Monocle Issue 194: Coffee Boom, Art Collecting, and Rising Creative Talents

Monocle's editor Andrew Tuck celebrates coffee culture as a booming investment sector, noting that coffee shops attract venture capital, alcohol brands, and fashion labels. The magazine's latest issue includes a survey of the world's leading coffee brands, with China's Luckin Coffee now operating 30,000 outlets, and a guide to 25 favorite cafés globally. The issue also features an annual art collection calendar, profiling seven collectors including US gallerist Easy Otabor, who collects art based on the character of the artists, and Pertti Männistö, who has amassed one of the world's largest Alvar Aalto furniture collections over 30 years. Additionally, the Class of 2026 Expo, curated by editor Josh Fehnert, highlights 16 rising talents in fields from photography to architecture and cartography, focusing on positive change and ambition.