Will coffee companies get a refund on the tariffs they paid? Your guess is as good as ours. Plus, Dunkin’ launches a 48-ounce (or a third of a gallon-sized) iced latte for some reason, and drinking a small amount of coffee during pregnancy could lower the risk of your child developing eczema.
‘James Marcotte, a Beloved Figure in California Coffee, Dies at 63’ – via Daily Coffee News
A fixture of the Southern California coffee scene, James Marcotte died on Feb. 16 at the age of 63.
“James passed peacefully surrounded by his loved ones,” Marcotte’s family wrote about his death on Instagram. “His openness, courage, and curiosity will not soon be forgotten.”
Marcotte was an early figurehead in the specialty coffee world. In 1992, he founded LA’s City Bean cafe and roastery with business partner Sol Salzer. He then worked for Swiss Water Decaf and ran his own importing company, Madera. He joined Intelligentsia Coffee in 2005 as sales director to lead their west coast expansion, a job he held until his retirement in 2019.
He was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis but received a successful lung transplant in 2020. The transplant gave Marcotte six more years of “vibrant life” until he succumbed to multiple infections, his family wrote in an obituary.
“To work alongside James [was a] joy,” Salzer, who still runs City Bean, wrote on Instagram. “James engaged, cared, gave you his full attention, while dispensing warmth and love.”
Read more about Marcotte’s life and legacy here.
‘Can Coffee Companies Expect A Tariff Refund?’ – via Sprudge
On Feb. 20, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the tariffs President Trump imposed using a statute meant for national emergencies exceeded his authority, stating that the power to levy tariffs belongs to Congress. Now, businesses are wondering if they’ll get refunds for the months they paid those duties.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury had collected about $133 billion in tariffs. Although the Trump administration repealed most coffee-related tariffs in November, the damage was already done. Importers and roasters spent months trying to navigate a market where costs rose by 10% to 50%. Many coffee companies ate some of the costs, while others had to pass on price increases to consumers.
In its ruling, the Supreme Court hinted that companies may be refunded the tariffs they’ve paid. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in his dissent that any such process would be “a mess.” Trump told reporters last week that refunds could take up to five years to be processed.
A coalition of small businesses called We Pay The Tariffs has drafted an open letter urging Congress “to deliver full, fast, and automatic refunds,” Zac Cadwalader reports for Sprudge. More than 800 small businesses have signed the letter so far, including several coffee businesses.
Ron Kurnik, owner of Superior Coffee Roasting Co. in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, told the Associated Press that he was happy about the Supreme Court’s decision, but he doesn’t expect to ever see a refund. “It’s like a nightmare we just want to wake up from,” Kurnik said. Superior raised its prices twice since the tariffs first went into effect in April 2025.
On the day the Supreme Court handed down its decision, Trump announced he’d impose a new 10% global tariff, which he then raised to 15%.
For Brazilian instant coffee manufacturers, at least, the new rate is an improvement. They were among the few coffee-related sectors still subject to the full 50% tariff originally imposed on Brazilian goods.
“The situation was getting worse month after month in sales with what is Brazil’s largest instant coffee customer,” Aguinaldo Lima, executive director of the Brazilian Instant Coffee Industry Association, told Datamar News. “Now we are entering a new level—whether the tariff is 10% or 15%—but one that puts all suppliers on equal footing.”
Read the full story to see if coffee roasters will get a refund here.
‘You Want a Lot of Iced Coffee? Dunkin’ Has a Bucket for You.’ – via the New York Times
Last year, dozens of coffee shops decided to jump in on a bizarre trend: serving coffee in literal buckets. Inspired by TikTok, cafes around the U.S. were handing out XXL iced lattes and other drinks in plastic buckets—and they were very popular.
And now, we’re sorry to say, the trend is back and bigger than ever.
For a limited time, New England-based chain Dunkin’ is now offering a 48-ounce bucket for its iced drinks, one-upping the original bucket drink trend (most cafes, when jumping on this ridiculous trend last year, were serving drinks in tiny 32-ounce buckets). That’s the same size as four tall-sized drinks at Starbucks and over a third of a gallon.
Dunkin’s Beverage Bucket is currently being tested at select New England locations, according to Victor Mather of the New York Times. The company isn’t advertising this new sizing option, so most information comes from social media sleuths. Employees at two locations in New Hampshire confirmed to Mather that they were selling the drink, and said they’d already sold out of buckets.
You can check online for a picture of the buckets. Some drinks contain up to 470 mg of caffeine (about the same as five 8-ounce cups of coffee).
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends a daily caffeine limit of 400mg for an adult. To put the Dunkin’ bucket into perspective, Panera Bread’s Charged Lemonade, the controversial drink pulled from its menu in 2024 after it was linked to several deaths, contained 390mg of caffeine.
Read the full story on the bucket o’ latte here or via the Seattle Times here.
More News
‘Philippine Government To Create Dedicated Coffee Industry Office’ – via Global Coffee Report
‘Barista Magazine Hosting Camp Coffee Shop in Napa’ – via Daily Coffee News
‘Kona Coffee Worker Back Freed 5 Months After ICE Arrest’ – via Honolulu Star Advertiser
‘Nairobi Coffee Exchange Launches New Five-Year Plan’ – via Global Coffee Report
‘ICO Launches “Coffee Is Part of the Solution” Campaign’ – via Daily Coffee News
Is Coffee Good For You?
Consuming a small amount of coffee during pregnancy could lower the baby’s risk of developing specific allergies during childhood, according to new research from South Korea.
The study, published in Healthcare Informatics Research, found that babies born to those who consumed less than one cup of coffee per day during pregnancy had an 11% lower risk of developing atopic dermatitis (eczema) during childhood, compared to those who drank no coffee. More than one cup per day was “significantly associated” with a lower risk of developing food allergies.
The researchers theorize that bioactive compounds within coffee, specifically antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, may impact fetal immune development. They warned, however, that coffee intake and instances of childhood allergies were self-reported, and that coffee consumption among study participants was overall quite low.
“This study is the first birth cohort analysis in South Korea to show that moderate coffee consumption during pregnancy may be associated with a reduced risk of atopic dermatitis in infancy,” the researchers said in a statement. However, “further research is needed to confirm the causal relationship.”
Beyond the Headlines
‘From Pour-Overs To Roasting Classes, Hotels Bet On Coffee Programs’ by Lauren Mowery
‘Coffee Human Resource: What Is the Value of a Barista?’ by Eric Grimm
