Standart's "Arabesques, alkalinity, and coffee" issue offers genuinely thoughtful and engaging perspectives on several topics from water science to roasting philosophy and ceramics. The really captivating stuff, however, spotlights several problems faced by workers across the coffee industry. What are the socio-economic stakes of "Minimum Wage Connoissership"? How can lotteries help us to imagine more democratic forms of organization across the industry, and beyond? How might we rethink the export of Scandinavian cafe aesthetics into nations who fail to guarantee healthcare and free time? These questions and others mark the brilliance of this issue's contributors, and help cast the aura of this publication. Definitely worth the read.