據我觀察，近年來，咖啡已經成為許多人生活中不可或缺的一部分，我有一些同事，早上上班前來一杯咖啡，用來醒腦，下午工作到昏昏欲睡時，趕快再喝一杯咖啡來提神，至於晚上回到家後，是不是再喝一杯，則不得而知，以前想喝一杯咖啡，會找一家咖啡館坐下來慢慢品嘗，現在只要走進便利商店，五十多元就可以買到一杯熱騰騰的現煮咖啡，對於忙碌的上班族來說，方便又便宜，難怪咖啡會越來越普及。
這個展覽全名是精品咖啡暨飲品展，然而，我逛了一圈之後，發現九成以上都是咖啡，沒太多其它飲品，不少店家都相當大方，直接在攤位前準備好一壺又一壺剛沖好的咖啡，旁邊還放著小紙杯，讓經過的顧客可以自行取杯試喝，對觀展的我們來說，簡直就是來到天堂，走沒幾步就可以喝到不同品牌、不同產地、不同烘焙程度的咖啡，不用花錢，就能一路品嘗，現場很快就形成一個有趣的景象，每個熱門攤位前都聚集了一群人，大家拿著小紙杯，排隊等著試喝，人潮一多，整個走道就變得非常非常擁擠，只要有人停在攤位前多待幾秒鐘，後面的人就幾乎動彈不得。
當不同攤位的咖啡接連送進嘴裡，原本應該很敏銳的味蕾，也開始變得有點麻木，到了最後，我甚至已經完全無法分辨各家咖啡之間到底有什麼差異，現場還有不少咖啡品牌特別把自己的得獎紀錄展示出來，有些拿過咖啡比賽冠軍，有些獲得金牌、特等獎，還有各式各樣看起來相當厲害的獎項，不過，當咖啡喝到一定的數量之後，即使眼前放著冠軍咖啡，也很難判斷它到底比其他咖啡優秀多少，只剩下「這口味喝過了」和「這口味還沒喝過」的差別了。
現場除了咖啡品牌之外，其實還有不少咖啡設備，如機器、器具、耗材，及原物料，如咖啡豆等，不過，人潮大多集中在試喝咖啡的攤位區，我猜，還是有不少烘豆商與器材供應商直接在現場討論合作機會，大體而言，能夠喝咖啡喝得那麼爽的經驗，真的是不多，雖然我周遭有些朋友對於咖啡產業，很有興趣，想要開一家自己的咖啡店，不過，對於我來說，咖啡就是一項飲品而已。
From what I’ve observed, coffee has become an essential part of many people’s daily lives in recent years. I have some coworkers who grab a cup of coffee before work in the morning to wake themselves up. Then, when they start feeling sleepy and sluggish in the afternoon, they quickly get another cup to stay awake and keep going. As for whether they have yet another cup after they get home at night, I have no idea, and honestly, I’d rather not know! In the past, if you wanted a cup of coffee, you would probably find a coffee shop, sit down, and take your time enjoying it. These days, you can simply walk into a convenience store and get a freshly brewed cup of hot coffee for a little over NT$50. For busy office workers, it’s cheap, convenient, and easy to get, so it’s no surprise that coffee has become more and more popular in Taiwan.
The full name of this exhibition was the Specialty Coffee & Beverage Show. However, after walking around the entire exhibition, I found that more than 90 percent of the booths were actually about coffee. There really weren’t that many other beverages. Quite a few vendors were very generous with their samples. They had pot after pot of freshly brewed coffee ready at their booths, along with little paper cups, so visitors could simply grab a cup and try it for themselves. For people like us walking around the exhibition, it was basically coffee heaven! Every few steps, you could try a different brand, a different origin, or a different roast. And the best part was, you didn’t have to pay anything. You could just keep walking around and drinking coffee. Naturally, this quickly created an interesting scene. Every popular booth had a crowd gathered in front of it, with people holding little paper cups and waiting in line for their turn. Once the crowds got bigger, the aisles became extremely crowded. If someone stopped in front of a booth for just a few extra seconds, the people behind them could barely move. Basically, if you wanted to get through, you had to squeeze your way through the crowd.
After drinking coffee from booth after booth, though, my taste buds started to give up on me. They were supposed to be getting more sensitive, but instead, they became completely overwhelmed. By the end, I could no longer tell the difference between one coffee and another. There were also quite a few coffee brands proudly displaying their awards. Some had won championships at coffee competitions, while others had received gold medals, special awards, and all kinds of impressive-looking prizes. Seeing all those awards made me think, “Wow, this coffee must be really good!” But after drinking that much coffee, even if someone handed me an award-winning championship coffee, I probably wouldn’t be able to tell how much better it was than the others. At that point, the only difference I could recognize was basically, “I’ve already tried this flavor” versus “I haven’t tried this one yet.”
Besides coffee brands, there were also plenty of coffee-related products at the exhibition, including coffee machines, brewing equipment, utensils, supplies, and raw materials such as coffee beans. However, most of the crowds were concentrated around the booths offering free coffee samples. I’m guessing quite a few coffee roasters and equipment suppliers were also using the exhibition as a chance to discuss potential business partnerships. After all, exhibitions like this are not just for consumers. They are also a great place for people in the industry to meet, exchange ideas, and look for business opportunities. Overall, getting to drink so much coffee for free was definitely a rare experience. I actually have a few friends who are really interested in the coffee industry, and some of them have even dreamed about opening their own coffee shops someday. As for me, though, I think I’ll keep things simple. Coffee is just a drink to me.
