Tariff Turmoil Takes a Toll

It's the Coffee News Roundup: Week Ending April 11th

A Chemex pouring coffee into a cup on a table, seen from above, overlaid with logos for Fresh Cup Magazine and The Pourover

It is, as usual, all going on in the world of coffee.

This week:

  • 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:

Coffee News Club: Week of April 14th
Coffee prices rise in response to tariffs. Plus, how your pouring technique impacts flavor, and China’s coffee boom expands beyond the big cities.

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 Some of it might already be out of date, however:

Trump’s Tariffs Throw the Coffee Industry Into Chaos
The Trump administration’s announcement of sweeping tariffs—including those on coffee imports—has thrown the industry into chaos. We spoke to professionals across the coffee supply chain to see how they are responding.

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:

A black and white cat walks towards the camera on a sunny lawn next to a blanket

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