Earlier this year we were at a cupping at Istanbul’s Arabica Trading House when a colorful coffee bag caught our eye. It turned out to be the first production roast from KungPow Coffee, a collaboration between South African expat Warrick Masfen and Istanbul native Suzi Erit. After finding out we liked the contents just as much as the Aqua Teen Hunger Force-esque label, we reached out to learn a little bit more about the brand.
So, tell us about KungPow Coffee. What’s your origin story?
The idea has been around for some time now– basically since Warrick started working in the coffee industry, and then we got to the point where we asked ourselves would we rather be the head of a chicken or the tail of the bull. With the morale boost from the win at the 2019 SCA Turkey roasting championship, we set into motion our plan, to build a transparent coffee roasting company with competitive prices all while adopting a more fun and colorful vibe.
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“Good coffees is worth the stairs.” That’s the motto that’s helped make 
I’ve longed bemoaned the fact most tourists visiting Istanbul don’t make it to Balat, the old Jewish quarter. In addition to its colorful row houses and historic synagogues, Balat is home to one of my favorite coffee shops, 
The most exciting neighborhood for coffee in Istanbul right now is a full 12 kilometers from the city’s center, and technically it’s not really a neighborhood. Maslak is something of an urban curiosity— a suburban financial district on the Northern edge of Istanbul’s European side. But this island of skyscrapers is also home to a booming number of specialty coffee shops— driven by the plethora of white collar office workers that populate the glass high-rises during working hours. The newest of of those shops is the latest café from roaster/retailer 
Çağatay Gülabioğlu is something of a legend in Turkish coffee circles. Gülabioğlu was the first licensed Q grader in Turkey, serves as the national coordinator for the Turkish Aeropress competition, and is the regional distributor for Cafe Imports. He also founded the pioneering roaster/retailer Kronotrop, a company he has since sold. After moving on from Kronotrop, Gülabioğlu cofounded the wholesale roastery 
Three flat screen televisions are showing The Wizard of Oz on mute while loud speakers blast classic 50s rock and roll. In the background, a dull screeching sound, accompanied by the immediately recognizable smell of roasting coffee, fills the expansive space. A small army of baristas, all dressed in identical horizontally striped shirts, swarm behind the bar, making drinks for the quickly growing queue of office workers on their lunch break. Somehow, all of these disparate things harmoniously join to create Petra Coffee’s headquarters in Istanbul’s Gayrettepe neighborhood….
