For paid subscribers: A fascinating academic paper delves into the ways Korean Buddhists, after centuries of drinking tea, have started to embrace coffee.
Demand for coffee is growing, and climate change threatens supply—yet consumers don’t want to pay more. In an intensified and unequal industry, however, someone always pays.
Hello, and welcome to the Roundup. Every week, I read all the coffee news and write about the best bits for Fresh Cup Magazine. Then, I summarise those bits for you in this newsletter.
After two years of record high commodity coffee prices, spending most of 2025 above $3, the past few months had seen the C price trending downwards. Analysts told Reuters they thought it might fall to $2 per pound this year. Then Donald Trump decided to launch a pointless, illegal war of aggression against Iran. As well as thousands of needless deaths, the fallout has upended the oil, fertiliser, and plastics industry (all things the coffee industry needs) and impacted global shipping. The C price rose in response.
Since its founding in 1971, Starbucks has always been a Seattle-based brand. Now, media reports suggest the coffee giant might be perhaps maybe looking to move its headquarters to Tennessee. Starbucks has reportedly been scouting large office space in Nashville, has laid off more than 1,000 corporate workers in the past year, and has already moved some of its logistics operations to the state. (Starbucks has repeatedly denied rumours that it plans on moving its headquarters.)
A large-scale study that looked at data spanning 43 years found that moderate coffee (and tea) consumption is significantly associated with reduced dementia risk. The study found that those who consumed 2-3 cups of caffeinated coffee per day had an 18% lower risk of developing dementia compared to those who abstained. The researchers, however, were careful not to talk up their findings too much. "Our study suggests that caffeinated coffee or tea consumption can be one piece of that puzzle", senior author Daniel Wang said in a press release.
To read more on all these stories, plus how Starbucks Workers United is trying to restart negotiations over a first contract, check out the full Roundup over at Fresh Cup Magazine:
I'm a coffee writer and creator of The Pourover. Based in Scotland, I have over a decade of experience in the specialty coffee industry. Ask me about coffeewashing. It's pronounced Fin (he/him)
Fionn Pooler
Fionn Pooler
