For paid subscribers: Coffee is increasingly used to burnish the United Arab Emirates’ international image. Now it is being supercharged by merging with the popularity of the Dubai chocolate trend.
The coffee scene in Dubai is thriving, and the city is set to welcome the Specialty Coffee Association’s World of Coffee event next month. But underneath the glitzy facade and marketing buzz lies a moral quagmire.
Lots of little stories in the coffee world this week, so I did a speedrun through some of the more interesting ones, including:
A new catalogue of robusta coffees
Vietnamese coffee production falls as farmers look to more profitable fruit
FairWave Coffee Collective is hoovering up more midwestern brands
The Weeknd teams up with Blue Bottle
And lots more, including new (hopefully more sustainable) packaging options and some health news about coffee thickening the macular retinal nerve fiber layer—which is good.
I’m taking a wee break so no article this Friday, but I’ll be back probably next week with a new interview. Until then, here’s Merlin guarding the alley:
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. (he/him)
