Mariam Erin: Where Art Meets Coffee in a Tale of Endless Passion and Creativity

Mariam Erin: Where Art Meets Coffee in a Tale of Endless Passion and Creativity

In a world brimming with creativity and challenges, Mariam Erin shines as a star who seamlessly blends art and coffee in a captivating harmony. From a young age, Mariam was immersed in an artistic environment that inspired her to become a visual artist, shaping colors and canvases with unmatched elegance. But her journey didn’t stop at the boundaries of brushstrokes and paintings; she discovered a new realm of creativity in coffee.

Today, Mariam is not only a visual artist but also the UAE Brewers Champion, a certified Q-Grader, and a Food Technology expert. She masterfully balances these diverse roles with a passion for life and an unwavering drive for excellence. What sets her apart is not only her accomplishments but also her cheerful, loving personality and her constant support for the community she belongs to.

In this inspiring interview, we invite you to explore Mariam’s story—how her journey began, and how she weaves the threads of art and coffee into a creative tapestry that reflects her spirit and passion. Her words are an open invitation to embrace learning, growth, and the beauty found in every detail of life.

Could you share the story behind your journey into coffee and visual arts? How did these two passions come together in your life?

My love for art, specifically painting, began in my childhood. I grew up surrounded by my older brothers, who were deeply passionate about art and even professionally. Watching them, I naturally dove into the same craft. Over time, my understanding of coffee grew, and I realized it was another form of art or perhaps something even more deeper.

Before stepping into the coffee industry, I worked in food manufacturing laboratories, which taught me to see things differently. When I discovered coffee, I realized it has a good amount of science and art. I approached it with curiosity and care while finding joy in its complexity. It’s a craft that invites you to keep learning, experimenting, and creating something meaningful not only in the cup but to all the people behind it.

What inspired you to start competing in coffee championships, and how has your approach evolved over the years?

Eight years ago, like many aspiring baristas, I looked up to people who inspired me—those who had achieved success in their careers and lives. My journey wasn’t so different. As I was learning about coffee, I had the chance to watch championship performances and even worked for a company that encouraged its team to be involved in the competition scene.

Over the years, coffee has evolved, and so has the competition. To keep up, I’ve had to push myself to learn, grow, and become a better version of myself. The best guidance has come from experience, and every competition has taught me something new.

Winning the UAE Brewers Championship is a remarkable achievement. What was your preparation process like, and what unique elements did you bring to the competition this year?

Preparation was a team effort—definitely not a one-person show. Each person involved played a valuable role. From selecting the coffee to endless roasting and brewing sessions, it was all about collaboration and shared passion.

The unique elements this year came from the heart of our team’s work. Every detail, every brew, every decision was made with intention. That collective energy and dedication made all the difference.

Using the Binocular Dripper on stage was a significant achievement for me and my team. Winning with it made it even more special. We designed this device to allow me to brew my blend components separately in creating new flavor experience.

You mentioned learning from past defeats. How did those experiences shape your strategy for this championship?

Feedback was the most valuable tool we had. We took the comments from judges and the scoresheets from previous competitions to heart, analyzing every word to understand where we could improve.

This year, we focused on the areas we missed in the past, refining and perfecting them. Every critique became a stepping stone toward success.

In your recent post, you highlighted the importance of the community and team support. Can you share more about the role of your team in this success?

Competitions are never a solo act. Whenever I see someone competing, I always remind myself to appreciate the team behind them.

This year, my situation was no different. While I represented a brewing gadgets company, the people who stood with me came from various backgrounds and companies. My coach, Bagus (from White Mantis), was a guiding force and a coach, and our practice sessions were supported by Raka, Pratama, and Rangga (from Encounter and White Mantis), Yogi (from Specialty Batch), and Mario (Charlie and Friends).

Even beyond brewing, so many people offered their support, from the Scarab and ROR teams to Stella and even a local café owner. Their encouragement and belief in me kept me motivated and inspired. I’m deeply thankful for every single one of them.

How do you see the UAE coffee community evolving, and what excites you the most about being a part of it?

The UAE coffee community is becoming more collaborative, especially in the competition space. While competition is still competition, it’s inspiring to see how people come together to help each other achieve a common goal.

At the end of the day, we either win or we learn—and we gain new connections with people who share our vision. That’s what makes this community so exciting and rewarding to be part of.

As someone who wears many hats—champion, visual artist, Q-Grader, and FoodTech expert—how do you balance these roles, and how do they complement each other?

