New Report Points to Farmer Inequity, Value Extraction As Critical Coffee Issues
This year's Coffee Barometer report notes that despite a rise in corporate sustainability commitments, structural and systemic problems remain.
Caffeine Is Intolerably Bitter. Why Doesn’t It Ruin Coffee?
Most coffee contains between 1 and 1.5% caffeine, the chemical compound responsible for keeping us awake. This might seem obvious, but caffeine is very bitter. Some have described caffeine as tasting “alkaline,” “slightly soapy,”…
Earthquake Wrecks Vital Water Tanks For Many Kona Coffee Farmers
Coffee in Hawaii has been hard hit in recent years. Now, an earthquake has destroyed already-fragile water systems in Kona.
Your Plane Could Be Powered By Jet Fuel Made From Coffee Grounds
Researchers have been looking for ways to repurpose spent grounds. Now, the Korean government wants to use coffee waste to fuel airplanes.
Record-Breaking Harvest in Brazil Could Influence Global Coffee Prices
The latest survey from CONAB forecasts that Brazil is set to harvest 66.7 million 60-kg bags of coffee, an 18% increase.
Climate-Resistant Libex Could Be the Future of Coffee Cultivation
Researchers have spent years exploring alternative coffee species that can hold up to the effects of climate change. Now, a new hybrid has joined the chat.
In Japan, Crying Cafes Offer Relief to New Parents
✉️ This story was featured in this week’s Coffee News Club👋 Get the Coffee News Club newsletter in your inbox weekly—sign up. Coffee shops provide coffee—obviously—but they’re often much more. Many are also third spaces,…
A Company Gave an AI Agent Free Rein to Run a Cafe in Sweden
San Francisco-based Andon Labs opened a cafe in Stockholm, Sweden, powered almost entirely by a Google Gemini-powered AI agent nicknamed “Mona.” Results were strange.
200,000 Sharpies Later, People Hate Those Messages On Starbucks Cups
In 2024, new CEO Brian Niccol told Starbucks baristas to write fun messages on to-go cups. Turns out, no one likes them.
How India’s Smaller Cities Are Rewriting the Rules of Specialty Coffee Expansion
More and more coffee businesses in India are turning away from the country’s largest metropolitan markets, and finding new opportunities in smaller, less saturated cities.