On 1 October, the official Coffee Day, the TchiboCard Community celebrated not only the love of coffee, but also a conscious focus on sustainability. Around 40 committed community members, including myself, took part virtually and experienced an evening where coffee enjoyment, creativity and exciting background stories came together. The lovingly packed event packages created anticipation in advance: various coffee specialities, cupping bowls and spoons as well as the recipes. Complemented by a few ingredients from their own household, everything was ready to get started together.

It was clear from the outset that this event should be more than just a tasting. In addition to coffee flavours, it was also about the question: How can coffee cultivation become more sustainable?

Aida, Sustainability Manager in the Corporate Responsibility Coffee department, gave us an insight into Tchibo's sustainability strategy. She reported on our coffee programme in the countries of origin, in which small farmers are supported, fair working conditions are created and cultivation methods are improved.

The participants tasted coffees that epitomise Tchibo's sustainability philosophy during the cupping session:

Indre, our coffee sommelier and moderator, together with Melina from the Coffee Marketing team, guided the participants step by step through the tasting process, from the first aromas to the acidity and the aftertaste. Many participants, including myself, experienced for the first time how multi-faceted coffee can be when tasted consciously and professionally.

If you would like to taste coffee professionally, you can read and listen to how you can organise a tasting at home in just a few simple steps here:

In addition to the tasting, there were also creative moments centred around coffee:

A DIY coffee scrub and a mask with quark and cocoa, both sustainably made from coffee grounds, showed that coffee can do far more than "just" taste good. Many tried out how refreshing and beneficial the scrubs are for the skin right in front of the camera.

The baking challenge called for creativity: an autumnal coffee and pumpkin cake was baked, decorated and proudly presented. The community praised it as "fluffy, delicious and perfect for autumn".

The evening was framed by two special coffee drinks: the colourful "Sunrise in Africa" as a prelude,

and an autumnal Aperol coffee spritz as the finale. Both drinks were prepared together, tasted and enjoyed over a virtual toast.

You can find the recipes to make these special creations here.

Especially on Coffee Day, the community event was a great opportunity not only to enjoy coffee, but also to talk about the future of coffee: fairer, more sustainable and shared. An evening that fitted perfectly into the autumn!

Become part of the TchiboCard Community to be part of the next event and discover your possibilities!

Guest author: Lillieth Wilkens, CC