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In Standart Issue 23, we take a deep dive into who actually invented the first espresso machine, drink in life lessons and advice from World Barista Championship boss Cindy Ludviksen, and survey some of the wackier coffee patents filed over the past century. We speak to fermentation designer and Lucia Solis about funky coffee processing, which segues beautifully into a stab at what a future cup of coffee might look like. Our ‘Meet Your Guest’ features an absolute legend of electronic music and modular synth, Suzanne Ciani, and our long-form piece traces the history of punk sobriety, coffee culture, and embodied rebellion in the age of economics.
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Standart Issue 22 enjoys an undeniable theme of animals. In these isolating times, people perhaps more than ever have turned to pets to satisfy many of the social joys usually inspired by interactions with friends, family, colleagues, and their fellow citizens. We explore whether Kopi Luwak coffee can be ethical; how the modern allongé is perhaps the fruitiest espresso you can taste with Scott Rao; and passion’s path to coffee with Kenji Kojima of Fuglen Coffee. Learn about the history of cat cafés and what their popularity can tell us about the way we live in the city; how farmers are producing small lots of specialty in Typhoon-threatened Japanese islands; and what Lima’s contemporary coffee scene offers the specialty connoisseur.
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From the lust-worthy items of coffee equipment, in a photoshoot that pays homage to light erotica, through a sultry short story covering the youthful reminiscences of a wizened coffee shop proprietor, to tracing the history of the dynamic, caffeinated drink in the religiously lazy and ruins-covered Rome, we have a slew of hot stuff for you in the latest Standart. Issue 21 coalesces around the theme of sustainability, to guide us as we head into a new and better year. We provide you with a quick cheat-sheet covering facts and easy-to-implement measures to reduce your ‘foodprint’, while Lem Butler and Kyle Ramage of Black and White Coffee Roasters give us a small insight into how they built and maintain a working relationship that birthed one of the foremost roasteries in the USA. In this issue’s long-form piece, we look at how, and why, coffee companies sell sustainability. We survey the entire landscape, from the rise of corporate social responsibility, to greenwashing, to new initiatives set up to continue to work towards the ideal of sustainable business.
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In Standart issue 20, join us as we dive into a veritable banquet of engrossing stories from across the coffee world. Read about the nascent rise of Indian specialty coffee from the source; interrogate the light-roast/dark-roast debate with one of the UK’s leading roasters; follow along as a researcher looks at the latest developments in agroforestry in Brazil; and read how an artist and florist who builds arrangements for global brands and the celebrity elite has to fight tooth-and-nail to make his café/florist business sustainable. In our long-form article, neuroscientist Fabiana Carvalho takes us through the very latest research on how colour literally changes the flavour of coffee, as we ask the question, is the specialty coffee industry doing all it can to exploit the power of the mind? The inimitable Ashley Rodriguez turns her attention to the concept of the of relationships in coffee—how those between roaster and farmer compare to real-life, and what happens when power comes into play. Poignant questions arise, as she navigates what it really means to build a relationship in the coffee world. Talor Browne of Talormade has made it through a tumultuous period in her professional life, but has come out of the experience with an awesome new business into which she has instilled a culture of empathy. This is a great read for anyone looking to start a successful coffee business, and anyone who runs one at present. This is just a taste of a smidgen of the beginning of what we’ve got in store for you in issue 20. We can’t wait to see what you think!
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Welcome to the new era of Standart. Brand new and with a completely overhauled design, Standart 19 is louder, bolder, unafraid to confront the issues facing our industry, and unrelenting in our celebration of what makes coffee great. As ever and thanks to our amazing writers and artists, we’ve got a litany of incredible articles on a range of subjects: A report of the hard-hitting realities producers face on the ground in Peru; more myth-busting madness from former World Barista Champion Gwilym Davies; a behind-the-scenes look at a brand new ‘metric’ cupping protocol developed by the folks at Barista Hustle; a veritable love story between one coffee supergeek and a rare Colombian varietal; and our long-form article this issue is a heavily researched and passionately wrought exploration of how neurodivergent conditions affect people in the coffee industry. Standart 19 beckons in a new era for our magazine. With harder-hitting articles, adventurous and experimental artists and photographers, and a new approach to design, we’re ready to take coffee journalism to new heights. Well, go on. Join the fun!
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Issue 18 introduces an exciting new content structure that takes as its thematic centre a long-form essay ‘On Coffee and Criticism’ by the incredible Noa Berger—a social scientist working on coffee consumption. The idea of critique, in its many forms, guides our newest release. From pieces that explore the role criticism plays in our everyday lives and how we can turn it into constructive fuel for improvement, to a critical exploration of how we define ‘premium’ in paying farmers a decent price for their work, to how Modernist writers Virginia Woolf and T. S. Eliot used coffee as a literary device to explore the fabric of consciousness. What’s in Standart Issue 18? 'Critique gains value when accompanied by action.' So says Noa Berger in this issue's long-form treatment on the subject of critique in specialty coffee. And so, in the name of action, this issue we've turned our sights to the role of criticism in coffee. Noa surveys in detail the state of critique in specialty coffee, and what approaching the idea of critique through the lens of coffee can tell us about the evolution of criticism and critics in general. Look out for wisdom from James Hoffmann, Scott Rao, Ashley Rodriguez, Michelle Johnson, Matter Perger, Oliver Strand, and more! Gwilym Davies delivers the second article in his series debunking some common coffee myths. Read about how Coffee is not a bean, Arabica coffee is not from Arabia, and Robusta is not a species. Ashley Rodriguez takes a critical look at the way we conceive of and—more importantly—price green coffee, and experts weigh in. Consultant and champion barista Erika Vonie speaks to us about how to deal with criticism, what makes for useful criticism, and how to effectively critique the industry she loves. More on the theme of the importance of self-reflection and criticism, we speak to a barista turned psychotherapist about the relationship between criticism and attachment, why people like what they like, and how to deal with one's inner critic for better mental health. On a lighter side, we ask coffee creative and activist Umeko Motoyoshi what’s pissing her off (and she pulls no punches), we task a coffee lover with visiting New York cafés and providing critical reviews of their bathrooms, and finally, Essayist Kalika Sands explores the literary function coffee plays in the works of T. S. Eliot and Virginia Woolf. We have an absolutely stonking harvest of sterling stuff in store for you this issue. Put a brew on, settle into a cosy spot, and have a flip through!
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Our latest issue is ram-packed with articles, essays, interviews, and artwork addressing subjects of significant and lasting import for the future of coffee. Chapter: Coffee We begin an exciting new series from Gwilym Davies looking at coffee myths—both true and untrue—and how they play into our conception of coffee. Implicit bias is a hot topic right now; read how far its tendrils permeate the coffee world by investigating its implications for the cupping table. Consider China as a behemoth rising specialty producer through the eyes of an insider, and, finally, sink your teeth into a statistical study of the effects of weather on coffee yields in Hawaii. Chapter: People We explore the talented people that make up our industry, trying to get to know them beyond just coffee, is positively bursting. We travelled to London to interview Paul Ross, wholesale manager at Kiss the Hippo and 2019 UK Barista Champion, about competition, running, and Scrabble; we had our good friend and founder of This Side Up, Lennart Clerkx, write a delicately wrought and powerful piece on the moments and experiences that have informed his professional choices and business practices; an academic takes a hard look at some of the troubling representations of producers that still abound in specialty coffee marketing; and, to round out the chapter, we look at how milk was first introduced to coffee, what it meant, and what it still means. Chapter: World An anthropologist reconsiders the site of her book research amidst its changing coffee culture, a writer muses on the phenomenon of origin travel after having visited Panamanian coffee farms for the first time, a coffee geek guides us through Tel-Aviv’s coffee scene, and the unique history that led to what it is today, and finally, we interview an experimental psychologist and anglican priest about the meaning of our mortality, moral quandaries, human universals, and speaking about death in coffee shops, sometimes with cupcakes. Our official sponsor for this issue is Faema. The espresso machine manufacturer had one of their most exciting years. Read all about it in our sponsor profile piece, where we take a look back at the year that was 2019 for Faema
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Standart issue 16, as ever, treats a varied subject matter through engaging articles, essays, interviews, and artwork. In this issue, we delve as never before into some of the more pressing topics facing our industry. Chapter: Coffee we continue our series comparing coffee and tea—this time the brewing methods of each, and look at a historically massive producer of tea that is moving into high-quality coffee production, Sri Lanka. It’s often easy to forget that given all the coffee we make, there necessarily exists a lot of coffee waste in the form of grounds; we take a look at how we might best make use of them. Finally, we round out the chapter with an essay on responses to the price crisis, and the baristas lending their voices to a thus far rather marginalized topic. Chapter: People We explore the talented people that make up our industry, is stacked with great stories, including an interview with Canadian Barista Champion Cole Torode, a word or two from two of our favourite baristas as they take us through their daily routines, an article by Ashley Rodriguez exploring freelance life, asking questions, and the experiences that made her who she is today, and much, much more. Chapter: World We take a look at some of the traditions that make up the experience of drinking coffee in the Balkans, then skip over to Austin, Texas for a reflection on exactly what conspired to make the city the coffee mecca it is today. To round it out, we are then treated to a rich and delicately wrought rumination on a recent origin trip to the land of gesha.
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Standart issue 15 covers a diverse range of subjects that aim bridge the gap between baristas and industry professionals, coffee nuts and enthusiasts, and those who simply enjoy spending time in coffee shops. Chapter: Coffee We continue our series comparing coffee and tea—this time the processing methods of each, followed by an article asking what coffee can learn from the ritual of tea. We then head to the distant climes of Guatemala, a nation comprised of over 300 microclimates, in our origin profile. Finally, we round out the chapter with a long-form essay addressing the events that have led to the current ‘price crisis’. Chapter: People Packed with stories from and about the people that make the industry go round, including an interview with world-renowned roasters Stephen Leighton and Joanna Alm, a New York themed chronicle of life as a barista in the Big Apple, a beautifully traced reminiscence on life’s lessons so far by Tim Williams, and more. Chapter: World We interview book historian Geri Della Rocca de Candal about his recent exhibition on the printing revolution of the 15th century. We follow that with a look the strange relationship between coffee and stand-up comedy, and learn some jokes along the way. We then jet over to Paris for a a stroll through the French capital’s political and cultural histories—all through the lens of coffee, and end it all with a story about solitude, creation, and coffee.
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Standart issue 14 covers a diverse range of subjects that aim bridge the gap between baristas and industry professionals, coffee nuts and enthusiasts, and those who simply enjoy spending time in coffee shops. Chapter: Coffee Whet your appetite with some hot, fresh, fragrant … tea! As part of our series comparing coffee and tea, we take a look at the distant climes where tea starts its journey. We then shift the focus back to coffee, with an origin trip to Tanzania, a milk experiment brought to you by the folks at Barista Hustle, and an essay reporting on the new alternative pricing tool that we hope will have a huge impact on how we sustainably price green coffee. Chapter: People Chock-a-block with creative content, including an interview with World Brewers Cup champion Emi Fukahori, an essay on hot to combine your work and your coffee addiction by Jenn Chen, a short story out of Brazil detailing a nightmarish day in the life of a professional coffee taster who loses his palate, and much more. Chapter: World An interview with marketing guru and coffee geek Brian Gaffney; When we sat down with him in New York, we were fascinated by his thoughts on coffee, and we think you will be too. We follow that with a look at the importance of branding in specialty coffee, and how to make sure yours is on point. We then jet over to Moscow for a beautifully traced essay on the peculiar history of coffee in the Russian capital, and end it all with an article on late-night coffee cocktails.
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Every issue of Standart is beautifully designed and the content carefully curated in order to bring you into a one of a kind experience. It should be meaningful, enriching, and inspiring; Standart Issue 13 does just that. Chapter: Coffee We confront, from two directions and perspectives, the questions of how we can ensure the survival of our industry in the face of climate change and supply chain vulnerabilities, before zooming in on the challenges faced by one particular producing country—Nicaragua. And for something a little lighter, Michelle Johnson runs a tasting experiment that will challenge the way you think about, and describe, taste. Chapter: People Focusing, as per usual, on the people that make the coffee world go round, we take a deep look at Blue Bottle and it’s founder, James Freeman, in a long-form rumination on quality, scale, and the run of time. Eddie Twitchett of Round Hill Roastery joins us for a chat about roasting, Talking Heads, and Twin Peaks, and we turn to an ethnomusicologist to explore the relationship between coffee, music, and meaning. Chapter: World We all know aeroplane coffee is bad. But why is it so bad? Surprisingly, there are some good reasons why, but also some not so good ones. But the question of bad coffee might simply be a question of taste. Philosopher’s have battled with this questions for centuries—we take a look through the guise of coffee. Finally, we take you all the way to Sydney, Australia, for our city profile just in time for the World AeroPress Championship!
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Standart issue 12 is here, bringing you more in-depth coverage of coffee, design, and the people behind it all. We’re all about asking the big questions and trying to find the answers over coffee, so we invite you to join us and our talented host of writers and artists for a fresh batch of articles and stories. In this issue, we take you from the genome of coffee right to the very edges of the cosmos, with pit stops at the foundation of democracy, post-conflict Colombia, and the white sands of Hawaiian beaches. Coffee The Coffee chapter looks at the future of sustainable coffee breeding, and what sustainability means for the supply chain. Our origin profile takes us to Hawaii, and the good folks at Barista Hustle invite you to test out brewing coffee while stood on one foot (no, seriously, try it!). People Our People chapter features an interview with Market Lane Coffee’s Fleur Studd and, fittingly, an article about the successes of exceptional women in the coffee industry. We round it out with a short story about interruptions during shift work and the first-known translation of a Brazilian poem about the intricacies of the coffee supply chain. World Finally, our World chapter takes us from a languid contemplation of the Athenian coffee and food scene to an exploration of the arts of tasseography and font design before delving into Colombia’s return to coffee after a lamentable detour into cocaine.
