Michael Butterworth

We’ve now entered the traditional season for acts of consumerism in late capitalism, and what better way to spend your hard-earned cash than on coffee and coffee-related accessories? After all, nothing says “I love you” like a gift of the world’s most consumed stimulant. So whether you’re shopping for yourself or that special coffee nerd in your life, here is the 2023 edition of the Coffee Compass Holiday Gift Guide.

A popular Turkish proverb claims “a cup of coffee is remembered for 40 years.” Although it’s perhaps best understood to point toward the enduring power of hospitality, it also reflects a cultural attitude about coffee in general: coffee is meant to be savored.

Şevval Nida Fetullahoğlu of Tetra N Roastery has won the 2024 Turkish Brewers Cup Championship. The competition was held in Ankara, March 1-3. For her open service, Fetullahoğlu brewed an anaerobic process, Gesha variety from Colombian coffee producer Jairo Arcila with the Etkin 2-Cup Brewer.

Chicago might be known as America’s Second City, but when it comes to coffee, it’s long been first in class. Industry giants like Intelligentsia may have set the standard in the 90s, but on a recent trip to the Windy City for SCA Expo we encountered a new wave of independent cafés that are continuing to raise the bar. These were three of our favorite coffee shops in Chicago.

When I think about what distinguishes a great coffee shop, a lot hinges on what I call “the owner effect.” It’s easy to tell when a café is a cash grab from a predatory investor or a hobby business from a disinterested founder. These places rarely offer a compelling customer experience.

More specifically, Mei wants you to brew gongfu tea, a Chinese brewing method that dates back to the 18th century.

Maybe it’s because I grew up reading Hans Christian Andersen stories, I’ve always felt as though Copenhagen is a fairytale city. It’s hard not to feel that way during a Nordic summer, with its obscene amounts of sunlight and pleasant temperatures. Cycle around the city and you’ll see people swimming in the harbor, drinking natural wine alongside a canal, or simply soaking up the sun. It’s easy to see why Danes are often ranked as the happiest people in the world.

The Turkish rapper Ezhel paints a somewhat bleak picture of his hometown of Ankara in his hit song “ The Taste of My City.” In a catchy, auto-tuned hook he lists the flavors the city leaves in his mouth: “soot, rust, dirt, coal, plastic, trash, tires, exhaust, weed.”

“Make sure your next move is slick” Kenrick Lamar raps on his song War is My Love. For Reza Kosar, the words proved to be inspirational when he found himself ready to start a new chapter in his career. That next move would prove to be Slick Coffee, a roastery and consultancy based in Muscat, Oman.

Around Turkey, the city of Izmir is known for its sunny Aegean climate and laidback, free-spirited culture. It might be Turkey’s third largest city by population, but for many, it has the highest quality of life. Izmir is the sort of town where sitting around drinking a cup of coffee is less of a pastime and more of a way of life. Nowhere is this truer than the breezy suburb of Karşıyaka on the city’s north shore.