The Rocks Aroma Festival 2015

Coffee aficionado Dylan Thomson tells Emma Joyce what to expect at this year’s festival for the senses

Dylan Thomson knows good coffee. The 31 year old is the general manager at Paramount Coffee Project, and he developed a love for the bean-to-bar process in his first job at a local coffee shop, before moving on to work at Surry Hills pit stop Reuben Hills and now PCP, which is one of the area’s most popular breakfast hangs. But, like many of us, he remembers his first taste of the black stuff as a sensory disappointment. “It would have been an instant coffee that my mum made. I would have been about ten years old and I remember not liking it at all,” says Thomson. “It was quite disgusting.”

This year will be PCP’s third year at the Rocks Aroma Festival, which sees as many as 90,000 people lining up for anything from flat whites to specialty brews, chocolates and creamy gelato. With many tasting cups of coffee costing just $2, the best thing about Aroma, Thomson says, is that people go there looking to try something new.

“People are more open to experiencing something different,” he says. “We’ll be offering filter flights, cold brew coffees and fizzy drinks. And this year, [PCP owner] Russell Beard is getting some guys out from Ethiopia so people can talk to them about the coffee, too.

“People can still taste the differences through trying different flat whites. But if someone is interested and keen to try more, then go black. Drink filter coffee and you’ll taste more. Expect your caramels, cocoas and chocolate [flavours], but Ethiopian coffees are more floral and complex, like tea.”

In the lead-up to Festival Day, there are activities and workshops tailored to coffee enthusiasts, running July 6-26. Local cafés will compete throughout the month for the people’s choice and industry awards granted during the celebration. “You should be looking for a variety of smells and tastes that you may not have experienced before,” advises Thomson. “Be open minded about what coffee is and what it should taste like, and you’ll learn something.”

Around the Rocks www.therocks.com. 10am-5pm. Free. Sun Jul 26.

“Drink filter coffee. You'll taste more”