The end of the year is always a good time to reflect on the stories we’ve told here at Fresh Cup. It’s also given me the opportunity to pin down precisely what makes a Fresh Cup story distinct.
Looking through some of my favorite pieces we’ve commissioned this year, I’m struck by how wide-ranging they are. I love the dexterity of our writers: We can publish a story highlighting an Indigenous coffee grower in Brazil one day and a research-driven story about the evolution of CBD in coffee shops the next.
And yet, I do think there are some common characteristics that unite every one of Fresh Cup’s stories:
- All our stories include reporting. Our writers talk to sources and industry experts for almost every single piece. If not, they’re anchoring their articles in extensive research.
- We prioritize storytelling. For our contributors, that means asking sources really good questions—not just covering the basic who or what of a matter, but the deeper how and why.
- We always ensure that the visuals speak to each article. Often, that means really great photos. If not, it’s creating illustrations and other visual assets that add to the narrative.
As Fresh Cup’s editor, I love every story we publish—I commissioned them, after all—but these 10 represent my absolute favorites of the year, and display the best of what our writers and our platform are capable of.
Here’s How Far Cannabis Beverages Have Come Since the CBD Coffee Craze by Chloé Skye Weiser
I remember a time in the mid-2010s when CBD coffee was everywhere—and just like that, it faded into the background. While trends come and go, this one didn’t seem to make sense, given that cannabis laws have only become more permissive over time. Chloé likewise had questions, so she traced the recent evolution of cannabis laws and CBD drinks in this story. The art for this piece is also fun and inviting.
The Specialty Espresso Martini is Here, Thanks to These Small-Batch Coffee Liqueurs by Amber Gibson
Coffee folks have a lot of feelings about the rise of the espresso martini, a drink that has been around for decades but has recently experienced a meteoric popularity surge. I’d argue that one of the reasons behind the espresso martini’s revival is that coffee liqueurs have gotten much better. But is that really true? Amber went to find out.
Can Coffee Help Reforest the Amazon? Indigenous Barista Celesty Suruí Thinks So by Alexander Eliscu
This interview is incredible, and highlights how Celesty Suruí, an Indigenous barista, is using coffee to reforest and conserve degraded rainforest land in the Amazon. Alex both conducted this fantastic interview with Celesty and took the photos, which are absolutely stunning.
How India Acquired a Taste for Specialty Coffee by Sohel Sarkar
Sohel’s work always impresses, both because she has a distinctive voice and is never afraid to pursue the most impactful sources for her stories. In this one, she talked about the evolution of specialty coffee in India. We’ve known that India’s coffee market is exploding, but Sohel’s story reveals exactly how and why this massive growth is happening.
Want Your Cafe To Have a Line Out the Door? Make It Worth Waiting For by Haley Greene
Lines are weird. They can indicate that a coffee spot is popular, but can also be frustrating for both workers and customers to navigate. In this story, Haley breaks down what makes a line actually work for a cafe, and what makes waiting worth a customer’s time. Personally, I loved this story, in part because I loved taking control of the line when I worked behind the bar. That didn’t mean moving things along: It meant acknowledging people as they walked in and giving them reassurance..
Starbucks’ CEO Made Over $95M in 2024. The Average Barista Made Less Than $15,000 by Fionn Pooler
A few months ago, we started isolating stories from Fionn’s weekly coffee newsletter, Coffee News Club (subscribe here), and publishing them as standalone features. We were floored by how successful these breakout stories were, particularly on social media. It was a good reminder that running a successful news site isn’t just thoughtlessly churning out content, but about finding effective ways and new channels to communicate with readers.
Roastery Breakdown: ViCAFE in Zurich, Switzerland by Brit Alexandria
Our Roastery Breakdown series—where we provide a peek behind the curtain on how a specific roastery operates—has always been popular. This edition of the series, featuring ViCAFE, was especially challenging, because the Switzerland-based roastery is highly automated—a setup not often seen in the specialty world. This story conveyed the complexity of this business well, and gave us a view of a roastery unlike most others.
Cascara Is Said To Reduce Waste and Improve Farmers’ Incomes. But Does It? by Chloé Skye Weiser
A great Fresh Cup story challenges common perceptions. There are so many “facts” about coffee that are really unproven assumptions. It’s long been said, for instance, that producing cascara reduces waste and potentially gives farmers an additional source of income—but is that really true? In this story, Chloé found that you need the right infrastructure in place to make cascara viable.
Kay Cheon Is the Champion We All Wanted To See Win by Ashley Rodriguez
I don’t often write for Fresh Cup (I mostly edit), but I knew when Kay Cheon won the US Barista Championships this year that I wanted to interview him—and pull out a five-year-old photo I took of him and his parents. Having followed Kay’s career for so long gave me a deeper basis for this Q&A. He said this about his mom being in the crowd for his win: “Seeing how many people have supported me throughout the process, I think that was meaningful for her. Not to see me raise the trophy—she doesn’t care about that sort of thing.”
Valencia Is Brewing Its Own Identity in Spain’s Specialty Coffee Scene by Isabelle Mani
I love a city guide that feels like it’s not just hovering over a place, giving quick hits of the “best” cafes, but is actually speaking to the people who live there. Isabelle tied the growth of Valencia’s coffee scene to its coffee festival, unraveling a web of entrepreneurs and enthusiasts who have lately defined the city’s standout coffee vibe.
