It’s been a year since 25 first debuted at World of Coffee in Budapest; I hope you are continuing to enjoy its stories and insights from our global specialty community.

At the April 2017 Re:co Symposium, an annual event hosted by the Specialty Coffee Association, a panel debated the question: are we in a coffee bubble? Panelists DAN MCCLOSKEY and JANICE ANDERSON, using their extensive experience mapping the growth of specialty coffee across the US, offer their perspective on the state of the market in Issue 05 of 25.

CARLA D. MARTIN, PhD explores the concepts of commodity, craft, and taste in specialty chocolate. All images courtesy Dandelion Chocolate.

JESPER ALSTRUP explores “body” and how roast profile modulations affect the sensory experience of brewed coffee through his research at the University of Copenhagen, supported in part by the Specialty Coffee Association, in Issue 5 of 25 Magazine.

There’s a subset of Mexican-American coffee shops that are quietly emerging in the working-class Latino enclaves of Los Angeles. Together, they are reimagining menus, infusing traditional flavors, and experimenting with ingredients to create single-origin Mexican-inspired coffee drinks rooted in culture.

Perhaps more than ever, coffee shops are putting a massive focus on design: the drive to distinguish a specialty café from the “Central Perk/coffeehouse” vibe of the 1990s is largely being achieved by way of brand, architecture, packaging, and signage.

As a South African fortunate to travel quite extensively, nothing gives me greater joy than coming back home. One of my favorite places to visit from my laid-back, coastal hometown of Durban is the city of Johannesburg.