Coffee Culture – what’s trending?

October 1 is the International Coffee Day, which is the day to honour the men and women who grow and harvest the coffee we love and it is a celebration of coffee’s journey from the farm to the local shop. To mark the occasion, I decided to write a post about coffee and to share one of my coffee bean arts.

(P.S. I really enjoy using coffee beans to make art. Not only I get to play with the tiny beans, but I also get to smell the aroma from the beans. It's a little hobby of mine.)

The other day, I overheard a conversation at an independent coffee shop and this girl was asking what's new and exciting at the shop. The owner was happy to share the new beans he would be bringing to his shop.

(P.S. I took this pic at Ricarda's on Peter Street in Toronto. I used to live in the 'hood and got to frequent this place.)

Come think about it, there are so many coffee trends right now. I couldn't help but to look back to my university days, trying to remember the coffee trends back then.

Do you still remember Starbucks coming to town in the mid 90s? And, how they turned it into this next big thing in just a few years. I even remember studying about their business model at management school and how Starbucks sells more than just a cup of coffee, but the whole coffee experience to its patrons.

(P.S. I took this pic on a quiet workday near my work on Bloor Street. This Starbucks has the nicest outdoor space right next to a church.)

Coffee culture has continued to evolve since then and fast forward to now, the focus is no longer on just one coffee trend. Instead, there are so many things happening in the world of coffee. Below is a few that come to mind:

· People know their favorite baristas by name these day and prefer the barista who has a manbun
· Where the beans come from and whether they are fair trade or not matter
· Instagram is overloaded with new café and coffee photos
· Whenever a new café pops up and the photos appear on social media, everyone rushed to take the exact same photos to show that they have been there, done that!
· The matcha latte is no longer in … what’s in is the charcoal latte
· People won’t hesitate to spend up to $10 for a handcrafted flat white
· Some people only drink pour over v.s. machine-made

And, the list continues!

You see, there is not just one coffee trend, but many. Hence, creating an exciting environment for coffee to become more and more popular. It is truly fascinating for me to observe how coffee culture evolves!