Assistant Professor CHRISTOPHER H. HENDON shares the theory underpinning an ongoing Coffee Science Foundation research project, supported by Simonelli Group, toward deepening our understanding of espresso extraction.

Corresponding author MATEUS MANFRIN ARTÊNCIO shares the findings of a recent paper, “A Cup of Black Coffee with GI, please! Evidence of Geographical Indication Influence on a Coffee Tasting Experiment,” published in Physiology & Behavior, confirming the significant influence an extrinsic attribute like a geographical indication has on consumers’ tasting.

In late 2018, scientists rediscovered Coffea stenophylla— a species unrelated to either Arabica or robusta—in the wild in Sierra Leone, and later confirmed century-old reports of its high cup quality.

Over the past 30 years, the concurrent internet-led waves of coffee and globalization have had a profound impact on our coffee consumption habits.

While the use of wild coffees is still years away from commercialization, another coffee species already makes up 40% of coffee's global production: Coffea robusta.

In the face of climate change and advances in technology, what is “specialty coffee”?

The current coffee processing revolution offers us means to improve the live of coffee growers and processors not just through direct product improvement, but through a new, powerful narrative that can drive more respect, and value, back to producers.

As more consumers come to the coffee-laden table, our collective preferences haven’t just shifted; they’ve fragmented.

Make a quick list of the countries you know are experiencing exponential growth of coffee consumption and a blossoming specialty coffee scene: does it include Israel? If not, it should.

In addition to being the world’s leading producer of robusta, Vietnam also produces more arabica than Kenya or El Salvador – so why don’t we talk about it more?

We may be familiar with Ethiopia as the birthplace of coffee, but what can we learn about who engages with coffee and when by more deeply exploring its coffee culture?

As specialty coffee reaches new markets—and the number of individuals making these choices increases—it becomes increasingly enmeshed with our sense of identity.

As a move towards the "functional" grips the beverage sector, how might this trend shape opportunities for specialty coffee products and consumers?

Specialty coffee, although often burdened by coffee's "commodity" status, still needs to compete in the premium market--but is there a way to move beyond?

Despite (most) of our return to coffee spaces, coffee's unprecedented move online during lockdowns forced social media accounts to pivot from a tool to get people in seats to a destination in and of itself.

Do we really understand the impact of the attributes-based definition of specialty coffee on what is now "specialty"?

"It's what's in the cup that matters," right? But is that actually true?

Coffee's interest in understanding multimodal perception on coffee experiences has most recently focused on cup shape, size, and weight or environmental ambiance like color, music, and texture.

As the word "sustainable" continues to grow in importance to consumers, it is being used in many different ways.

The 2022 SCA Czech Republic Chapter Election has started! Nominations are open October 12 - October 19 and voting will take place November 2 - November 16. The results of the election will be announced on November 23.