Once again, you take a deep breath and the coffee fills up the air, and your lungs. You go from stand to stand, accumulating little cardboard cups, and each cup tastes unique, probably a flavor you have never felt before from a country on the other side of the world. This means: you are at the eighth edition of Asu Coffee Fest 2025.
Consolidating itself as Paraguay’s most important coffee festival, the event took place at the former Itá Enramada Hotel Casino this year, on the shore of the Paraguay River. This granted visitors not just a unique environment with diverse spaces, but also spectacular golden sunsets.
Inside the hotel, guests walked through stands for coffee brands, machinery and equipment representatives, and a wide variety of related ventures. For two days, the venue transformed into a true temple for specialty coffee with baristas, producers, roasters, local and international brands, and a public teeming with enthusiasm and curiosity.
Tastings, lectures, live roasting, and hands-on workshops, the Asu Coffee Fest was sensory and educational. From conventional brews to experimental methods, each stand had something unique. Not only did visitors get to sample amazing coffees, but they also discovered the story behind each one of them, from farm to cup.
Café Quinto: sharing the story behind the coffee
Among the standouts of Asu Coffee Fest was Café Quinto, a local brand participating for the fourth consecutive year. Founder Carlos Quinto Villalba, 40, was well dressed and greeted everyone with charisma and a friendly smile. He welcomed attendees to sample different coffee varieties offered at their visually appealing and aromatic stand. This year, his brand launched four new coffees, including two signature lots developed with producers at origin.
These coffees were created using innovative post-harvest techniques focused on enhancing flavour and quality. Carlos explained their goal was not only to showcase great coffee, but also to honour fair and sustainable practices. Specialty coffee, he emphasised, should reflect transparency, care, and connection from seed to cup. His stand also featured interactive activities, including a contest to win a year’s supply of coffee. This experience drew large crowds and kept the energy high throughout the weekend.
Roasting with purpose: live demos with Gianluca Bertolazi
Gianluca Bertolazi, CEO of Contacto Café was the leader of the Roasting Lab of Asu Coffee Fest. He compared roasting in front of a crowd to being on stage. Calling it a mix of science and art. It is a sacred act for him, an opportunity to share knowledge so that it will continue to exist for generations to come.
A pioneer of local roasting, Gianluca noted that this year’s arrangement allowed for far more direct contact with the public, making the roasting process itself more immersive and interactive. He also reminded the audience that roasted coffee quickly loses its aromatic compounds upon contact with light and oxygen and recommended storing it properly in order to fully experience its potential.
Innovation and coffee meet creativity
Novelty was central to the event. At ENSO, Fabrizio Sánchez amazed visitors with personalised coffee designs printed onto foam, from pre-loaded images to live selfies taken on the spot.
Meanwhile, at El Cafetero, Alejo Murcia showcased three novel Colombian coffees: Chocolate Strudel, Hachi Akari, and Hachi Toka. It all came from renowned Colombian producer Diego Bermúdez. He was also present to provide insightful lectures on the fermentation processes behind the complexity of these coffees.
At La Casa Vro, Verónica Pardo showcased a multisensory experience combining luxury fashion with fine tea and chocolate. Their stand featured premium Bitaco tea from Colombia, which was paired with specially selected chocolate to enhance particular notes and textures.
Adaptogenesis, developed by Carmiña Martínez and portrayed by Jesús, offered an exciting option, a well-balanced blend of Totem specialty coffee and Lion’s Mane, a natural adaptogen that is claimed to boost concentration, productivity and resilience to stress. The brand promoted coffee not just as a habit, but as a mindful ritual for well-being.
Not just small cafes showcased their new products. Bigger brands like the Brazilian 3 Corações took the Coffee Fest as an opportunity to highlight their latest addition to their already popular selection of Brazil grown coffee. Also offering it at a competitive price.
What the people had to say about the Coffee Fest
The response of the people during Asu Coffee Fest 2025 was extremely positive.
Lucas Cáceres spoke of his pleasure in sampling various coffees, in particular one from the Peruvian Embassy, which he indicated he would be happy to have every day.
Eliana Logwiniuk, who attended last year’s Coffee Fest in the port of Asunción, praised the festival for its growth. She said it had attracted a much larger crowd and offered a refreshing alternative to commercial indoor spaces. She was pleased to see people relaxing and sharing coffee in an open and informal setting.
Valeria Ferreira appreciated the larger space and more efficient logistics, saying everything was more organised and streamlined this year.
Adrián Fernández, who has attended every year since 2021, referred to the event as a tradition. He found this year to be more dynamic, diverse, and attractive than the previous ones, and asserted without doubt that he would return next year.
Asu Coffee Fest 2025 as culture, connection, and celebration
The Coffee Fest left an indelible mark: coffee in Paraguay is not only a drink, it is culture, art, science, community, and people’s enthusiasm for coffee does not seem to slow down at all. This year’s festival sealed the country’s growing relevance in the specialty coffee world, with every cup served reflecting the dedication, innovation, and passion of all those involved. One thing is true, the aroma of good coffee will be bringing people together, for many editions to come.
For more background information, read Asu Coffee Fest 2025: The Must-Attend Event For Coffee Lovers In Paraguay on The Asunción Times. With the 2025 edition completed, you can check Asu Coffee Fest on Instagram for information about the upcoming 2026 edition.
