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.

In our ‘Coffee’ chapter, 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.

Our ‘People’ chapter, in which 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.

In our ‘World’ chapter, 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.

We thank Mahlkönig, our official sponsor for this issue, for their help in bringing it to print. You can read all about how the company works closely with baristas to produce some of the world’s best grinders in our sponsor profile.