Companies are turning to automation as a tool to fight back against industrial action. In coffee, that role could well be played by robot baristasâin fact, it sort of already has.
Coffee companies are going all in on automation. Weâre told that it improves efficiency, cuts costs, and yields a better product. But what does it mean for the baristas whose labour these automations displace?
Right, so anyway whatâs going on in coffee land?
Rwanda is making some regulatory changes to try to boost coffee production, and especially specialty production, after several years of falling yields. One update is a higher export tariff on natural and semi-washed process coffee compared to fully-washedâa tariff that specialty-grade coffee is immune from entirely.
If youâve been grocery shopping in the US recently, youâll probably have noticed that everything is ridiculously expensive. Coffee is part of this trend, with sales falling but prices going up, up, up.
And adding a little sugar to your coffee isnât the end of the world, according to new research from Denmark. The study found that men who added a small amount of sugar to their morning brew had no âsignificant riskâ to health. (Although itâs worth noting that this study comes with some pretty large caveats.)
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.