Honestly, I don’t see these roles as separate. For me, it’s all part of one package. I work in coffee, I work for coffee, and I love every aspect of it. Each role contributes to what I do and who I am, and together, they drive me to keep growing.

You’ve worked with several innovative tools and techniques, such as the Binocular dripper and Niware cups. How do you select and integrate new technologies into your brewing process?

My team and I developed the Binocular Dripper three years ago, driven by a desire to achieve better results—both in competition and in brewing.

When it comes to other tools, I always let the coffee guide me. I choose equipment based on what will elevate the coffee experience for the judges, whether it’s amplifying specific characteristics or simply enhancing comfort and enjoyment.

Who or what inspires you most in your journey, and how do you stay motivated through challenges?

The coffee evolution and the people—it’s a limitless, ever-evolving industry that excites me every day.

Of course, we’re all human, and there are moments when exhaustion creeps in. When that happens, I take a step back, pause, and reflect. It’s in those quiet moments that I find renewed energy and perspective.

What message would you like to share with aspiring coffee professionals and competitors who look up to you?

The only time you truly lose is when you stop trying—whether in life or competition.

But trying doesn’t always mean competing. It can mean elevating the coffee experience for consumers, sharing valuable insights with the community, or simply respecting the incredible network of people who make this industry what it is.

Keep learning, keep growing, and always find joy in what you do.

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[:ar]Privacy Policy for qahwa world At qahwaworld, accessible from qahwaworld.com, one of our main priorities is the privacy of our visitors. This Privacy Policy document contains types of information that is collected and recorded by qahwaworld and how we use it. If you have additional questions or require more information about our Privacy Policy, do not hesitate to contact us. This Privacy Policy applies only to our online activities and is valid for visitors to our website with regards to the information that they shared and/or collect in qahwaworld. This policy is not applicable to any information collected offline or via channels other than this website. Our Privacy Policy was created with the help of the Free Privacy Policy Generator. Consent By using our website, you hereby consent to our Privacy Policy and agree to its terms. 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Privacy Policy for Qahwa World

At Qahwa World, accessible from https://qahwaworld.com, one of our main priorities is the privacy of our visitors. This Privacy Policy document contains types of information that is collected and recorded by Qahwa World and how we use it. If you have additional questions or require more information about our Privacy Policy, do not hesitate to contact us. This Privacy Policy applies only to our online activities and is valid for visitors to our website with regards to the information that they shared and/or collect in Qahwa World. This policy is not applicable to any information collected offline or via channels other than this website. Our Privacy Policy was created with the help of the Free Privacy Policy Generator.

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Third Party Privacy Policies

Qahwa World's Privacy Policy does not apply to other advertisers or websites. Thus, we are advising you to consult the respective Privacy Policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information. It may include their practices and instructions about how to opt-out of certain options. You can choose to disable cookies through your individual browser options. To know more detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers, it can be found at the browsers' respective websites.

CCPA Privacy Rights (Do Not Sell My Personal Information)

Under the CCPA, among other rights, California consumers have the right to: Request that a business that collects a consumer's personal data disclose the categories and specific pieces of personal data that a business has collected about consumers. Request that a business delete any personal data about the consumer that a business has collected. Request that a business that sells a consumer's personal data, not sell the consumer's personal data. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us.

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We would like to make sure you are fully aware of all of your data protection rights. Every user is entitled to the following: The right to access – You have the right to request copies of your personal data. We may charge you a small fee for this service. The right to rectification – You have the right to request that we correct any information you believe is inaccurate. You also have the right to request that we complete the information you believe is incomplete. The right to erasure – You have the right to request that we erase your personal data, under certain conditions. The right to restrict processing – You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data, under certain conditions. The right to object to processing – You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data, under certain conditions. The right to data portability – You have the right to request that we transfer the data that we have collected to another organization, or directly to you, under certain conditions. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us.

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Another part of our priority is adding protection for children while using the internet. We encourage parents and guardians to observe, participate in, and/or monitor and guide their online activity. Qahwa World does not knowingly collect any Personal Identifiable Information from children under the age of 13. If you think that your child provided this kind of information on our website, we strongly encourage you to contact us immediately and we will do our best efforts to promptly remove such information from our records.[:ru]Privacy Policy for qahwa world At qahwaworld, accessible from qahwaworld.com, one of our main priorities is the privacy of our visitors. This Privacy Policy document contains types of information that is collected and recorded by qahwaworld and how we use it. If you have additional questions or require more information about our Privacy Policy, do not hesitate to contact us. This Privacy Policy applies only to our online activities and is valid for visitors to our website with regards to the information that they shared and/or collect in qahwaworld. This policy is not applicable to any information collected offline or via channels other than this website. Our Privacy Policy was created with the help of the Free Privacy Policy Generator. Consent By using our website, you hereby consent to our Privacy Policy and agree to its terms. Information we collect The personal information that you are asked to provide, and the reasons why you are asked to provide it, will be made clear to you at the point we ask you to provide your personal information. If you contact us directly, we may receive additional information about you such as your name, email address, phone number, the contents of the message and/or attachments you may send us, and any other information you may choose to provide. When you register for an Account, we may ask for your contact information, including items such as name, company name, address, email address, and telephone number. How we use your information We use the information we collect in various ways, including to: Provide, operate, and maintain our website Improve, personalize, and expand our website Understand and analyze how you use our website Develop new products, services, features, and functionality Communicate with you, either directly or through one of our partners, including for customer service, to provide you with updates and other information relating to the website, and for marketing and promotional purposes Send you emails Find and prevent fraud Log Files qahwaworld follows a standard procedure of using log files. These files log visitors when they visit websites. All hosting companies do this and a part of hosting services' analytics. The information collected by log files include internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, Internet Service Provider (ISP), date and time stamp, referring/exit pages, and possibly the number of clicks. These are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable. The purpose of the information is for analyzing trends, administering the site, tracking users' movement on the website, and gathering demographic information. Cookies and Web Beacons Like any other website, qahwaworld uses 'cookies'. These cookies are used to store information including visitors' preferences, and the pages on the website that the visitor accessed or visited. The information is used to optimize the users' experience by customizing our web page content based on visitors' browser type and/or other information. For more general information on cookies, please read the Cookies article on Generate Privacy Policy website. Google DoubleClick DART Cookie Google is one of a third-party vendor on our site. It also uses cookies, known as DART cookies, to serve ads to our site visitors based upon their visit to www.website.com and other sites on the internet. However, visitors may choose to decline the use of DART cookies by visiting the Google ad and content network Privacy Policy at the following URL – https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads Our Advertising Partners Some of advertisers on our site may use cookies and web beacons. Our advertising partners are listed below. Each of our advertising partners has their own Privacy Policy for their policies on user data. For easier access, we hyperlinked to their Privacy Policies below. Google https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads Advertising Partners Privacy Policies You may consult this list to find the Privacy Policy for each of the advertising partners of qahwaworld. Third-party ad servers or ad networks uses technologies like cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons that are used in their respective advertisements and links that appear on qahwaworld, which are sent directly to users' browser. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. These technologies are used to measure the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns and/or to personalize the advertising content that you see on websites that you visit. Note that qahwaworld has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers. Third Party Privacy Policies qahwaworld's Privacy Policy does not apply to other advertisers or websites. Thus, we are advising you to consult the respective Privacy Policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information. It may include their practices and instructions about how to opt-out of certain options. You can choose to disable cookies through your individual browser options. To know more detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers, it can be found at the browsers' respective websites. CCPA Privacy Rights (Do Not Sell My Personal Information) Under the CCPA, among other rights, California consumers have the right to: Request that a business that collects a consumer's personal data disclose the categories and specific pieces of personal data that a business has collected about consumers. Request that a business delete any personal data about the consumer that a business has collected. Request that a business that sells a consumer's personal data, not sell the consumer's personal data. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us. GDPR Data Protection Rights We would like to make sure you are fully aware of all of your data protection rights. Every user is entitled to the following: The right to access – You have the right to request copies of your personal data. We may charge you a small fee for this service. The right to rectification – You have the right to request that we correct any information you believe is inaccurate. You also have the right to request that we complete the information you believe is incomplete. The right to erasure – You have the right to request that we erase your personal data, under certain conditions. The right to restrict processing – You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data, under certain conditions. The right to object to processing – You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data, under certain conditions. The right to data portability – You have the right to request that we transfer the data that we have collected to another organization, or directly to you, under certain conditions. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us. Children's Information Another part of our priority is adding protection for children while using the internet. We encourage parents and guardians to observe, participate in, and/or monitor and guide their online activity. qahwaworld does not knowingly collect any Personal Identifiable Information from children under the age of 13. If you think that your child provided this kind of information on our website, we strongly encourage you to contact us immediately and we will do our best efforts to promptly remove such information from our records.[:]
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