Within the face of an more and more divisive world, this sequence of drinks brings collectively espresso professionals from each continent—and every beverage tells a robust story of its personal.
BY CAROLINE CORMIER
FOR BARISTA MAGAZINE
Pictures by Laura Vied Allen for Little Waves Espresso
In a world too usually outlined by division, Durham, N.C.-based roastery Little Waves Espresso and its native retail retailers, Cocoa Cinnamon, have launched Curious—a menu that extends past the fundamentals. The purpose is to ask clients to discover specialty drinks designed to thrill and shock whereas additionally celebrating espresso’s outstanding potential to bridge divides throughout cultures and continents.
Curious emerged from a second of worldwide rigidity in mid-2024. As Little Waves Espresso’s homeowners noticed the divisiveness sweeping throughout society, they envisioned a distinct path ahead. “We had been eager about observing family members’ shrinking worlds, witnessing violence begotten by absolutist patterns of considering, our upcoming election,” recollects Leon Grodski Barrera, who co-owns Little Wave Espresso Roasters along with his spouse and enterprise associate, Areli Barrera de Grodski. These reflections coincided with a sequence of worldwide journeys and collaborations that showcased espresso’s energy to attach folks.
The distinction between rising international divisions and occasional’s unifying potential sparked the creation of their revolutionary menu idea. “It’s exhausting to hate for those who’re curious. It’s more durable to be lonely in case you are looking into the world, asking questions and reaching out to others,” reads the mission’s web site. This sentiment sits on the core of Curious, a set of drinks that embodies the transformative expertise of getting into new landscapes and views, bringing collectively a gaggle of 12 espresso professionals from each continent to curate a menu that represents a way of shared humanity utilizing the language of espresso as its foundation.
To get began, Little Waves reached throughout their community, partaking with some espresso professionals they’ve recognized for many years and others they’d by no means met in particular person. Connecting nearly, individuals got here collectively to share their experiences and data with the specific purpose of devising drinks that may ultimately make their method to clients, each in Durham on the three Cocoa Cinnamon areas, in addition to at espresso retailers on each continent.
What makes this collaboration significantly outstanding is its actually international scope. Curious represents a deliberate shift from espresso’s conventional energy dynamics, creating an area the place data and creativity circulation multi-directionally. By bringing collectively specialists from each continent as equal contributors, the menu celebrates the richness that emerges when numerous approaches to espresso are given room to encourage each other.
Exploring Native Tastes
Every drink on the Curious menu represents extra than simply flavors—it embodies private tales, native histories, cultural traditions, and the inventive spark that ignites when completely different views converge. From conventional preparation strategies handed down by generations to revolutionary methods born from cross-cultural change, the menu reads like a passport of espresso experiences. Although every creation has its personal distinct id, all of them share a typical thread: the spirit of curiosity that impressed their creation. These aren’t merely drinks; they’re invites to step outdoors acquainted territory and expertise espresso by another person’s perspective.
The collaborative course of wasn’t with out challenges. Moreover coordinating schedules throughout completely different time zones, the larger problem was translating native elements into reproducible recipes, which required endurance and real openness from all concerned. As Melissa Ibarra, who heads up the flagship location of Cocoa Cinnamon and was the flavour lead on this mission, explains, “For me, the difficult half was discovering the elements that aren’t initially from the U.S. and with the ability to create the drink with out tasting the unique one first. I used to be sure that having the unique gadgets would make it style so completely different, so it was sophisticated to know if I even bought near the identical style.”
But it was exactly these challenges that yielded the mission’s most profound rewards—moments of connection that transcended the espresso itself. In actual fact, somewhat than concentrate on what was misplaced in translation, the collective targeted on what was gained. “Many people mentioned that elements are completely different somewhere else, and that may have an effect on iterations as every or any of us introduced the drinks at our retailers in North Carolina or at theirs of their international locations,” says Leon.
This philosophy of celebrating native variations grew to become central to the mission’s id, with Melissa expertly adapting ideas whereas honoring collaborators’ enter, and the proficient Lauren Vied Allen capturing their essence visually.
For Melissa, this collaboration was a implausible studying alternative. “It was so fascinating to see what others serve of their espresso retailers the world over, and what it means to them,” says Melissa. “It was an excellent reminder that espresso might be introduced in so some ways, and have completely different meanings, flavors, and connections.”
