Martian Coffee?

• There's an ongoing attempt by a group of non-profits in the United States to have the chemical methylene chloride banned for use in food products. Methylene chloride is a solvent sometimes used in the coffee decaffeination process, and the non-profits have petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to ban it due to potential carcinogenic effects. The move has been ongoing for several years, and it looks like we might be getting closer to a resolution.

On the Unfounded Fears of Coffee Contamination

The internet is full of warnings about the dangers lurking within coffee, whether it’s mould, mycotoxins, or other contaminants. The truth, however, is far more prosaic.

The PouroverFionn Pooler

• What might coffee taste like in the future? An industrial designer has built a coffee vending machine that tries to simulate the taste of coffee grown hundreds of years in the future—and on Mars. Sarah Ali built Brew_Lab using climate projections and NASA research to create "edible scents" that mimic coffee grown on Mars in 2126, as well as Sierra Leone in 2080 and Brazil next year. The goal is to make people think about coffee's fragility and the impending impacts of climate change.
• Drinking coffee is good for your liver, according to a large-scale new study—and the more you drink the better. Researchers followed 355,000 participants for over a decade, and found that those who drank five or more cups had a 47% lower risk of liver cancer and a 42% lower risk of liver-related death. Drinking fewer cups still had an effect, just less so.

For more on all these stories, plus news of some World Coffee Championship winners, check out the full Roundup over at Fresh Cup Magazine:

Coffee News Club: Week of July 6

Coffee grown on Mars? What would that taste like? A new project finds out. Plus, three new coffee world champions, and drinking coffee is good for your liver.

Fresh CupFionn Pooler

Last week's main Pourover article featured actual journalism: I reported on Walter Zwald, honorary president of the Swiss Coffee Trade Federation, resigning from his role and alleging ethical failures among some of the world's largest coffee brands:

Honorary President of Swiss Coffee Trade Association Resigns, Calls for Widespread Change

Coffee industry veteran Walter Zwald has resigned from his honorary role at the Swiss Coffee Trade Association, alleging ethical failures among some of the world’s largest coffee companies and calling for mandatory sustainability standards.

The PouroverFionn Pooler

Paid subscribers (it could be you!) will receive their bonus article this Friday, but until then it's goodbye once again from Clem the cat: