In this edition of The 2nd Cappuccino, I discuss how social unrest affects Colombian coffee growers and how you can support them, coffee consumption in times of pandemic, and the little-discussed but necessary topic of fine Robusta coffee (that is not a typo, read on to find out).
You may have heard that Colombia has been going through a time of protest and unrest. In fact, a few days ago marked a full month of social protests.
The protests were originally sparked by a government decision to abruptly increase taxes on a population that, to a large extent, hasn’t been able to afford the basic necessities.
Like many countries, the pandemic has taken the normally complex Latin American economic situation and added extended lockdowns and destroyed businesses, a drowning health sector, and a population that is mourning the death of loved ones.
I live in Bogota, and our daily lives became marked by the sounds of sirens, shouting crowds, helicopters flying overhead, and tanks and soldiers on some main roads. In our part of the city conditions are calmer now, but most of the country is still affected.
How social unrest affects Colombian coffee growers
Rural areas have been hit hard by the protests. Major roads have been blockaded, villages cut off from the outside world, and ports closed and looted. Areas of the country aren’t receiving food supplies or fuel.
Of course, all this social unrest affects Colombian coffee growers. Coffee production in some areas has slowed, and exporting coffee has been difficult. Due to roadblocks, getting coffee from the farms to collection centers and then to the port has been almost impossible.
The most important port in Colombia, Buenaventura, has been completely shut down. That’s where 70% of Colombian coffee is exported. That’s bad news for exporting coffee, but also promises increased congestion at the port for some time to come.
According to the FNC, more than half a million sacks of coffee have not been exported. Most import companies in the US estimate that green coffee shipments will be delayed for over a month.
The whole country is awaiting peaceful solutions to the problems that Colombia faces. This isn’t just about tax reform; it’s part of the long-standing civil war that has been tearing apart the country for over 6 decades.
What can you do to help?
If you’re a coffee consumer and you don’t see Colombian coffee on the shelves of your favorite café for a while, please don’t give up on Colombian coffee! It will soon be back, and coffee growers need the support you show through your purchases.
If you’re a coffee buyer, please try not to cancel contracts. Colombia has a long history of supplying high quality coffee to the world. Colombians are well-known for being hard working and they continue to be so. The country needs buyers who will be flexible and will continue to purchase coffee.
American coffee consumption during times of pandemic
The National Coffee Association (NCA) recently published their Specialty Coffee Breakout Report with data trends. If you sell coffee in the United States or anywhere else, you work to keep up with trends in coffee consumption and reports like these can guide you.
Not surprisingly, in times of pandemic 70% of specialty coffee consumers say they miss their coffee shops. Not earth-shattering news. We all miss our coffee shops.
I do want to point out that it is useful to have a statistic that proves a point: the post-pandemic importance of coffee shops and a (hopefully) promising future. The report also said that 39% of home drinkers are disappointed with their own attempts to brew in comparison with similar drinks at a café. Good news for baristas and coffee shops.
Specialty coffee drinkers are evenly represented across female/male gender lines. It is interesting to consider that 60% of specialty coffee drinkers have no children in their household. Is it a matter of having the budget for specialty coffee? Time to grind it and brew it? What do you think?
Hispanic-Americans reported past-day drinking of specialty coffee at 44%, which might indicate a market in the United States that could be further developed.
You can download your copy of the full report for free here (you just have to register): https://www.ncausa.org/specialty
Fine Robusta coffee
We’re used to hearing about Arabica and specialty coffee. If you want to discuss a high-quality Robusta coffee, what term would you use?
(Yes, high-quality Robusta coffee is a thing).
Many in the industry would call it fine Robusta coffee.
That might sound odd to you if you’ve tried a lot of Coffea canephora that’s bitter, disappointing, or that tastes like potatoes or dirt.
The sad part of the story is that to a great extent, the negative flavors reported in Robusta have more to do with growing and processing than the species. In short, farmers are simply missing out on the possibility of producing better quality coffee because they don’t dedicate the care in processing.
In fact, fine Robusta coffee can produce caramel, fruity, or spicy notes and satisfyingly long aftertastes. Does that sound like Arabica to you? (Yes!).
Additionally, Robusta beans have a different cell structure than Arabica, meaning roasters cannot successfully roast Robusta beans the same way they would Arabica beans. That requires an additional level of knowledge and craft to develop a roast profile that works for fine Robusta.
This is very good news for the coffee world, where Arabica is threatened by changes in climate. The hardier Robusta stands up to these changes, and already makes up almost 40% of the coffee grown around the world. I can’t wait for the next coffee fair to try some more fine Robusta coffee.
Thanks for joining me on this coffee journey. If you have any questions about coffee, just hit reply to this email.
Feel free to check out the free resources or courses and workshops on Latin American Coffee Academy.
Happy slurping,
Karen
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