To protest how little their coffee is worth, farmers in Mexico recently crushed 8 million pounds of coffee into fertilizer. There are new growers flooding the market which is causing the price of coffee to drop. There are approximately 25 million coffee growers world wide. Unlike other commodities such as oil, the coffee supply cannot be shut down at will. Coffee growers are regulated to a great extent by the seasons, rains and soil quality. Beans can be stored only so long before they go bad. Farmers need to make enough profit to carry them through bad seasons.

Presently there are four roasters that dominate international coffee purchases, namely, Sara Lee, Procter & Gamble, Kraft and Nestle. These companies have devised ways to improve the taste of blends ground from robusta beans, (the inferior of the two types of beans). Flavor coffee is increasing in popularity. Flavors like hazelnut or vanilla hide the gritty taste of robusta beans. The big companies have been buying more cheap robusta from big growers from countries like Vietnam; they are buying less of the superior Arabica beans from Latin America.

Brazil is the dominant grower; the country will produce about 50 million bags (60 kilos each bag) this year. After 1986, Vietnamese production increased from about 1 million to 13 million bags per year. It is the world’s second largest producer. Farmers in Vietnam call robusta coffee plants, “a miracle plant”. Growing coffee has transformed the lives of many Vietnamese. The big four roasters have robusta buyers in Vietnam. A group called the Noble Group has set up the first international coffee trading system in Vietnam. The Noble Group has a tasting room where it is creating new flavors, among them one labeled “slightly moldy”.

It will be interesting to watch the coffee market to see what is happening. Will coffee prices drop further? Will supply be affected? Will there be more flavored coffees to choose from in the future? Many more questions will be posed while the market is snuffling and shifting. In the meantime, enjoy your coffee and test your knowledge of coffee-related questions below.

Questions: 

1) Where was the first coffee plant discovered? 
2) How were coffee beans first used? 
3) How many cups of coffee did the philosopher, Voltaire, reportedly drink? 
4) Which of the two species of coffee has better flavor, Arabica or Robusta? 
5) As a global commodity, how high does coffee rank? 
6) What does the term “French roast” mean? 
7) Where is the best place to store your coffee beans? 
8) How many cups of coffee are consumed in the U.S. each year? 
9) As the coffee plant develops its blossoms, what percentage of the flowers produce coffee berries?
10) What percentage of the world’s coffee do Brazil and Columbia produce? 
11) Which contains more caffeine - dark or light roasted coffee? 12) What can cause a bitter coffee flavor?

Answers:

1. The first coffee plant was found growing wild in Ethiopia. 
2) Before coffee beans were roasted and used to brew coffee, the berries were fermented in water. This liquid was then used as medicine. 
3) Voltaire reportedly drank more than 50 cups of coffee each day. 
4) Arabica beans have superior flavor characteristics. 
5) Coffee is the number 2 commodity in the world. It is second to petroleum. 
6) The term “French roast” relates to the degree of intensity to which the beans are roasted. 
7) It is best to purchase your coffee fresh each week and store it in a cool, dry place. Do not store your coffee in the refrigerator, as coffee is porous and can absorb unwanted flavors. 
8) The U.S. consumes ca. 1/3 of the world’s coffee production. It is estimated that there are 400 billion cups of coffee drunk world wide. 
9) Approximately 25 percent of the blossoms of the coffee plant mature into harvestable coffee berries.
10) Nearly 50 percent of the world’s coffee is grown in Brazil and Columbia. 
11) The darker the roast, the less caffeine and acidity a coffee will have. Much of the caffeine disappears during the roasting process. 
12) Grinding your coffee too fine or over extracting it (brewing) in too long a brew cycle may produce a harsh, bitter flavor.