Organized for the eighth time this year, the Istanbul Coffee Festival will be open for coffee lovers in the city's Küçükçiftlik Park on Oct. 6-9. The Istanbul part of this festival, which is also held in other iconic cities of Türkiye such as Izmir and Ankara, has evolved into a cult event by positioning itself in the perfect place in the coffee-loving streets of Istanbul.

Coffee is consumed by millions throughout the world and is an integral part of our daily lives, so much so that it can be dubbed the "universal drink." In this regard, coffee has a rooted history in Turkish culture as well, stretching from the Ottoman Empire era to present day. For this reason, many Turkish words are rooted in the term for coffee "kahve," such as "kahverengi," which roughly translates to "coffee color." Likewise, "kahvaltı," which roughly translates to "before coffee," refers to breakfast, the meal is eaten in the morning with tea and is often followed by a cup of Turkish coffee. Finally, the traditional coffeehouses located in the corners of narrow neighborhoods wafting sweet aromas of fresh coffee also still bear the traces of this culture.

Coffee is a prelude to the day. It is also a final finisher when we drink it to relax at the end of the day. We serve it both to guests during celebrations and after funerals.

There are many deep-seated stories about the coffee embedded in our culture: The story of the sacks of dry, dark brown beans among the booty left by the Ottomans during the Siege of Vienna in 1683 or a period of disgrace for coffee when it was banned in Europe during 16th century as the "demon drink." Yet at the end of the day, coffee somehow managed to find a place in the daily lives of humankind throughout history.

The unifying power of coffee and its ability to gather everyone under the same roof without discrimination of religion, language or race, makes the Istanbul Coffee Festival a sincere festival in this context. I had a chance to sip a delicious Turkish coffee during a nice conversation with the festival organization Dream Sales Machine's director Alper Sesli and uncovered clues about what is awaiting us this year.

"Look at Ara Güler or other famous photographers. One cannot portray Istanbul without taking pictures of coffeehouses," Sesli said, highlighting the 500-year-old coffee history of Istanbul.

He also said that the idea of the coffee festival arose after the trend of hunting down the best quality coffee worldwide spread. After seeing London's coffee festival, more of a coffee fair, according to Sesli, the idea of organizing this type of event in Türkiye emerged thanks to his efforts.

"This year, various workshops, concerts and seminars await visitors yet the main actor is still the coffee bean," Sesli explained. In fact, to keep the spotlight on the coffee, he said the musicians for the concerts are not announced until two weeks before the festival.

"Within this regard, it is a great chance for people to drink coffee and be together, especially in an affordable way," said Alper Sesli, pointing out that the festival tickets are reasonably priced. For this reason, another unifying force of the festival besides coffee is its pricing policy, as it aims to be accessible to each class of society.

"The 21st century is the age of story and content. What is presented must have a story. This is what the new generation is interested in. What is the reason for us to buy a product, and why should we trust it? This needs to be justified through stories," Alper said.

Although everyone is consuming the same brew at the end of the day, coffee posts on social media are now a part of our personality and play an important role in identification and self-presentation within societal roles. We strive to convey a message with the iconic cardboard cups, even though we are drinking the same beverage.

What awaits visitors?

According to Sesli's explanations, this year's visitors will be able to try all the products from the 2022 harvest. Also, the festival, where beans brought from Africa and South America will be mainly presented, will feature coffee beans grown at different altitudes in 30-35 different countries.

Since the eighth edition will be held this year, the event has a well-established setup in terms of experience. For this reason, it will focus on quality coffee tasting, accessibility and sustainability rather than the concept of how to make coffee. Sesli elaborated that visitors are now conscious of the coffee-making process and aware of what they want to consume.

For the first time in Turkey, world-famous drinkware and gear brand Stanley will provide cups that can turn into fertilizer 15 days after they are buried in soil, within the scope of sustainability to avoid plastic waste. Also, thanks to the coffee waste collection platform, coffee grounds will no longer be treated as "waste," since they are quite beneficial for the richness of the soil.

At the same time, Sesli stated that since the festival banners are produced from oil waste, they are reused every year as part of the effort to be an environmentally friendly festival. Entrance tickets are offered with quick response (QR) codes to prevent paper waste.

"We don't claim to offer the world's most expensive coffee beans," said Sesli. Rather, the festival is all about quality and all-natural brews.