Drift Volume 12: Paris

Drift Volume 12 is a bundle of postcards from the beloved capital of art, culture, romance, history, fashion, and cuisine. Until recently, Paris wasn't celebrated for its coffee—the city's famous sidewalk cafes served as glamorous backdrops where coffee was merely a prop, good for looking but not for drinking.

Changing tides have brought waves of coffee entrepreneurs and aficionados creating an exciting new coffee culture that has invaded Paris's picturesque alleyways and grand boulevards. This issue visits the centuries and arrondissements, peeking behind old façades and new, exploring the imagination and passion of Parisians and expats alike that make the City of Light an emerging destination for serious coffee roasters, brewers, and drinkers. Stories include a bright yellow tricycle peddling coffee to help Paris's homeless, an unlikely Ottoman who introduced coffee and Turkmania to Parisians, reflections by a lovesick traveler, the divide between brasseries and coffee shops, and the changing face of Paris's coffee shops from chipped-paint cordonneries to fashion labels in former palace gardens.