We were invited to Chongqing for the first edition of ICCF First, as friends, and as people who care deeply about the stories behind coffee. And maybe that was the best way to experience it.
Chongqing iccf (1)st coffee festival
Chongqing is a city that already carries a strong identity of its own. For many people in China, it is the city of hotpot, steep roads, late nights, and a kind of everyday energy that feels both intense and warm. Internationally, people often know it through dramatic videos of layered buildings, trains running through the city, and the surreal feeling of an “8D” mountain city. It is visually striking, sometimes chaotic, and full of life.
At first glance, specialty coffee does not seem like the most obvious match for a city like this. But after a few days there, it started to make sense. What made ICCF First special was not that it was the biggest event, or the most polished one. In fact, the venue was quite packed, sometimes crowded, and full of movement. But that closeness became part of its charm. People were not just passing through. They stayed, they talked, they shared cups, they brought friends, and they made the space feel alive.
That was what stood out most to us. There were coffee champions, baristas, roasters, organizers, and local coffee lovers all in the same space. We met people from different countries and backgrounds, but the atmosphere never felt distant. It felt open. It felt human. It felt like coffee was still doing what it does best: bringing people together.
Over the three days, we did a few small interviews and spent time listening more than talking. We met coffee professionals from different places, and just as importantly, we met local people from Chongqing who came with friends, bought coffee together, shared what they liked, and turned the event into something communal.
That part stayed with us. Sometimes the strongest feeling of coffee is not in the competition, the equipment, or even the cup itself. Sometimes it is in watching four friends stand around one brew, passing it to each other, reacting, laughing, and making a moment out of something simple.
That is what we saw in Chongqing. The event itself may have been small compared with bigger industry shows, but it felt international in a different way. Not because it was trying to be grand, but because it brought together people who were genuinely curious, generous, and open to one another. There was a real sense that coffee here was not just an industry, but a community.
And that matters. Because when coffee events become only about products, scale, or business, something essential can get lost. But in Chongqing, we felt that connection again. Not perfectly, not dramatically, but clearly enough to remember.
For us, this trip was also a reminder of why we keep showing up to places like this. Yes, we make products. Yes, we tell stories. But more than that, we care about people. We care about the relationships that grow quietly around coffee, and the way one city, one event, or one conversation can open the door to something bigger.
Chongqing gave us that feeling. And now we bring it back with us. More stories soon. Humanity runs on coffee.
