The journey to find this year’s coffee champions began in autumn 2016 when the first of more than 75 competitions was held in Mexico. 25 traces the steps that lead coffee’s top competitors to the world stages of Budapest, Seoul and Guangzhou. The world of competitive coffee is wide.

Within the beer industry, New Zealand is heralded as one of the great hop growing nations. The new world varieties of hop it produces are typically big in both flavor and aroma with most varieties grown in the Nelson region at the North of the South Island.

For me, the warm autumnal weather in November proved the best time to explore Barcelona's blossoming coffee scene, and add some exciting food stops along the way. I was there for CoLab, Barista Guild of Europe’s bi-annual interactive event, which connects a local coffee community...

In 2017, the SCA will recognize two winners: one sustainable project (a category that will be familiar to those that have attended the Awards Ceremony in recent years) and one in the new category of sustainable business model.

As part of its mission, the SCA is actively involved in sustainability and looks to its members to take leadership roles in sustainable practices within the specialty coffee sector.

Over the past few decades, technology has changed the very nature of human interactions and relationships. Phone calls, letter writing, and in-person meetings have been complemented–and in many cases–replaced by social media posts, text messages, and video chats. Olam’s Rob Stephen and Hayden Kwast explore the impact of technology on the role of coffee trading.

The Coffee Tasters Flavor Wheel, a collaborative effort by the Specialty Coffee Association of America and World Coffee Research, is designed to be a tool for the coffee taster. As a tool, it is meant to be intuitive, enjoyable to use, and a benefit to those who seek to analyze and describe coffees. Here are a few tips on how to use the wheel properly.

In the popular parlance, the word “myth” is used to mean “incorrect information presented as fact.” That’s not the whole story. Myths, legends, and popular beliefs are more than just mistakes.

Coffee is what is known in the food science field as a shelf-stable product, which after roasting does not spoil due to enzymatic or microbial processes (Illy and Viani 2005; Nicoli and others 1993; Anese and others 2006). However, in the specialty coffee industry, we are aware of the importance of chemical reactions and physical changes that occur after roasting (Nicoli and others 2009). Some of these changes are responsible for staling, or a perceptible negative flavor that increases over time, and affects the quality of the brew.