The People Behind Issue 8
We say thanks to everyone who worked so hard to produce the writing and artwork for Standart Issue 8, and the sponsor and partners who made it possible
‘We’re very excited about this particular location…customers can grab a quick cup to go, but we also have the space to take them on a journey’
—Adbullah Al Khabbaz of % ARABICA Kuwait
Earlier this year we had the opportunity to travel to Kuwait to help celebrate the launch of the brand new % ARABICA Kuwait Roastery. In issue 8 we share the story of % ARABICA’s expansion to Kuwait, photos of their meticulously designed space, and their plans for continued Middle Eastern dominance. We are grateful for % ARABICA’s exclusive sponsorship of Standart Issue 8. Please take a moment to read more about coffee culture in the Middle East in their official sponsor profile.
Costa Rica and trading coffee
The Coffee chapter begins with ‘Coffee: Subject’ by freelance food journalist, Gareth May. Here Gareth offers a look into coffee as a subject for scientific and academic enquiry. Gareth ends on a philosophical note: ‘If coffee could speak, what would it say it has learned from us?’ We move on to a vibrant four-page spread by Ashley Tomlinson of The Little Black Coffee Cup. She shares with us her recipe for Mocha-dipped Honeydew, Lemon, and Orange Blossom Coffee Popsicles. These dazzling and creative coffee treats are inspired by and made with Sweet Bloom Coffee Roaster’s fruity/floral Darratu Yirgacheffe (and the recipe is a must try!). In, ‘Anyone Can Trade Coffee’ Lennart Clerkx contributes a robust peice filled with the realities of coffee as a commodity and his trade secrets. Lennart walks us through the experience of sourcing and importing coffee as well as building partnerships at origin. Speaking of origin, the final segment of issue 8’s Coffee Chapter is a wonderful write up on Costa Rica as a producing nation by Perry Czopp. In the search for the perfect competition coffee, Perry discovers a coffee from the Montero family of Costa Rica. Perry writes, ‘I’ve been in love with the country ever since.’
Discrimination & being bossy
In People we introduce you to leading coffee consultant, Eden-Marie Abramowicz. In a Q&A Eden-Marie depicts her journey from her first barista job at her high school haunt to becoming a coffee educator for Intelligentsia, and now owning her own café consultancy: Bastet Coffee. Journeys like these are difficult and often fraught with setbacks and challenges, however some face an even darker reality, discrimination. ‘Discrimination Behind the Bar’ by Ashley Rodriguez sheds light on the fact that gender and racial stereotyping is in fact a reality and not something outside the bubble of specialty coffee. Following these crucial directives from Ashely is a special article on being the boss. In ‘Don’t Be Bossy’, Al Keating of Coffee Supreme shares how being the new kid at school six times over taught him how to survive and how to lead effectively.
‘The Most ridiculous thing I own is a vintage fox fur complete with claws, ears, and eyes. It’s pretty morbid.’ — Talor Browne of Talor & Jørgen
This and other curious facts are a must read in the profiles of a few of the world’s most prominent coffee pros including Chad Wang and Wilford Lamastus. The last piece in People follows a two-week bike journey from Barcelona to Santiago de Compostela, featuring sunshine, good food, and a lot of coffee. Brodie Vissers shares spectacular photos and seven travel log entries from his Coffee Tour on Two Wheels.
‘I like the cleanliness of a coffee filter, and only when inserted into a machine that I can press on.’
This and other confessions by Rhian Sassen can be read in her piece, ‘Bad Coffee’. We’d tell you more, but really this is something you must read for yourself. Along with Rhian’s defense of lazy coffee we bring issue 8 to a close with an interview at Bar Termini with it’s owners Tony Conigliaro and Marco Arrigo . Tony and Marco will effortlessly woo you with their focus on service without ego, craft negronis, and afternoon espressos. If you find yourself in London please pay these gentlemen a visit, Bar Termini will not disappoint. If however, you’re not in London then perhaps Berlin? Storyteller Susan Kealy along with illustrator Adrián Macho take you on a historical and geographic journey of coffee in the hip German capital, including, ‘12 Hours in Berlin’, a quick guide to some of its best kept secrets. Our last thank you goes to our staff writer, Sabine Parrish for her collection of essays, ‘Four Coffees’. These abstract and compelling shorts embody all that is coffee culture, experience, and romance.
Finally we’d like to extend our gratitude and thanks to the partners of Standart Issue 8. Not only are they wonderful friends of ours, but also superb professionals of specialty coffee.
Alpha Dominche: Purveyors of the spectacular brewing systems, Steampunk and Sight, and partner of the Coffee chapter. Thank you also to Berlin roastery The Visit for partnering with us to bring you our chapter on People. Lastly, to La Marzocco for not only having a feature chapter World, but for being partners in philosophy: unparalleled importance on you … the reader, customer, user, friend.
We partnered with Square Mile Coffee of London to offer our subscribers (this could be you!) a sample bag of their Kayon Mountain — an Ethiopian coffee described as delicate with notes of bergamot and apricot, coming from a special family-owned farm. Next up: Drop Coffee from Sweden☝️
Thank you to all contributors for your hard work and support.
Now available
A subscription to Standart ensures that you will always receive the newest issue fresh off the press, shipped straight to your door.
A yearly subscription is good for a total of four issues, always with a complimentary sample bag of tasty specialty coffee.
