A Search from Within: Investigating the Genetic Composition of Panamanian Geisha – 25 Magazine, Issue 9
STEPHANIE ALCALA explores the current state of genetic diversity and how we can create climate resilient crops, as she shares some highlights from her research project investigating the genetic composition of the beloved Panamanian Geisha.[1] The specialty coffee industry is most vulnerable to climate change, because it relies solely on the production of Coffea arabica, …
Water and Coffee Acidity: How to Adapt Your Water for Different Extraction Methods – 25 Magazine, Issue 9
MARCO WELLINGER of ZHAW (Wädenswil, Switzerland) explains why alkalinity is more important than pH and why you should adjust your water recipes to your beverage ratio and extraction method. Even as raindrops are falling to earth, gases already diffuse into it, most notably CO2. The dissolved CO2 combines with water to form carbonic acid, which …
French Coffee Refined and Redefined – 25 Magazine, Issue 9
NOA BERGER traces how French cafés and roasters navigate the “glocalization” of specialty coffee. All photos by Albin Durand for La Fontaine de Belleville. Despite being relatively slow to catch on, this movement has caught the attention of the culinary industry, as evident by the recent entry into specialty coffee of French chef Alain Ducasse. …
Calling the Shots: 20 Years of the World Barista Championship – 25 Magazine, Issue 9
KELSEY KUDAK traces the evolution of the global competition and its impact on the specialty coffee industry over the past 20 years. [Editor’s note: After going to print, we regrettably noted a photo caption omitting the presence of Sherri Johns, US Barista Championship co-organizer, WBC Miami co-organizer, and past Head Judge. The caption has been …
Highlights and Trends from Design Lab 2019 – 25 Magazine, Issue 9
First established in 2016, Design Lab – a platform showcasing great design in specialty coffee – has continued to grow. Now in its fourth year, the competition celebrates the design efforts of our industry through four key platforms: coffee spaces, coffee vessels, packaging, and brand. As the hundreds of submissions are received and carefully evaluated …
Rise and Shine in Rwanda – 25 Magazine, Issue 9
Long rows of palm trees, arranged flowers, incredibly clean streets – these are things I associate with Singapore or Switzerland, but there they were! The streets were so clean and green, I found myself wondering if there was even any dust to be found. I first came to Rwanda in 2013, looking for a place …
#52: Tracking and Tweaking Your Extraction | Dr. Marco Wellinger | Expo Lectures 2018
Today’s lecture explores the different chemical and physical markers that characterize espresso extraction. By using TDS, acidity, caffeine and chlorogenic acids extractions of different grinders, machines and brew ratios can be compared to each other. Recent studies by Dr. Marco Wellinger’s lab have demonstrated that for a given roasted coffee TDS, as measured by a …
#51: Using Your Coffee Data as Business Intelligence to Deliver Quality, Consistency, and Control | Expo 2018 Lectures
Specialty coffee’s artisanal and handcrafted customer face is real and supported by a complex supply chain and highly specialized production. These two things create and collect lots of information. Understanding what can be collected and how it can help coffee businesses is simpler than people think and is also the first step towards gaining real …
SCA x WCR Hosting Two Webinars: Coffee Farm Profitability from the Ground Up
Updated May 23: Thank you to all who joined us for these two webinars on farming profitability hosted by World Coffee Research. You can watch the first webinar (East Africa) above and the second webinar (Latin America) here. SCA Sustainability Center continues the series on the economic sustainability of coffee production with two webinars that …
#50: Development from the Bottom Up: Speaking the Language of Sustainability Across Cultures and Contexts to Improve Your Specialty Coffee Business | Expo 2018 Lectures
Straddling the humanities and sustainability, the panelists of today’s episode discuss how understanding culture and context improves approaches to sustainability. Drawing on experiences in Vietnam, Mexico, and beyond, they describe setbacks arising when producers and buyers speak different languages of sustainability, data collection is incomplete, and development “top-down.” This episode shares tips to guide industry …
SCA Board of Directors Update
By YANNIS APOSTOLOPOULOS The Specialty Coffee Association announced today that Tracy Ging has stepped down from the SCA Board of Directors. Tracy has made a remarkable contribution to the SCA, first with five critical years on staff, and then with another six years as a board member where she was integral in the unification of SCA. …
German Coffee Association Announces International Coffee Congress on Sustainability
Through this event, the association provides its members, as well as companies and organizations from all over the world, with a platform to inform themselves about the current and future challenges, processes, and projects in the sustainability sector. Twenty expert international speakers will give insights into this important and omnipresent topic as they seek to …