Wander while caffeinated: Sip, Explore, Laugh, Repeat. ☕ 🌎

Hey there!

This week we’re raising a toast to you, our fellow caffeinated vagabonds as we celebrate a magnificent milestone! We’re 10 issues into our delightful journey that blends the best of both worlds: Coffee and Travel!

We can't help but feel a tingle of excitement running through our veins (and it's not just the caffeine!). Thank you so much for joining us! 😃

Before we reminisce on the exotic locales and extraordinary beans that have tempted our taste buds and awakened our inner adventurers, we have just one question:

Where are you traveling this year?

Tell us where you’re heading this year, and one lucky vagabond will win a free 12-ounce bag of our signature city roasts! 🙌 

The winner gets to choose from our Istanbul roast (dark), Prague (medium), Milan (espresso), and Stockholm (light) roasts.

Ok, it’s time to brew up your favorite cuppa Joe and bring your seat and tray table to the upright and locked position, we’re embarking on a trip down memory lane (or playing catch-up if you've hit the snooze button!)

1️⃣ Let's take The Red Eye ☕ 👀

Travel, coffee, and bloodshot eyes.

In our inaugural issue of The Red Eye, we’re exploring why Italians put sugar in their espresso, and answering the age-old question of why espresso in Italy is served with a glass of fizzy water!

We’re sharing our secrets of how to order espresso in an Italian cafe, and as a bonus we’re sharing our favorite coffee equipment every coffee afficianado should have in their home (and on the road).

2️⃣ Sipping the soul of Istanbul.

Exploring the roots of our beloved brew.

In this issue, we’re on an amazing visual experience of all things Istanbul, including:

• Chatting with a shop owner and enjoy a historic coffee and a trip through the 560-year-old Kapalıçarşı Grand Bazaar.

• Explore the back streets of Istanbul teeming with locals and travelers connecting over food, wine, and coffee.

• Taste Istanbul's local interpretation of third-wave coffee and prowl in the cosmopolitan Kadıköy district in the Asian side of Istanbul.

So grab your ayakkabı (walking shoes) and let's start exploring!

3️⃣ Barista on the road.

Bad coffee is not on the itinerary.

In this issue, we’re dispelling the myth that you can’t get good coffee on the road. You don’t have to settle! If you're going to pay good money for a coffee away from home, shouldn't it be delicious? We think so.

We go through the best options for finding and enjoying amazing coffee on your next trip:

• COFFEE IN YOUR HOTEL ROOM OR AIRBNB. It's not hard to whip up your own morning brew that will taste just like home — if you do some prep in advance of your trip.

• COFFEE AT A LOCAL COFFEE HOUSE. Find your local coffee tribe and immerse yourself in the local café culture. It's fun and exciting, and you could end up with some new lifelong friends.😳 We'll share a few proven methods for finding the best coffee locally.

4️⃣ Learn the lingo.

Unlocking the Italian experience. ☕

In this issue, we’re heading to Italy where coffee is king and learning the lingo is easy.

We’ll discover what’s behind Italy’s 12+ coffee drinks, how Italian baristas make them properly (you may be surprised), and how to pronounce them just like a local. We cover all the biggies, including:

• Espresso

• Double Espresso

• Long Espresso

• Concentrated Espresso

• Boozy Espresso

• American Coffee

• Macchiato

• Cappuccino

• Latte

• Mocha

• Make it Decaf

• Coffee To-Go

5️⃣ Coffee, connection, and kanelbulle.

Fika with friends and family? 👀

In this issue, we're taking you on a quick trip to the vibrant city of Stockholm, where coffee is more than just a drink; it's a way of life.

Join us as we meet up with Joanna Alm, Swedish Barista & Roasting Champion, and co-founder of Drop Coffee Roasters, as we delve into the city's thriving coffee scene where we’ll discover the passion, craft, and innovation that make Stockholm's coffee culture truly exceptional.

6️⃣ Italy: More than just pasta and gelato.

Hitting the bars in Milan: 🍸 or ☕️?

In this issue, we’re on a caffeinated Italian adventure, crawling the streets of Rome and Milan to learn why Italy is in the Top 5 most visited countries in the world. ✨🌍

We’ll learn why Italy’s bars are buzzing with more than just an espresso kick. We answer 15 questions that every Italy traveler can’t stop asking us. And we’ll share 3 Italian gems that a travel guru would visit on a first trip to Italy.

7️⃣ Prague's hidden stimulants: 5 offbeat gems for your first visit.

The Heart of Europe, caffeinated and buzzing.

In this issue of The Red Eye, we’re hitting the back streets of Bohemia.

We're ditching the tourist traps and taking you off the beaten path to explore 5 hidden gems that Prague locals recommend on a first trip. We’ll prowl the markets, ascend 300 feet above the city for a breathtaking view, and grab a pint of Pilsner along the meandering Vltava river.

As we explore the cobblestone alleys, we’ll sip some of the best coffee in the city’s revolutionary coffee bars, and wrap up with a lesson on how Prague-style roasts are made.

8️⃣ Psst…the goats are onto something big. 🐐 

A trillion cups of coffee every…single…year. ☕

Grab your notebook and take your seat, because in this issue of The Red Eye we’re brewing up a voyage to the cradle of coffee itself: Ethiopia!

While chillin’ at the local coffee house, we’ll be caffeinating our curiosity and learning about the surprising origins of our beloved beverage. (spoiler: goats are involved.🐐)

And what's a trip without a little company? We'll be opening our e-mailbag to share some of our readers’ delightful emails, getting inspired to plan our next adventure on the road.

9️⃣ Coffee Lover's Passport:
5 worldly brews you won't find at Starbucks.

There's cheese in my coffee. 🧀

In this issue, we're embarking on a whirlwind tour of 5 unique coffee concoctions that'll make Starbucks and Peets seem like, well, yesterday's brew.

We’re prowling the streets of 5 cities, with recipes and recommendations on where to find these amazing drinks on your next visit:

• Mexico City: Café de Olla

• Rome: Caffè Shakerato

• Prague: Káva s Rumem

• Stockholm: Kaffeost

• Tokyo: Matcha Espresso Fusion

🔟 I'll have the 29-year-old coffee, please.

Exploring extreme coffee in Tokyo. 🌸 + ☕

In this issue, we're jetting off to the Land of the Rising Sun — Tokyo, here we come! 🌸

Get ready to sip on some seriously aged coffees (yes, you read that right) and experience the wildest and most extreme brews Japan has to offer.

We'll be your guides as we take on Tokyo's hopping coffee scene and uncover the city's hidden gems. 👀

We need your help!

Creating The Red Eye newsletter, filled with adventures and coffee-infused stories, is quite the labor of love. It demands a mix of time (lots of it), energy, and, of course, coffee!

Many of you have supported us by buying some of our hand-roasted artisan coffees. Thank you for supporting us!

If you have not yet tried our coffee, we’d love it if you'd try our fresh-roasted beans. Sure, maybe you have some beans left to brew up, but sooner or later you’re going to run out. Why not give our beans a try?

Your invaluable support would have us brimming with gratitude, as it not only keeps our newsletter humming and the coffee roasting crackling, but also infuses a taste of worldly wonders into the cups of thirsty explorers everywhere.

EXTRAORDINARY OFFER

For a limited time (just 5 days, to be precise), we're sprinkling a dash of magic on every bag of our city roasts that you buy. Simply apply the code FREESHIP-LOVE at check-out, and watch your beans take flight, sans cost!

Not sure which roast to choose? Check these out, depending on your roast preference. And with our 30-day Happiness Guarantee, we've got your back (and your taste buds) on every bag you order.

• Istanbul Roast: Dark, rich, and full-bodied, with a robust foundation of bittersweet chocolate, roasted nuts, and a hint of cherry. We love Istanbul for its strength and its delightful, nuanced smoky finish. ORDER ISTANBUL.
  

• Prague Roast: Medium and lively, inspired by the unique roasting styles of specialty Prague coffee houses. We adore this Prague roast when complemented by a touch of milk, accentuating its sumptuous caramel and cocoa nuances for a luxurious finish. ORDER PRAGUE.
  

• Milan Roast: Roasted medium+ in the style of the northern Italian roasts of the great Milan cafes, this is ideal for Espresso or fans of Italian Roasts. Beguiling and aromatic, Milan offers a velvety chestnut crema along with hints of decadent caramel and rich cocoa notes, along with a clean and smooth aftertaste. ORDER MILAN.
  

• Stockholm Roast: single-origin Ethiopian that is wonderfully light, with delicious blueberry, violet and vanilla notes that really sing in the cup. Ideal for those who like a higher caffeine, acidity while in a lighter roast. ORDER STOCKHOLM.

Ok, that’s a wrap!

And with that, we wrap up this week's edition of The Red Eye. A heartfelt thank you for savoring the memories of our coffees and journeys throughout the past 10 issues. We're absolutely delighted to have you on board our caffeine-fueled team of explorers!

Hey! Got coffee or travel questions? Just ask us by replying to this issue, or reach out to us at [email protected]

Ciao!
— Michael and the Dü Coffee crew.