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The Specialty Coffee Shift – The Growing Sophistication of Coffee Consumers in the UAE

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4 weeks ago

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By Ryan Godinho, Founder of Stomping Grounds and Specialty Batch Coffee Roastery

The most revealing modern-day coffee review is often four words: “It was better yesterday.”

An origin story or an expensive machine cannot answer that complaint. Someone has to understand what changed and put it right. But there is progress in that complaint; the customer remembers a standard and expects us to maintain it.

Over seventeen years in the UAE, I helped establish national-level coffee championships, delivered professional coffee education and built Specialty Batch from a training platform into a roasting and cafe support business. The value of those early competitions extended beyond the stage. They encouraged baristas to question their work and take better standards back into service.

In 2015 Stomping Grounds brought that education into a neighbourhood café in Jumeirah, alongside Specialty Batch’s micro roastery, coffee lab and training centre. In the early days, many customers arrived from the major chains expecting large, very sweet coffee drinks. Over time, we witnessed many of them become interested in balanced flat whites, long blacks and filter brews. They were starting to choose coffee for its own unique flavour.

What stayed with me was how much depended on making people comfortable enough to try. A guest who feels judged for their usual order is unlikely to ask what else they might enjoy. Our job was to encourage curiosity, not turn a coffee order into a test of taste.

The biggest shift I have seen over the past decade is from that curiosity to confidence. Customers have a clearer sense of what they like. They want flavour that reflects the description, a credible reason for the price and staff who can guide without lecturing.

‘Specialty’ on the sign is no longer much of an answer. Higher expectations are evidence of progress. We cannot spend years teaching people to recognise quality and then resent being held to it. That scrutiny should extend to provenance. If we name a coffee producer, describe a processing method or make a claim about sourcing, the information needs to be accurate and supported. A farm name alone does not establish fair payment or a high price tag. Staff should know what they can substantiate and be comfortable acknowledging what they cannot. A compelling story should withstand a few questions.

The same customer may want to discuss a new coffee one morning and simply collect their usual order the next. Recognising that is part of hospitality. So is serving a familiar flat white with as much care as a rare filter coffee. Knowing when to stop explaining can matter as much as knowing what to say.

Today, Specialty Batch’s technical division holds active servicing arrangements with more than 600 cafés, restaurants and bars across the UAE. Alongside our roasting and education work, those relationships give us a close view of how quality holds up in daily service. It’s why we treat coffee, equipment and staff capability as a shared responsibility. The guest should not have to understand which supplier caused a problem to have it resolved.

For operators, the response cannot stop at better purchasing. Make time for staff to taste what they serve. Give them enough understanding to adjust a recipe and enough authority to remake a drink. Budget for training and maintenance beyond opening week. Sure, the price per kilogram deserves calculated scrutiny, but so do wasted coffee, remade drinks, the cost of supplier inconsistency and the eventual cost of disappointing a regular.

People we trained over the past seventeen years now work as roasters, trainers and operators, while many former Stomping Grounds customers have opened coffee businesses of their own. Some of the people shaping the UAE’s coffee culture over the last decade first crossed our path in a classroom or across the café counter. Seeing that knowledge multiply through businesses, careers and communities is perhaps the most meaningful evidence that my role in the UAE’s specialty coffee story was never simply to participate in a growing industry, but to help build the skills, standards and foundations that allowed it to grow. We spent years asking customers to recognise better coffee. The responsibility now is to make sure they can rely on it.

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Hospitality

Qatar Airways Unveils Onboard Signature Music Created in Partnership with Award-Winning Composer Hans Zimmer

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1 hour ago

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November 7, 2026

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Qatar Airways today unveiled its new onboard signature music, created in partnership with world-renowned composer Hans Zimmer.

Inspired by Qatar and its culture, Qatar Airways’ new onboard music brings a distinctive sound identity to the passenger experience through its collaboration with the iconic composition of Hans Zimmer. The music is also featured on the ‘Burgundy Symphony’ album, a bespoke five-track album that encapsulates the airline’s wider sound identity and signature sound elements.

The collaboration brings together Zimmer’s acclaimed cinematic storytelling and Qatar Airways’ commitment to delivering memorable experiences, creating a recognisable sound that reflects the emotions, moments and memories that define travel.

The launch was celebrated at Hans Zimmer’s highly-anticipated concert in Doha on 6 November, where audiences were given an exclusive first look at the story behind the collaboration through a specially created film on the creative process and inspiration behind Burgundy Symphony, alongside a preview of the music. Qatar Airways passengers can experience the new composition onboard from today.

The Burgundy Symphony album captures the rhythm of travel through five original tracks, each reflecting a different stage of the journey:

Dawn opens the collection with a sense of anticipation and possibility experienced when stepping beyond the daily routine and discovering new horizons.

Dusk reflects the tranquillity of flight as daylight fades and travellers are carried above the clouds beneath a sky illuminated by stars.

The Orchard introduces a restorative pause, inspired by moments of calm and reflection amidst the pace of everyday life. The inspiration for the composition is drawn from the sense of escape offered by the ORCHARD – one of Hamad International Airport’s most distinctive passenger experiences.

Homecoming reflects the quiet gift of returning home and the small but lasting ways travel enriches life. The track encapsulates the adventure continues beyond touchdown, with memories of places and skies keeping moments of wonder alive long after the journey ends.

An Ode to Qatar, concludes the album with a tribute to the nation’s rich heritage and forward-looking vision. The piece brings together a sense of history, culture, and ambition, reflecting a country where tradition and progress exist in harmony.

Following the unveiling, Burgundy Symphony is now available on the Qatar Airways YouTube channel, inviting audiences around the world to experience Hans Zimmer’s original compositions inspired by the journey of travel and the spirit of Qatar Airways.

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Coral Beach Resort Sharjah Wins Sustain Sharjah Award for Second Year Running

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24 hours ago

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November 6, 2026

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Coral Beach Resort Sharjah has won the Sustain Sharjah award for Hotel Properties at the Sharjah International Travel and Tourism Forum 2026, organised by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA). This marks the resort’s second consecutive recognition under the initiative.

The accolade acknowledges the property’s progress at Level 2 of the programme’s Explorers journey, structured around four core pillars: Guest, Experience, Local, and Story. Across each pillar, the resort has prioritised measurable, practical measures that engage guests, support the surrounding community, and ensure transparent sustainability reporting.

Central to this achievement are three primary operational initiatives:

  • Onsite water bottling plant: Replaces single-use plastics with reusable glass bottles, eliminating approximately 300,672 plastic bottles annually.
  • Winnow AI food-waste system: Weighs and monitors kitchen waste in real time, enabling culinary teams to curb excess directly at source.
  • Onsite biodigester: Installed in 2026, making the property the first hotel in Sharjah to process organic waste entirely on site.

Commenting on the achievement, Iftikhar Hamdani, Area General Manager of Coral Beach Resort Sharjah, said: “Securing the Sustain Sharjah award for the second consecutive year is an honour for our entire team. Initiatives such as our water bottling plant, AI-driven waste monitoring, and onsite biodigester reflect our daily operational commitment—one shared with our guests, partners, and the local community. We thank the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority for this recognition and for their steady leadership in advancing sustainable tourism across the emirate.”

Coral Beach Resort Sharjah is a signatory to the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism and continues to align its operations with broader international climate targets.

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Hospitality

Qatar Airways Connects Doha to Caracas, Venezuela, and Bogotá, Colombia with First Flight

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24 hours ago

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November 6, 2026

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Qatar Airways has inaugurated its new twice-weekly service connecting Doha with Caracas and Bogotá. The service represents a significant milestone for the airline, as Qatar Airways becomes the first Gulf carrier to serve Venezuela, and the first airline to operate nonstop services from the Middle East to both Bogotá and Caracas. The new route underscores the airline’s commitment to strengthening global connectivity for the region and is operated on Boeing 777-200LR aircraft.

Qatar Airways flights to Caracas (CCS) and Bogotá (BOG)

Qatar Airways’ flight schedule has been designed to provide smooth onward connections through Hamad International Airport to key markets including Australia, China, Japan, Lebanon, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates. This offers passengers greater flexibility and seamless transfer options across Qatar Airways’ global network of over 170 destinations.

Departing every Wednesday and Sunday:

Doha (DOH) to Bogotá (BOG) – Flight QR783: Departure 07:35; Arrival 16:25

Bogotá (BOG) to Caracas (CCS) – Flight QR783: Departure 17:55; Arrival 21:00

Caracas (CCS) to Doha (DOH) – Flight QR783: Departure 23:30; Arrival 20:35

The addition of Caracas and Bogotá marks the 16th and 17th destinations in the Americas served by Qatar Airways. The airline began serving South America in 2010 with its inaugural flight to Brazil’s São Paulo.

The airline has recently expanded its partnership with LATAM to include LATAM Airlines Colombia, offering travellers greater access to the region. Qatar Airways will place its code on LATAM-operated flights between Bogotá and key domestic destinations including Cartagena, Armenia, Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, Cali, Cúcuta, Ibagué, Leticia, Medellín, Montería, Neiva, Pereira, Pasto, Riohacha, San Andrés Island, Santa Marta, and Yopal.

Qatar Airways continues to strengthen global connectivity, serving more than 170 destinations this winter. Bookings can be made at qatarairways.com or through the airline’s mobile app.

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