Philz Coffee vs Pride Flags

• Philz Coffee, the San Francisco-based, now-private-equity-owned specialty coffee chain, recently decided to remove Pride flags from all its locations. The move prompted outrage on social media and from local LGBTQ+ groups, while a petition began circulating urging the company to reconsider. The company's CEO, Mahesh Sadarangani instead doubled down on the decision, telling the San Francisco Chronicle that Philz “was working toward creating a more consistent, inclusive experience across all our stores, including removing a variety of flags and other decor”. But don't worry, because Sadarangani also said that Philz’s “longstanding support of the LGBTQIA+ community is unchanged".
• After a year or more of stalled negotiations, Starbucks' union recently made overtures towards the company, sending a new contract proposal in an attempt to restart talks. However, the resumed negotiations don't seem to be going well, as Starbucks Workers United last week filed an unfair labour practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board, accusing Starbucks of negotiating in bad faith (the company denies this).

How Union Contracts Protect and Empower Coffee Workers

As well as improved pay and benefits, a ratified union contract offers coffee workers power in an often-exploitative industry.

The PouroverFionn Pooler

• Dialling in espresso is a delicate process: grind too fine and your shot might brew too slow; too coarse and it'll run too fast. Either way, it probably won't taste great. But what if we could see inside the portafilter and find out what those grind size changes are actually doing? A group of international scientists did exactly that, creating 3D maps of coffees ground at various settings to see how they impacted the flow of water through the puck. They also came up with an equation that predicts how grind changes (and tamping) might impact the shot, but I honestly barely understood any of it so I'm going to stop there.

For more on all these stories, plus how coffee could lower your risk of developing lung cancer, check out the full Roundup over at Fresh Cup Magazine:

Coffee News Club: Week of April 13

Researchers use math and physics to decode espresso extraction. Plus, Philz removes pride flags, and Starbucks union negotiations are still tense.

Fresh CupFionn Pooler

If you missed it, last week's Pourover longread was on the Marxist economic theory of unequal exchange, and how it goes a long way to explaining the modern coffee industry's inequalities:

The Coffee Industry Is Unequal. A Marxist Economic Theory Explains How.

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.

The PouroverFionn Pooler

Paid subscribers will receive their bonus article this Friday, but until then it's goodbye once again from Fergus, my mum's dog who I have been hanging out with for the past week or so: