Magazine
For my second semester in 10th grade, with the Innovation Academy, we, the cohort, decided to make a magazine. From creating a name brand to writing the articles in the magazine and getting the sponsors, we did it all. In order to work like a professional magazine company, we divided ourselves into departments: Layout and Design, Marketing, Editors, and Finance. Each department had a job which at the end they all lead to having our professional magazine printed. In my case, I got the opportunity to work with the finance department. Our goals, as finance, were to get all the sponsors, find places to sell the magazine outside the school, get the money for the printing of the magazine, and getting profit.
The idea was to create a magazine, similar to the web page TripAdvisor, but based in the places that mostly reflect the Limeñan culture. Unlike other magazines, this magazine is written with the perspective of students, which makes it even for personal for the reader. In the cohort, we each had to choose a place that somehow showed Limeñan culture, and from it, we had to write an article and take photos. Deciding what to write about was hard at first because of all of the ideas that popped into my head. But at the end, I decided to write my article about a coffee shop: Tostaduria Bisetti. Since I'm not Peruvian, finding a place that caught my attention and had Limeñan culture in it, was hard, but luckily when I found this coffee shop, I was able to notice how much it reflects the Limeñan culture because of its history as well as its coffee.
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Below is my article for you to enjoy:
Tostaduría Bisetti
“Tomala como quieras, nosotros lo tomamos en serio”
Coffee: the perfect morning revival. The one excuse everyone uses to spend time with someone they love. Everywhere we go, whether it's a hotel, a restaurant, or even our workplace, there will always be someone having a sip of that bitter, dark drink. Coffee has become part of our daily routine, but we have gotten used to drinking commercial coffee and this makes us forget about its true wonders.
Tostaduria Bisetti wants to change the way we view coffee; they want us to appreciate the minor details that make their drinks taste like no other. I decided to visit and see how they made this happen.
As I got to the tostaduria, the scent of coffee dragged me in. My story began here, but theirs began over 50 years ago in Lima, when Rómulo Bisetti decided to open one of the first coffee shops that roasted its own coffee. Throughout the years, due to agricultural problems in the city, it closed down. However, this didn’t stop the family from pursuing their dream. Not a day passed by without them tasting coffee. Six years ago, the coffee shop was reopened by David Bisetti, Rómulo’s grandson, in one of Lima’s most compelling districts: Barranco.
I sat down at one of the tables and started reading the menu. My mind had already decided to order what I always drink in the morning: a café latte. But as I continued reading the menu, I noticed there were so many other types of coffee. Who would’ve thought that a shot of espresso could combine with ice cream to create such a powerful drink, the “Affogato”. There were so many other options: a dark and bitter shot of espresso, or a Bebida con Espirítu, which contains pisco, a traditional Peruvian liquor.
It was a hot, sunny day, so I decided to order cold drinks. I ordered an Iced Latte, which was a chilled version of the café latte I desired, and also a Brew Fruit, which I was surprised to find out was a mixture of coffee and fruits. When they arrived to the table the aroma was extremely strong, so I couldn't help myself but question how it was that they made such beverages.
As I looked around, I saw a glass window that had “Laboratorio” written on it. Looking closely, I realized that it led to the place where the magic happens; where simple coffee beans turn into bliss. All their techniques to make their coffee special happen inside there. I was lucky enough to participate in this roasting experience myself. I looked at the coffee beans and heard them roasting. They sounded like popcorn popping. I was astonished. David began explaining one of the most unique techniques the tostaduria uses. “Basically, cold extraction means that the coffee is in contact with cold water (about 5 degrees Celsius) for a long period of time. This results, after a few hours, in a highly concentrated beverage, but just as aromatic and balanced. In the tostaduria, this concentrated method is sold under a brand named RATIO, and anyone can take it home to prepare cold drinks, hot drinks, or even cocktails”. Besides having this and other incredible methods of preparation, the laboratory offers people a chance to get trained and learn more about the roasting, as well as the preparation process.
Not only does the tostaduria focus on offering us a wide selection of coffee, but also on the quality of coffee they serve. I perfectly remember the taste of the Brew Fruit beverage: it tasted like no other. Tostaduria Bisetti only serves coffee of the highest quality, specialty coffee. The way the coffee is packaged says it all. Commercial coffee comes in a small container filled with instant coffee, or coffee beans that contain all sorts of low-quality grains. Whereas, specialty coffee is stored as whole beans and is usually sold to businesses that roast their own coffee, making it tastier and more organic. At first, it might be quite hard to understand the difference between these two types, but David made it clearer once I asked him. Commercial coffee is the kind of coffee that includes mushroomed beans to beans that have been bitten by insects. As for specialty coffee, each and every single grain goes through a process. An expert farmer has to look closely into each bean and separate the ones with imperfections from the ones that they sell to their customers which are completely flawless. In Tostaduria Bisetti, David and his expert baristas, the ones he has taught himself, refine and brew only specialty coffee.
As I was drinking this delicious cup of coffee in the tostaduria, I realized that the selection of the beans, the roasting, and the brewing, all came down to this one delightful cup of coffee. This process is very delicate and only the baristas who are truly committed to serving the best Limeñan coffee will be able to handle it. Tostaduria Bisetti gives the same importance to both: the preparation and the roasting of the coffee, something uncommon in the coffee business.
There is nothing like an exceptional cup of coffee to cheer up our day. If we’re in Lima, not drinking the right cup of coffee, like the one served in Tostaduria Bisetti, is unforgivable since it's the best Limeñan coffee. With the Peruvian specialty coffee, the variations of drinks, and their preparation, this café is outstanding. The baristas who make the coffee are genuine coffee lovers. Their passion for coffee is what pulls all customers in. Believe me when I say that customers’ appreciation for minor details of coffee will change once they decide to taste the tostaduria’s coffee. I know mine did, and I want yours to change too.
As easy as it might sound, doing all this work and getting the amazing result we got was actually very difficult, and it took time away from other things; at the end, having stress and sleeping less some days, made me realize how life is all about working hard in order to get what you want. Once you have what you want, you should enjoy and be satisfied with what you have because it reflects your amount of work.
Hard work pays off.
GIF of the cohort:
(getting to know each one of us)
