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The shortest distance between two people is a cup of coffee.


Arabic Poetry Mixtape: Prelude
I often find myself reciting lines of Arabic poetry in everyday conversations. Sometimes, it’s a verse that captures a fleeting emotion
Mokhtar Alkhanshali
Mar 77 min read
201 views
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The Spiritual Death of the Café
Credit, Juan Fuentes, 2007 I’ll never forget the first time I sipped a cup of specialty coffee. It was an Ethiopia Natural-processed...
Mokhtar Alkhanshali
Jan 149 min read
1,361 views
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The Art of Gift Giving Deep Dive
Since releasing The Art of Gifting, I’ve been flooded with responses—some curious, others deeply personal. Those with ties to the Arab world
Mokhtar Alkhanshali
Dec 2, 20246 min read
242 views
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How I Learned to Live With, Manage, and Love (Sometimes) Being a People Pleaser.
Let me say here at the outset: I’m intimately familiar with the harm this personality trait can cause, both to oneself and others. It’s...
Mokhtar Alkhanshali
Oct 7, 20247 min read
328 views
2 comments


Meet Ziryab: History’s Greatest Cultural Icon, who You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
I remember the first time I read about Ziryab, it felt almost unbelievable, like encountering a mythical figure whose life story had been...
Mokhtar Alkhanshali
Sep 7, 20245 min read
135 views
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The Cost of Complacency
Loro Piana got caught being evil and the world pretended to care for a few days. When you Google the brand now, the story is buried under...
Mokhtar Alkhanshali
Aug 5, 20244 min read
248 views
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Top 5 Ways to Deepen Your Love of Coffee
Hello coffee lover. Are you a coffee lover? Do you consider yourself a coffee lover? Well… how deep does your love go? Let’s find out by...
Mokhtar Alkhanshali
Jul 8, 20247 min read
104 views
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One day you're sitting atop a mountain, the next day you're carrying it on your back.
That’s me sitting on a mountain of coffee bags in a moment I can only describe as pure bliss. The date is December 27th, 2014, Timothée...
Mokhtar Alkhanshali
Jun 7, 20247 min read
51 views
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Coffee Fermentation: Futures, Fads, and Fictions
Natural, washed, honey, pulped natural, wet hulled, carbonic maceration, supernatural, orange peel process, natural yeast, barrique...
Mokhtar Alkhanshali
May 2, 20249 min read
506 views
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Pretension
I wrote some time ago about an experience I had early in my coffee journey—an experience that almost caused me to abandon my pursuit in...
Mokhtar Alkhanshali
Apr 5, 20245 min read
223 views
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Coffee Cantata
Coffee Cantata, by Mokhtar Alkhanshali I’m always on the lookout for interesting and fun “history snacks”, so to speak that relate to...
Mokhtar Alkhanshali
Mar 8, 20242 min read
34 views
1 comment


The Free Queen: Arwa | Part Two
Continued from “The Free Queen: Arwa | Part One” The Undisputed Queen After a long battle with his health, Al-Mukarram eventually...
Mokhtar Alkhanshali
Feb 1, 20246 min read
451 views
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The Free Queen: Arwa | Part One
Forged in Struggle The year is 1066. Ali al Sulayhi, founder of the Sulayhid dynasty, Sultan of Yemen, and Fatimid conqueror of Mecca,...
Mokhtar Alkhanshali
Jan 5, 20244 min read
316 views
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Ours is not a Caravan of Despair
Coffee, more than anything to me, is about reflection. From the grinding and brewing ritual, to the gripping of that warm cup, to our...
Mokhtar Alkhanshali
Dec 12, 20232 min read
159 views
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Wakanda Forever
“They tried to bury us, they didn’t know we were seeds.” -Dinos Christianopoulos “I'm tired of hearin' 'bout who you checkin' for now...
Mokhtar Alkhanshali
Nov 1, 20233 min read
186 views
0 comments


All About Yemen Coffee
I sometimes get discouraged working in Yemen. Needless to say, it’s difficult. But it’s also extremely rewarding and every once in awhile...
Mokhtar Alkhanshali
Oct 8, 20233 min read
50 views
0 comments


Poop Coffee
I had the incredible experience of visiting Indonesia long before I was a coffee professional. One of the bucket list items was visiting...
Mokhtar Alkhanshali
Sep 4, 20239 min read
388 views
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Baghdad by the Bay: A Hauntological Tour of San Francisco
Greetings of peace, love, and justice ~ السلام عليكم I assume you're here for the tour? Great! Before we begin, here is a bit of...
Mokhtar Alkhanshali
Jul 31, 20237 min read
256 views
1 comment


Coffee is the Sister of Time
The Fourth of July is never much fun for me. I usually end up draining the battery on my noise-canceling Airpods. For those of you new to...
Mokhtar Alkhanshali
Jul 6, 20236 min read
354 views
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My Grandfather's House
When my late grandfather, Hamood Nashir Yahya Al-Khanshali was 13, his father died. He was left in the care of his older brothers, who,...
Mokhtar Alkhanshali
Jun 2, 20233 min read
112 views
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Our Yearly Coffee Pilgrimage
“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where...
Mokhtar Alkhanshali
May 3, 20233 min read
66 views
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We Belong to the Soil
Featured Photo: Uncle Hifhdullah on his farm in Haraz. Since beginning work on Al-Khanshali Estates, I've had to spend even more time on...
Mokhtar Alkhanshali
Apr 10, 20232 min read
38 views
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Where Truth Lays
"The Bluest Eye," for me, is the most important and formative novel of my life. As a third culture kid growing up in America, we often...
Mokhtar Alkhanshali
Mar 2, 20233 min read
134 views
0 comments


Coffee for the Soul (Spotify Playlist)
I recently shared this spotify playlist with my team and they encouraged me to put it up on the blog. It's what I listen to every morning...
Mokhtar Alkhanshali
Feb 1, 20231 min read
232 views
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My Friend Wilford
“Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher.“ -Japanese Proverb The world is full of people who know...
Mokhtar Alkhanshali
Dec 12, 20223 min read
58 views
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Specialty: Stop Trying to Guide People to the Light (Roast).
“Coffee should be black as hell, strong as death, and sweet as love.” Turkish Proverb I've loved light roast coffee since the moment it...
Mokhtar Alkhanshali
Dec 9, 20226 min read
292 views
0 comments


The Shortest Distance Between Two People is a Cup of Coffee
I've been saying this 'shortest distance' quote for a while now. It was actually inspired by something that happened to a very close...
Mokhtar Alkhanshali
Dec 1, 20222 min read
334 views
2 comments
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