The April + May 2018 Thirteenth Anniversary Issue of Barista Magazine features a special section on recovery efforts in Puerto Rico with cover barista Abner Roldán, new developments with coffee processing and yeast inoculation, a look at the role cafés play in gentrification, how to craft a dress code, and much, much more!
BY KENNETH R. OLSON
BARISTA MAGAZINE
We are proud to announce the release of the April + May 2018 Thirteenth Anniversary Issue of Barista Magazine! Our newest issue comes out today, and it can be read in full for free online and via our complimentary app. If you love holding a copy of Barista Magazine in your hands, never fear: This issue will be hitting subscribers’ mailboxes this week. (Not a subscriber? Become one here, or buy an individual issue.)
Just over six months ago Hurricane Maria devastated much of Puerto Rico. The recovery effort has been underwhelming to say the least, and power has still not been restored to much of the island, whose residents are citizens of the United States. Puerto Ricans have a history of resiliency and community, however, in the face of inaction on the part of their federal government, and Abner Roldán and his partner, Karla Quiñones, have not let the ravages of the hurricane stop them from pursuing their dream of opening a café or supporting their beloved island.
Puerto Rico is also a coffee producer, but almost all of the coffee from last year was destroyed in the hurricane, leaving the island with very little green coffee. As a producing territory, Puerto Rico has some special restrictions on the importation of green coffee, and in the aftermath of Maria, retailers and some producers are pressing for change. We have a report on the state of green coffee in P.R. going forward by Alicia Kennedy.
Fermentation plays an important role in coffee processing, but deep research on it has only recently started. Barista Magazine’s editor-in-chief, Sarah Allen, reports on new research using specific yeast strains to improve the fermentation process and thereby improve coffee quality.
It often seems like gentrification and coffee shops go hand in hand, but what role do cafés really play in the changes rolling through urban communities across America and around the world? Barista Magazine’s Online Editor, Ashley Rodriguez takes an in-depth look at the challenges coffee shops face in trying to serve current and future communities while those communities change.
How do you create a dress code that’s enforceable, fair, and effective for your entire staff? Contributor RJ Joseph writes about the challenges and benefits of crafting a dress code for everyone in “Make It Work.”
Almost all of the equipment in your café take energy to run, but the amount of energy required can be dramatically reduced with new, more efficient machines. Tom Abraham dives deep into what those efficiencies mean for working coffee shops, and steps you can take to make the most of your energy consumption in “Taming the Beast.”
Our popular “High Maintenance” columnists Alex Lambert and Jason “Double J” Johnson are back with a new installment, wherein they answer your pressing equipment questions with a lot of know-how and some awfully good humor.
Chris Ryan interviews longtime specialty-coffee pro David Griswold, founder of importer Sustainable Harvest. David talks about his personal history, his dedication to creating a more equitable trading relationship with coffee farmers, and his passion for community building in “Master Q&A.”
And there’s much, much more, including Tracy Allen on franchising options in our business column “Cash Box,” field reports from Chicago and India, and a whole bunch of new stuff in “Stuff”!
We are so grateful for our readers, advertisers, and community that has supported us for 13 years. Thank you all! We hope you enjoy this issue of Barista Magazine as much as we loved putting it together for you, and we look forward to serving you for many years to come.
