Issue 17 may feel like an odd milestone for a publication named 25, but it coincides with our rapidly approaching fifth anniversary, both as a publication and as a unified organization.

Our industry is characterized by creative, free spirits, passionate about expressing themselves through coffee—which is why the word “standard” is not always well received. Dr. MARIO FERNANDEZ-ALDUENDA explains the checks and balances of the SCA’s new standards development system.

Corresponding author Dr. SELENA AHMED outlines the findings of a systematic review of research conducted to better understand climate change’s impact on coffee quality, what prompted the review, and what we need to research next.

Origin stories do more than add color to your cup: these extrinsic attributes are an integral part of determining the price we pay (and that farmers earn) for coffee. NAMISHA PARTHASARATHY explores the history, challenges, and opportunities of specialty coffee in India.

Lead author SARA YEAGER shares the findings of a recently published paper, “Roast Level and Brew Temperature Significantly Affect the Color of Brewed Coffee,” published in the Journal of Food Science, exploring how coffee beverage color varies with origin, roast level, and brew temperature.

Lead Author JIEXIN LIANG shares findings of a recent paper, “An Equilibrium Desorption Model for Strength and Extraction Yield of Full Immersion Brewed Coffee,” published in Scientific Reports, that outlines a predictive model for the equilibrium strength and extraction of “full immersion brewed coffee” (cupping) between 80°C and 99°C (176°F and 210°F) and suggests we’re more easily able to control our total dissolved solids (TDS) via brew ratio instead of our extraction yield (E).

Efforts to make coffee’s supply chain more sustainable have resulted in more awareness of the labor it takes to produce coffee, but some parts of the chain remain overlooked. ERIKA KOSS sheds light on the vital human labor that makes it possible for farmers to be paid and for baristas to serve coffee.

Judges with the required national judging experience can apply to upcoming WCC Judge Certification events in Athens, Milan, or Melbourne, for a chance to evaluate competitors at the pinnacle of the competitive coffee circuit.

We have just announced the winners of the 2022 Coffee Design Awards—the prestigious award for great design in the coffee industry. Find out who the winners were!

For 2022, the Sustainability Award Individual Model Category winner is David Browning.

For 2022, the Sustainability Award Business Model Category winner Caravela Coffee.

Learn all about the 2022 winner of the Sustainability Award in the Project Model Category, the Jimma Agro-Biodiversity Project.

We are pleased to announce that we have received sufficient nominees to fulfil all open coordinator roles to form the SCA Ireland Chapter Committee for the term of 2022-2024.

The Specialty Coffee Association has announced that the 2022 World of Coffee trade show, originally scheduled to take place in Warsaw, will be moving to Milan, Italy. The five World Coffee Championships—Latte Art, Coffee in Good Spirits, Cup Tasters, Cezve/Ibrik, and Roasting—will also be held in Milan, June 23-25.

The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) is proud to announce new qualified sponsors for upcoming World Coffee Championships (WCC) seasons–Cafetto is the Qualified Cleaning sponsor, BRITA is the Qualified Water Filtration sponsor, Sage is the Qualified Brewer sponsor, and Breville is the Exclusive Brewer sponsor.

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.