil…no 😛
That’s pure evil genius. 🙂 🙂 🙂 Why didn’t I think of that? 🙂
I like the “If you built it they will come”. Your “Bwahahaha!!! Bwahahaha!!! Bwahahaha!!!” made me laugh, too! Have a great day ahead Draco! 🙂
Thanks, Sam. 🙂 Hope the rest of the week is good for you, too.
A coffee that’s strong enough to wake the dead – oooh, not sure if I would like that or not. I love the smell of coffee, but don’t like it very strong. Coffee seems to be appreciated a lot like beer theses days. Your pictures really convey the love we humans have for all these flavoured drinks (I especially like the woman choosing Pukka tea) we are quite obsessed with our drinks. Good old refreshing water takes a back seat with all that competition! 😉
Thanks, Suzy. A water drinking festival doesn’t really grab the imagination for fun, but we can’t live without. There’s a tea festival here as well, but it is a lot smaller although there seems to be an explosion in the different types of blends you can buy. I do drink more tea than coffee, particularly the green tea these days.
There seems to a subculture in the appreciation of flavours. I went to a gourmet food store to buy some olive oil and they brought out a trolley with numerous samples to taste!
There are people who are very into tasting different kinds of spring water, but I agree for most people it wouldn’t grab the imagination.
I know, the availability of tea now is quite something. I have a tea supplier near where I live, they sell coffee beans too. Their shelves are so high you need a ladder to get to some of the tea!! 😀
Same here. Sometimes there’s simply too much choice.
Killer coffee sounds great to me!
I’d like to see people’s reaction drinking it, if they didn’t know how strong it was going to be. That would make for great candid photography.
That’s some huge coffee crowd Lignum and all great shots! I miss the days when good coffee was a quiet simple pleasure, before it became an operatic barista encounter of the roasting boastful.
Thanks, Patti. Ordering coffee has become a bit like watching conductor at play. People want a bit of “vibe”.
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