Sharing my coffee experiences on The Blog
Processing can make or break coffee
Imagine this: One origin. One farm. One coffee. Processed 20 different ways. This is exactly what coffee professionals implemented during their trip to Ethiopia earlier this year, a processing adventure at Daye Bensa’s Gatta Washing Station. My finding: CQI - Q Processing Level 2 Professional course is no joke.
The most awaited opening: Things Specialty Coffee Concept Store
The most awaited cafe opening this year single handedly goes to Things. Spoiler alert: my expectations were surpassed and much more. Imagine a space where every element within it is a representation of your persona. Some would say that in a real world such a place would not exist; duplication, imitation and replication is the norm these days.
The Finest Coffee Tasting Experience by Two Neighbors
I have been invited to multiple coffee tasting events, and like those, I expected the same at Two Neighbors this past weekend — somewhere along the lines of a coffee cupping or a bar side brewing experience. Boy, was I wrong?
Highlights from World of Coffee Dubai 2023
World of Coffee Dubai 2022 was the talk-of-the-town when the first edition was announced in the fourth quarter of 2019. As the curtains of that event closed, it promised an even bigger event the subsequent year. This year’s event hosted more than 12,000 visitors, a twofold increase from last year.
Rosetta Roastery: The Best from Cape Town
Last year, the Financial Times listed Rosetta Roastery as one of The Best Independent Coffeeshops in the World and won the Coffee Magazine's "South African Coffee Roastery of the Year" in 2018 and 2019. A thoughtful gift by Andy — coffee from the best roastery in Cape Town. This article sums up my thoughts on the three origins roasted by Rosetta Roastery.
THREE Coffee: Making Coffee Better
When I attended a coffee master class a few years ago headed by Drew and Karthik, I had no idea I’ll be going down this rabbit hole. Fast forward to today, I have been having some wonderful coffees from THREE Coffee.
Cascara: the drink of the Sufis
The first time I had a cascara drink was in Alchemy, a cafe in Dubai as beautiful as the beverage I was served. When paired with an orange blossom cupcake, the combination was unlike anything I have had before.
Triangulating my coffee palate
I have always been fascinated with developing my palate. I don’t know about you but the ability to identify different aromas and notes are rewarding. I found myself triangulating coffee recently with the Grandmother team. It was humbling to know that I am not very good in identifying defects, but on the plus side, it was a great learning experience.
Decaf coffee doesn’t have to taste bad
I feel it’s now incumbent upon me to write about the coffee that comes with every issue of Standart magazine. With #28, I was quite surprised to find a decaffeinated Panamanian blend. There’s a Geisha amongst other varieties in this coffee, exciting, but decaf made me think otherwise.
Kill two birds with one stone | Beanس Two Birds Blend
Beanس is Zarak’s specialty coffee start-up based in Pakistan and the Two Birds Blend is their first coffee release. You have got two origins here, Ethiopia and Colombia in an 80:20 blend.
The Best of Colombia by 85+ Specialty Coffee
85+ Specialty Coffee was founded in 2020 by Nooran Amer and Mohammed Seif. The co-founding siblings had one focus in mind: the quality of their coffee was too important to settle for anything less.
It’s the season of coffee cupping
Now that all the coffee competitions have somewhat come to an end or on pause, cupping events have surfaced. It’s great watching our favorite baristas compete, but cupping takes the cake when it involves tasting delicious coffee.
What I’m Brewing: Alexander Vargas Pink Bourbon by Tropicalia Coffee
It’s become a ritual to write about the coffee shipped with the latest edition of Standart.
The Third Place: between your work and home
Ray Oldenburg, the famous sociologist, refers to the ‘first place’ as home and ‘second place’ as work — these two being the place where people spend most of their time. He describes the third place as “the heart of a community’s social vitality”. The Third Place for me is the transition between the two.
The how, where and what of coffee
My specialty coffee journey officially started a few years ago when I had won the London Dairy Coffee Master Class. I have two people to thank, Karthik and Drew. So, when The Grey invited me for an event named the How, Where and What of Coffee in collaboration with Three Coffee, it was reminiscent of the start of my specialty coffee journey.