Some coffee lovers can’t do without their hit of caffeine. But if you prefer decaf, here’s the intriguing science of how it’s made, why it costs more – and how much caffeine makes it to your cup.
The optimal trade-off between restoring habitat and crop production hinges on pollinators. A new study shows giving pollinators more natural habitat on the farm leads to big increases in production.
Low-paid workers at both ends of the supply chain – the small farmers who grow most of the crop and the casual staff who serve you at the cafe – weren’t well off even before the pandemic hit.
Coffee production is booming, yet wholesale prices have been falling and global demand is stagnant. What’s happening to one of the world’s favorite beverages?
There are over 100 species of wild coffee, but only a few supply the world’s morning caffeine kick. Sadly, climate change and disease could be about to change that.
Colombia’s coffee industry is at risk due to unpredictable seasons, floods, landslides, droughts and pests. Farmers say they want to learn to adapt to these environmental changes but don’t know how.
In wartime, food and drink may be a weapon or embodiment of the enemy, but also ‘a token of hope, a soothing relief’. In East Timor, coffee has played a vital role.
In the 1980’s Uganda was one of the largest coffee exporters in the world, far ahead of Vietnam which hardly exported any. Now the tables have turned raising interesting comparative questions.
High demand for coffee has pushed growers toward sun or ‘reduced-shade’ plantations that require more water and pesticides while reducing biodiversity.