Supply and Demand: Vastly Different Specialty Coffee Outlooks
By Ric Rhinehart As I sit here in the capital city of the birthplace of coffee (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia), after attending the International Coffee Organization’s 4th World Coffee Conference, I am driven to reflect on the conversations at the conference, in the hallways, and over dinner. The state of the global coffee market and the …
Craft Coffee Culture in America’s Heartland
We recently asked SCAA President Tracy Allen how he thinks coffee culture is evolving in America’s Heartland. As a Kansas City native and long-time resident, his unique perspective on the region is enhanced by his frequent travels to major coffee cities, coffee farms, and of course coffeehouses around the world. From your perspective, how is …
Brazilian Specialty Coffee Culture
By Felipe Croce Although I spent my holidays on our coffee farm in Mococa, Brazil when I was growing up, I didn’t begin to enjoy drinking coffee until much later in life. I didn’t like the coffee that was served at the farm, as it was dark, bitter, and flat. It wasn’t until I interned …
Turning the Tables on a Coffee Journalist
Jimmy Sherfey is a journalist who writes for coffee industry trade journals such as Roast Magazine and culinary websites such as Eater.com. How long have you been writing about coffee and how did you get started? I’ve been writing about coffee for a little over two years now. I first started out when Jeff Taylor …
People of Specialty Coffee: An Interview With Sunalini Menon
What are the most obvious ways that coffee culture is changing in India in terms of big picture trends? India is a fairly important player in the global coffee market, providing approximately three-and-a-half percent of the world’s coffee. During this coffee season of 2015/2016, the post-monsoon production estimate of the Coffee Board of India is …
The U.S. Coffee Championships Arena
By Sarah Leslie, David Fasman, and Bronwen Serna At SCAA’s Annual Expo, some of the newest and most cutting edge coffee equipment is being shown. There are hundreds of exhibitors on the show floor – all with a clear dedication to better-ing the specialty coffee industry. Just next door there’s the U.S. Coffee Championships (USCC) …
International Women in Coffee Alliance Breakfast
This year’s International Women in Coffee Alliance (IWCA) breakfast was a sold-out event, and for good reason. The topic of gender equity was at the center of the conversation and was reflected throughout the event. Keynote speaker Mbula Musau delivered an inspiring talk that chronicled her career in specialty coffee, which includes the founding of …
Reflections from a Coffee Curmudgeon
By Timothy J. Castle Upon arriving here in Atlanta on Tuesday and attending the opening reception for this year’s Re:co Symposium, I pulled out the program for the next two days and began quibbling immediately: Cold Brew? Really? How could we devote a chunk of our precious time at Re:co to “Cold Brew: Category or Craze”? Aren’t we over Cold …
Culinary Fuel: Re:co Coffee Service
By Stephen Morrissey The two days of incredible speakers and challenging topics at Re:co Symposium demands an intermission format that allows people to connect, debate, and decompress over great coffee. Over the years, the service has garnered a reputation for not only providing great coffee quickly, but for developing thoughtful menus with highly-qualified baristas and …
Meeting Around the Cupping Table
By Wendy Rassmussen If there is a metaphorical heartbeat in the coffee industry, then my suspicion is that it exists around the cupping table. If you think about it, here is where the hard work of the farmer meets the desire of the consumer; here is where the “rubber meets the road;” or, more aptly, …
The SCAA Recognition Awards Process
By Timothy J. Castle Having participated on the SCAA awards committee for the past two years, this last year as chairman of the committee, some observations have come to mind that were not previously obvious to me with regard to the awards process. First of all, as an organization, we make a big assumptions when …
Ensuring the Sustainability of Coffee
By Kim Elena Ionescu It is in the best interest of every single one of the millions of people who depend on coffee for a living to protect the future of our industry—yet, few of us feel like it’s our job. Sure, it’s important, and maybe even interesting, but who has the time? As the …