The Delightful Unknown | 25, Issue 19
We’re never entirely sure what the future holds, but the past few years have made it feel particularly unpredictable.
The speed of our tools and our technology has made this kind of “not-knowing” often uncomfortable. How are we supposed to manage an unexpected situation’s impact on big, global systems when we’re used to instant answers to our questions? Is it possible we’ve forgotten how to feel our way through?
First, as my colleague Andrés Montenegro points out in this issue’s program spotlight on the SCA’s sustainable coffee agenda, setting an intention as to where you’d like to go—even if you’re not quite sure how you’re going to get there—is one key approach. (So, too, is setting baselines and milestones you can use to triangulate your progress as you go.) Similarly, being clear in the words we use—as Professors Edward Fischer and Vaughn Tan do for “value” and “uncertainty” in their respective features across sustainability and insight—can help us make sure we’re getting to our desired destination.
But it’s not just “forward thinking” that’s helpful! Tracing the roads we’ve taken so far, as Professor Sarah Besky does in reviewing the creation and application of tea’s quality lexicon, can shed an important light on what comes next by helping us to understand the impact our previous choices had on where we stand now (or what deep, structural issues need addressing before forward motion is possible). Sometimes, as Cheryl Hung points out in her research feature reviewing cumulative past data from National Coffee Data Trends Reports, constant measurement and tracking of our progress as we move—and reviewing the changes we find—can suggest a path forward we might not have seen otherwise.
And, of course, we can build our own maps as we go! This feature also highlights work by Dr. Mackenzie Batali on the sensory and chemical makeup of cold-brewed coffee and researcher Helen Vaikma on the sensory and nutritional attributes of plant-based beverages. Today, these products are recognizable features of the specialty coffee landscape, but it’s only through research like this that we are able to understand the nuances of their terrain.
The features within these pages, much like the experiences we’ve built at this year’s Re:co Symposium, are designed to help us collectively sense the future of specialty coffee. Despite whatever sense our digital tools may give us, there’s no such thing as a single, “right” way to get to our destination of a thriving, equitable, and sustainable specialty coffee industry. We hope these features, and all the questions they inspire, replace any sense of discomfort about the future with delight.
JENN RUGOLO
Editor, 25
We hope you are as excited as we are about the release of 25, Issue 19. This issue of 25 is made possible with the contributions of specialty coffee businesses who support the activities of the Specialty Coffee Association through its underwriting and sponsorship programs. Learn more about our underwriters here.