For paid subscribers: Donald Trump’s latest arbitrary tariff threat, this time against Brazil, has once again enveloped the coffee industry in chaos and uncertainty. When will it end?
The United States has long been at the centre of the global coffee industry. But as policies shift under the Trump administration, that dominance is under threat.
The coffee industry is beginning to feel the effects of Trump's tariff turmoil. The impact is particularly noticeable in the United States, where companies from importers to roasters to cafes have started raising prices to cover the extra costs. While some tariffs were delayed, Chris Kornman from importer Royal Coffee told Business Insider that the remaining blanket 10% tariff "erases our entire profit margin if we absorb it."
If you want to extract more deliciousness from less coffee while making a pour over, the trick is to pour the hot water more slowly and from a greater height. The researchers behind this information say it's a way to get more from less coffee at a time when demand is outpacing supply.
China's so-called "lower-tier" markets—smaller cities and more rural locales—are beginning to see an influx of coffee shops as the country's many low-cost chains (and, of course, Starbucks) begin to expand beyond the metropolises. Shi Jun from the Shanghai Food Association calls these smaller cities "the next ‘blue ocean’ for the coffee industry".
For more on all these stories, plus why cutting down on coffee could help alleviate pain associated with endometriosis, check out the full Roundup over at Fresh Cup Magazine:
If you can't get enough of tariff talk, I wrote a piece for Fresh Cup last week about what's going on (well, I asked a lot of far smarter coffee professionals to explain it to me). Some of it might already be out of date, however:
Paid subscribers will receive a bonus article this coming Friday (you can upgrade here if you'd like to be included) but until then it's goodbye from Pablo, a cat I met over the weekend:
I'm the creator and writer of The Pourover. Based in Scotland, I have over a decade of experience in the specialty coffee industry as a barista, roaster, and writer. Ask me about coffeewashing.
Fionn Pooler
Fionn Pooler
