Culture
How coffee shapes the way people live, and how people shape it back: history, rituals, ideas and the odd argument.
14 stories
Worth its Salt
When it comes to accompaniments for our coffee, why is it that we seem to prefer sweet ones? A slice of cake, a matcha-and-white-chocolate brownie, a custard cream, anyone?
Noa Berger ( text ) &
Mònica Figueras Domènech ( images )
The Compass in Your Cup
When exploring foreign lands, few feelings compare to the triumph of discovering something known only to locals.
Green is the New Black
In recent years, matcha has become one of the most popular drinks ordered and enjoyed in cafes around the world.
The King Who Tried to Kill Coffee
As coffee grew cheaper in 18th-century Europe, it spread beyond the elite, alarming German rulers.
The Fastest Coffee in the World
There’s a guy in Melbourne who can make you a latte in 15 seconds.
Afterburn
One careless sip. That’s all it took. A whole day ruined by a burnt tongue. A whole day wasted.
No Eating or Drinking
A cup of coffee and a good book can spell comfort or contravention.
More in Culture
7 more
A Defence of Pumpkin Spice
There’s nothing that draws the ire of coffee enthusiasts quite like the onslaught of Pumpkin Spice everything once the colder months…
Specialty Coffee, Airside
Many flights leave at yawning time, and due to time constraints or lack of will, preparing a V60 is less than feasible.
From Qahwa to Cafe: The Evolution of Coffee Culture in Egypt
Egypt’s coffee culture is layered and full of contradiction—loud and hushed, traditional and modern, bitter and sweet; beyond even the trendiest…
Your Coffee Tastes Better with Beats
‘Your Coffee Tastes Better with Beats’ reads the banner hanging outside Wells Coffee in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Sucre Bleu!
From fanciful sugar forms—hearts, teacups, toucans—to sticky communal bowls and flimsy sachets, sugar in France tells a story of beauty, brutality,…
Coffee and Music: Crisis and Creation
Classical music salons, 16th-century Islamic courts, Bedouin tents, North American highways, Japanese jazz bars, co-working spaces, and sensory labs have all…
Long Live Decaf!
Decaffeinated coffee is experiencing unprecedented popularity.