Engineers have relied on water’s capacity to store and transfer energy for centuries: putting it to work driving steam locomotives and turning power plant turbines. Baristas also rely on water as a solvent to extract flavorful compounds when brewing coffee and as hot pressurized steam to quickly heat and texture milk. Water can be dangerous and destructive too. Excessive steam pressure can cause a boiler to burst explosively and freezing water may rupture pipes or espresso machine components. For these reasons, understanding water’s behavior is important for the coffee technician.

The Specialty Coffee Association is proud to present the 2022 Sustainability Award Winners, recognizing excellence in sustainability across the industry.

Through the medium of thermometers, Michael Teahan reminds us to be open to new ideas, even when we’re fully convinced of what we know…

The Specialty Coffee Association stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian coffee community whose homeland has been under attack for the past few days by Russia. We strongly condemn the Russian regime’s invasion of Ukraine and the violence and displacement being inflicted.

“There’s no need to get a degree in engineering to degunk a clogged group or replace a pump, but in both cases you’re working to solve a problem that encompasses pressure and flow, the two bedrock concepts in fluid mechanics.”

Arno Holschuh explores Pressure and Flow.

Ya está abierto el registro para un webinar gratuito en español sobre los avances técnicos en la fermentación de café, organizado en conjunto con The Fermentation Association.

Registration is open for a free Spanish language webinar on the current state of coffee fermentation science, hosted in partnership with The Fermentation Association, on Thursday, March 3.

In 2021, Re:co explored different perspectives on this moment in specialty coffee across multiple sessions, helping leaders come together to address uncertainty and build a stronger future.

SCA CEO Yannis Apostolopoulos welcomes attendees to Re:co’s 2021 program and introduces the first session of four: A Glimpse of the Future.

Dr. Selena Ahmed shares the findings of a recent meta-analysis, the first of its kind, exploring the impact of climate change on coffee quality.

Bill Murray of the US National Coffee Association offers seven signs that point towards our sector’s future post-pandemic.

If our industry goal is to have a sustainable coffee supply, we need to take an honest look at relationships, value generation, and appropriation dynamics between origins and brands.

How can we know we’re paying an equitable price for coffee? Grayson Caldwell explores the idea of verified living income.

Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian shares a business model to help build more sustainable communities.

Melissa Schweisguth shares examples of the work done by United States Agency for International Development in the coffee sector.

Jenn Rugolo introduces the third session of Re:co’s 2021 program, Innovating to Meet Opportunity.

In this panel, we introduce a new approach: profit-sharing. Join us for a conversation with two coffee entrepreneurs who both (independently!) stumbled upon this business model and use it to get as much profit as possible back to origin, while still making ends meet. We will discuss how profit-sharing works, where it is likely to be successful, and when it can be taken to scale.

What if you were told the things you've been experiencing throughout the pandemic—uncertainty and discomfort—are the very things that innovative and adaptable businesses not only tolerate, but embrace?

As consumers' demand for unique coffee experiences grow, so, too, does consumers' concern about the environment and the welfare of actors across the supply chain.

As we grapple with our own definition of “specialty,” Pauline Vicard shares ARENI’s journey of defining “fine wine” and explores opportunities for mutual learnings between industries.

Jessica Yinka Thomas shares a new model of business designed to maximize wellbeing, interdependence, and drive change.