Mushroom Coffee, but Not As You Know It

• Brazil's possibly-record-setting coffee harvest is underway, yet farmers aren't selling like they usually do. Producers in Brazil tend to pre-sell a portion of their production to cover their costs; it's usually around 30-40%. According to analysts, this year the figures are closer to 15-20%. This, Bloomberg reports, is due to the falling coffee futures market, with farmers holding out in hopes that it might rise again.
• Experimenting with the fermentation stage of coffee processing is all the rage these days—you've probably seen bag labels with phrases like "co-fermentation", "thermal shock process", or "carbonic maceration". While these all impact flavour, researchers have also been looking at how the fermentation process can improve quality. Recently, Chinese scientists isolated a fungus found in coffee cherries that, when added to the fermentation tank, raised the quality of commodity-grade coffee by an average of 1.5 points.
• Caffeine is known to enhance athletic performance—in fact it used to be banned as a doping agent. But how much do you need to drink in order to see an improvement? Brazilian researchers conducted a meta-study of 48 clinical trials and found that the equivalent of one or two espressos was enough to give athletes a 2% speed boost in time-trial sports like running and cycling.

For more on all these stories, plus the winners of the US and Canadian Barista Championships, check out the full Roundup over at Fresh Cup Magazine:

Brazil’s coffee harvest is underway—so why are farmers refusing to sell their beans?

Plus, could a fungus transform commodity coffee into specialty-grade?

Fresh CupFionn Pooler

On Friday, paid subscribers received their biweekly bonus article. This one explored how Starbucks CEOs have influenced the company's response to its unionising workers over the past five years:

Starbucks vs the Union: A Tale of Three CEOs

For paid subscribers: From Howard Schultz’ hostility to the relatively more amenable Laxman Narasimhan and through to Brian Niccol’s current intransigence, Starbucks’ response to its union over the years has mirrored the CEO’s position.

The PouroverFionn Pooler

I'll be back on Friday with another Pourover feature, but until then it's goodbye from my sister's cat Maru who is enjoying (?) his own personal climbing frame: