Little Waves Launches ‘Curious,’ A New Collaborative Coffee Menu

In the face of an increasingly divisive world, this series of drinks brings together coffee professionals from every continent—and each beverage tells a powerful story of its own.

BY CAROLINE CORMIER
FOR BARISTA MAGAZINE

Photos by Laura Vied Allen for Little Waves Coffee

In a world too often defined by division, Durham, N.C.-based roastery Little Waves Coffee and its local retail shops, Cocoa Cinnamon, have launched Curious—a menu that extends beyond the basics. The aim is to invite customers to explore specialty drinks designed to delight and surprise while also celebrating coffee’s remarkable ability to bridge divides across cultures and continents.

Curious emerged from a moment of global tension in mid-2024. As Little Waves Coffee’s owners observed the divisiveness sweeping across society, they envisioned a different path forward. “We were thinking about observing loved ones’ shrinking worlds, witnessing violence begotten by absolutist patterns of thinking, our upcoming election,” recalls Leon Grodski Barrera, who co-owns Little Wave Coffee Roasters with his wife and business partner, Areli Barrera de Grodski. These reflections coincided with a series of international trips and collaborations that showcased coffee’s power to connect people.

The contrast between growing global divisions and coffee’s unifying potential sparked the creation of their innovative menu concept. “It’s hard to hate if you’re curious. It’s harder to be lonely if you are looking out into the world, asking questions and reaching out to others,” reads the project’s website. This sentiment sits at the core of Curious, a collection of beverages that embodies the transformative experience of stepping into new landscapes and perspectives, bringing together a group of 12 coffee professionals from every continent to curate a menu that represents a sense of shared humanity using the language of coffee as its basis.

To get started, Little Waves reached across their network, engaging with some coffee professionals they’ve known for decades and others they had never met in person. Connecting virtually, participants came together to share their experiences and knowledge with the express aim of devising drinks that would eventually make their way to customers, both in Durham at the three Cocoa Cinnamon locations, as well as at coffee shops on every continent.

What makes this collaboration particularly remarkable is its truly global scope. Curious represents a deliberate shift from coffee’s traditional power dynamics, creating a space where knowledge and creativity flow multi-directionally. By bringing together experts from every continent as equal contributors, the menu celebrates the richness that emerges when diverse approaches to coffee are given room to inspire one another.

Exploring Local Tastes

Each drink on the Curious menu represents more than just flavors—it embodies personal stories, local histories, cultural traditions, and the creative spark that ignites when different perspectives converge. From traditional preparation methods passed down through generations to innovative techniques born from cross-cultural exchange, the menu reads like a passport of coffee experiences. Though each creation has its own distinct identity, they all share a common thread: the spirit of curiosity that inspired their creation. These aren’t simply beverages; they’re invitations to step outside familiar territory and experience coffee through someone else’s perspective.

The collaborative process wasn’t without challenges. Besides coordinating schedules across different time zones, the bigger challenge was translating local ingredients into reproducible recipes, which required patience and genuine openness from all involved. As Melissa Ibarra, who heads up the flagship location of Cocoa Cinnamon and was the flavor lead on this project, explains, “For me, the challenging part was finding the ingredients that are not originally from the U.S. and being able to create the drink without tasting the original one first. I was certain that having the original items would make it taste so different, so it was complicated to know if I even got close to the same taste.”

Yet it was precisely these challenges that yielded the project’s most profound rewards—moments of connection that transcended the coffee itself. In fact, rather than focus on what was lost in translation, the collective focused on what was gained. “Many of us discussed that ingredients are different in different places, and that would affect iterations as each or any of us presented the drinks at our shops in North Carolina or at theirs in their countries,” says Leon.

This philosophy of celebrating local variations became central to the project’s identity, with Melissa expertly adapting concepts while honoring collaborators’ input, and the talented Lauren Vied Allen capturing their essence visually.

For Melissa, this collaboration was a fantastic learning opportunity. “It was so fascinating to see what others serve in their coffee shops across the world, and what it means to them,” says Melissa. “It was a great reminder that coffee can be presented in so many ways, and have different meanings, flavors, and connections.”

The Drinks

One cannot fully appreciate the Curious menu without understanding the stories behind each creation. While the drinks might be enjoyed purely for their sensory pleasures, knowing the narrative behind each recipe adds dimensions of meaning that transform the experience from consumption to connection.

Take, for example, Until the End of the World, created with Emmanuel Rusatira and Smayah Uwajeneza, both from Rwanda, and Dr. Jane Dell, who works in Antarctica. The drink incorporates a frozen cardamom-infused ice sphere melting into a single-origin Rwanda Ikizere women’s lot pourover concentrate, referencing the retreating glaciers of Antarctica and the warming of our planet. This marriage of Rwandan coffee’s sweet brown spice notes with cardamom showcases Rwanda’s flavors, while Dr. Dell’s inspiration stems from her experience fostering a sense of community over coffee in the isolation of Antarctica. When customers order this drink, they’re not just tasting coffee; they’re engaging in a dialogue about climate change, global collaboration, and the unique flavors of Rwanda.

This drink has already proven its popularity in Durham, with customers appreciating how the melting cardamom ice cube gradually transforms the flavor profile. The Cocoa Cinnamon team regularly encourages patrons to enjoy it outside on the patio, prompting them to take a moment to slow down and mindfully observe how the taste and texture evolve over time, a subtle yet powerful metaphor for our changing world.

Similarly, ESPRESSO & strangers—developed with Deandra Gauci from Malta—demonstrates how coffee can serve as a vehicle for preserving and sharing cultural heritage while simultaneously evolving through creative collaboration. This drink uses a house-made Sri Lankan cinnamon syrup with espresso tonic, garnished with rosemary and dried orange, creating a multi-sensory experience. The rosemary influences the aroma while the orange subtly infuses the drink, mirroring the Maltese culture’s blend of Italian, Arabic, French, and English influences.

Finally, Aristotle Dream Pop—conceptualized with Dot Mediano from Davao City, Philippines—pushes the boundaries of coffee innovation by blending aesthetics, flavor, and philosophy. This vibrant drink layers strawberry jam, milk soda, ube whipped cream, and blue ternate infusion, topped with black lava salt and paired with co-fermented espresso on the side. Dot’s process, inspired by Aristotle’s formula for beauty and sensorial harmony, reflects the volcanic origins of coffee, with colorful layers symbolizing the contrast between nature’s raw power and creative artistry. Because of its visually striking appearance, it has quickly become a customer favorite in Durham.

The drinks mentioned above are just a small sample of what the Curious menu has to offer. As a whole, the menu—with its emphasis on ice and citrus—not only suits warmer weather but also highlights how coffee can become a vessel for preserving and sharing local knowledge and ingredients, all while evolving through creative collaboration and the joy of a well-crafted flavor journey.

Beyond the Cup

What makes Curious particularly significant is its timing. In a moment when many forces push toward isolation and fear of difference, this menu extends an invitation to look outward with openness. Each drink serves as a small ambassador for its creator’s corner of the world, offering customers a taste that dissolves boundaries, allowing flavors to tell stories that resonate across cultures, experiences, and even places.

The team at Little Waves Coffee and Cocoa Cinnamon has thoughtfully extended the café experience beyond the physical menu. Detailed stories about each drink and its creator can be found via a QR code in the shop as well as on their website, allowing customers to indulge their curiosity and deepen their connection to these global coffee narratives.

For the team in Durham, Curious represents more than just a successful menu launch. It embodies their commitment to coffee as a force for connection in a fragmented world. By creating space for diverse voices and inviting customers to engage with unfamiliar stories, they’ve demonstrated how a local coffee shop can participate in global dialogue. With the simple act of ordering a drink from the Curious menu, customers become participants in this dialogue. They taste expressions of both near and distant places, encounter new flavors and traditions, and perhaps find themselves developing their own curiosity about the wider (coffee) world and the people who inhabit it.

This article originally appeared in the June + July 2025 issue of Barista Magazine. Read more of the issue online here for free.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Caroline Cormier, Ph.D. (she/her), is a writer from Canada who is now based in Berlin. Always looking for new ways to combine her passion for research and storytelling with her love of coffee, Caroline has been contributing to Barista Magazine since 2018. Her writing primarily focuses on spotlighting community stories, top coffee destinations, product and design innovations, and critical issues such as sustainability and social impact.

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