ISTANBUL, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Bulent Sefer, a flavor genius skilled at making cocktails, was making coffee based on a new recipe behind the bar of his company's booth at a coffee festival in Istanbul.

Sefer added ice, some flavored syrup and activated carbon into a pitcher of cold coffee, which has been brewed with gold dust for 18 hours, and then he served his creation with a slice of orange at the top.

Hundreds from the coffee industry, including producers, importers, coffee machine manufacturers and baristas who represent over 100 domestic and international brands, are joining the fifth Istanbul Coffee Festival which kicked off on Thursday.

"This year, cold and iced coffee made with different kinds of flavored syrup and sauces is the newest trend," Sefer told Xinhua, noting the cold brew coffee with gold dust inside is the most interesting product of his Irish company, Da Vinci Gourmet.

"We are catching up all the new trends from around the world to create our own outstanding beverage menu," he added.

Sefer is expecting the Istanbul coffee festival, the second biggest of its kind across Europe, to attract over 50,000 visitors this year.

Oktem Kaygin, the category manager of Koza Food, a Turkish importing company, said that natural and healthy ingredients are becoming increasingly dominant.

"For example, in preparing our cold brew beverages, including espresso-based drinks, smoothies and shakes, we are now using sugar-free syrup in our recipes," he explained, saying the drinks are all made from the essence of fruits with no additives.

In his opinion, the industry has to upgrade itself and improve the quality in line with the expectations of customers.

This year's coffee festival, which lasts until Sunday, is organized under the main theme of "The Source, The Journey, The People," during which seminars and contests like "Best Barista," "Best Brewing," "Best Roasting," "Best Latte Art" and "Best Kettle" are set to be held.

"This is a very delicious event especially for coffee lovers, like me, who want to learn more about coffee and taste new flavors," said Filiz Ertekin, a visitor, as she was taking a sip of her gold-dusted coffee.

"Until recently, all we knew was about our traditional Turkish coffee," she said. "Now we are talking about brand-new expressions of our coffee, such as gold-dusted coffee, cold brew coffee, decaf coffee and many more."