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

Something has been stirring for some time now. A quiet return, or perhaps a continuation. After years of working to restore Yemen coffee to its rightful status, I’ve long had the itch, a whisper that’s slowly grown to a scream, that something deeper is pleading desperately to evolve. Something bigger than a single origin. And not outwardly toward scale or expansion, but inwardly, toward so much more.

A scene from Yasujirō Ozu’s Late Spring  (1949), where the calm precision of the tea ceremony mirrors the film’s quiet tension between...

Between Presence and Performance I love Morocco. For me, it is a place where history is not abstract but alive. Anyone who knows me also...

WARNING: LIGHT SPOILERS  FOR SINNERS (2025) The first time we meet the vampires in Sinners, they’re singing. They’re a trio who show up...

There’s something deceptively stable about your morning cup of coffee—as perhaps it needs to be. Day after day, it’s everywhere; in your...

A 2015 CQI Newsletter. Me with my Q instructor and easily one of my favorite people in coffee, the great and powerful Jodi Wieser I love...

I often find myself reciting lines of Arabic poetry in everyday conversations. Sometimes, it’s a verse that captures a fleeting emotion

Credit, Juan Fuentes, 2007 I’ll never forget the first time I sipped a cup of specialty coffee. It was an Ethiopia Natural-processed...

Since releasing The Art of Gifting, I’ve been flooded with responses—some curious, others deeply personal. Those with ties to the Arab world

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...

I remember the first time I read about Ziryab, it felt almost unbelievable, like encountering a mythical figure whose life story had been...

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...

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...

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...

Natural, washed, honey, pulped natural, wet hulled, carbonic maceration, supernatural, orange peel process, natural yeast, barrique...

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...

Coffee Cantata, by Mokhtar Alkhanshali I’m always on the lookout for interesting and fun “history snacks”, so to speak that relate to...

Continued from “The Free Queen: Arwa | Part One” The Undisputed Queen After a long battle with his health, Al-Mukarram eventually...

Forged in Struggle The year is 1066. Ali al Sulayhi, founder of the Sulayhid dynasty, Sultan of Yemen, and Fatimid conqueror of Mecca,...

Coffee, more than anything to me, is about reflection. From the grinding and brewing ritual, to the gripping of that warm cup, to our...

“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...

I sometimes get discouraged working in Yemen. Needless to say, it’s difficult. But it’s also extremely rewarding and every once in awhile...

I had the incredible experience of visiting Indonesia long before I was a coffee professional. One of the bucket list items was visiting...

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...

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...

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,...

“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...

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...

"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...

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...

“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...

“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...

I've been saying this 'shortest distance' quote for a while now. It was actually inspired by something that happened to a very close...