As a digital weekly released at six a.m. every Saturday morning, Air Mail is practically mandated to be consumed with a steaming-hot cup of coffee in hand. The only surprise, then, is that it’s taken us this long to develop our own formulation. At last, that day has arrived, with the launch of Jet Fuel, our new proprietary roast created with our friends at Flying Coffee, a new fair-trade company that sources single-origin beans from a third-generation family farm in Colombia.
And what better way to bring Jet Fuel into the world than with a roving coffee cart? Air Mail Express, our retrofitted Piaggio Apé, kicked off its summer tour of New York (and its environs) at Charlie Bird, and now that New York has officially abandoned coronavirus restrictions, we decided that a celebration was in order.
Graydon Carter and Alessandra Stanley were on hand—and occasionally on barista duty—to welcome friends both old and new. Emanuele Della Valle, Waris Ahluwalia, Nikki Kule, Casey Fremont Crowe, Amanda Ross, Melanie Dunea, Blair Breitenstein, and Nico Landrigan were among those ordering cappuccinos and cortados, which are served in custom cups designed by Air Mail Contributing Artist Donald Robertson. Charlie Bird’s Ryan Hardy staved off the caffeine jitters with a delicious assortment of ricotta tarts, buttery pastries, coconut yogurt, and green-goddess juice.
Effective Monday morning, Air Mail Express will pop up at Pasquale Jones, Charlie Bird’s pizza-centric sister restaurant, in Little Italy. Those who order coffee (and/or a pastry from chef Nicole Del Pino) will also take home a copy of Printed Matter, Air Mail’s inaugural broadsheet (and first foray into print), which spotlights the very best of New York, ranging from profiles to cultural goings-on from our Arts Intel Report. Until further notice, Air Mail Express will be traipsing around town, so follow its flight path at @airmailweekly, and don’t forget to pick up a bag of beans (right this way) to ensure that the Saturday issue can be enjoyed exactly as it was intended to be—in bed, with coffee in hand.
Ashley Baker is the Style Editor for Air Mail