The Drinks
One can not absolutely admire the Curious menu with out understanding the tales behind every creation. Whereas the drinks may be loved purely for his or her sensory pleasures, understanding the narrative behind every recipe provides dimensions of that means that remodel the expertise from consumption to connection.
Take, for instance, Till the Finish of the World, created with Emmanuel Rusatira and Smayah Uwajeneza, each from Rwanda, and Dr. Jane Dell, who works in Antarctica. The drink incorporates a frozen cardamom-infused ice sphere melting right into a single-origin Rwanda Ikizere ladies’s lot pourover focus, referencing the retreating glaciers of Antarctica and the warming of our planet. This marriage of Rwandan espresso’s candy brown spice notes with cardamom showcases Rwanda’s flavors, whereas Dr. Dell’s inspiration stems from her expertise fostering a way of neighborhood over espresso within the isolation of Antarctica. When clients order this drink, they’re not simply tasting espresso; they’re partaking in a dialogue about local weather change, international collaboration, and the distinctive flavors of Rwanda.
This drink has already confirmed its reputation in Durham, with clients appreciating how the melting cardamom ice dice step by step transforms the flavour profile. The Cocoa Cinnamon crew recurrently encourages patrons to take pleasure in it outdoors on the patio, prompting them to take a second to decelerate and mindfully observe how the style and texture evolve over time, a refined but highly effective metaphor for our altering world.
Equally, ESPRESSO & strangers—developed with Deandra Gauci from Malta—demonstrates how espresso can function a car for preserving and sharing cultural heritage whereas concurrently evolving by inventive collaboration. This drink makes use of a house-made Sri Lankan cinnamon syrup with espresso tonic, garnished with rosemary and dried orange, making a multi-sensory expertise. The rosemary influences the aroma whereas the orange subtly infuses the drink, mirroring the Maltese tradition’s mix of Italian, Arabic, French, and English influences.
Lastly, Aristotle Dream Pop—conceptualized with Dot Mediano from Davao Metropolis, Philippines—pushes the boundaries of espresso innovation by mixing aesthetics, taste, and philosophy. This vibrant drink layers strawberry jam, milk soda, ube whipped cream, and blue ternate infusion, topped with black lava salt and paired with co-fermented espresso on the aspect. Dot’s course of, impressed by Aristotle’s components for magnificence and sensorial concord, displays the volcanic origins of espresso, with colourful layers symbolizing the distinction between nature’s uncooked energy and inventive artistry. Due to its visually putting look, it has shortly turn into a buyer favourite in Durham.
The drinks talked about above are only a small pattern of what the Curious menu has to supply. As a complete, the menu—with its emphasis on ice and citrus—not solely fits hotter climate but additionally highlights how espresso can turn into a vessel for preserving and sharing native data and elements, all whereas evolving by inventive collaboration and the enjoyment of a well-crafted taste journey.
Past the Cup
What makes Curious significantly important is its timing. In a second when many forces push towards isolation and worry of distinction, this menu extends an invite to look outward with openness. Every drink serves as a small ambassador for its creator’s nook of the world, providing clients a style that dissolves boundaries, permitting flavors to inform tales that resonate throughout cultures, experiences, and even locations.
The crew at Little Waves Espresso and Cocoa Cinnamon has thoughtfully prolonged the café expertise past the bodily menu. Detailed tales about every drink and its creator might be discovered through a QR code within the store in addition to on their web site, permitting clients to indulge their curiosity and deepen their connection to those international espresso narratives.
For the crew in Durham, Curious represents greater than only a profitable menu launch. It embodies their dedication to espresso as a power for connection in a fragmented world. By creating house for numerous voices and welcoming clients to interact with unfamiliar tales, they’ve demonstrated how an area espresso store can take part in international dialogue. With the easy act of ordering a drink from the Curious menu, clients turn into individuals on this dialogue. They style expressions of each close to and distant locations, encounter new flavors and traditions, and maybe discover themselves creating their very own curiosity concerning the wider (espresso) world and the individuals who inhabit it.
This text initially appeared within the June + July 2025 subject of Barista Journal. Learn extra of the problem on-line right here without cost.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Caroline Cormier, Ph.D. (she/her), is a author from Canada who’s now based mostly in Berlin. At all times on the lookout for new methods to mix her ardour for analysis and storytelling along with her love of espresso, Caroline has been contributing to Barista Journal since 2018. Her writing primarily focuses on spotlighting neighborhood tales, high espresso locations, product and design improvements, and important points reminiscent of sustainability and social affect.
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