As a coffee enthusiast, this is such a predictable outcome from such a stupid policy. Coffee, esp. speciality coffee, is extremely manual labor intensive ,incredibly susceptible to climate change,...
As a coffee enthusiast, this is such a predictable outcome from such a stupid policy. Coffee, esp. speciality coffee, is extremely manual labor intensive ,incredibly susceptible to climate change, and increasingly difficult to grow. There isn't a single place in the contiguous US that can grow coffee and the only state that can grow coffee , produces okish coffee that will never satisfy domestic demand. One of my pet theories about why there are so many experimental processes being adopted these days is because its a way for producers to offset rising costs while utilizing beans that wouldn't be subtle for more traditional processing. Not complaining as all these processes make for some interesting brews but sometimes I just want a clean washed coffee.
Most people in America are drinking commodity coffee sourced from Vietnam or Brazil and they're all about to see some sticker shock at their local Starbucks/Dunkin/etc. IMO, coffee is already under priced but I can see a world where off the shelf brands available at your grocery store start approaching specialty prices from a decade ago (~12 to 15 for 8 oz) while specialty prices continue to rise. For context I've already seen this and regularly pay 25 for 250g/9oz ot coffee which is the norm for speciality roasters.
Yeah. I'm fortunate to live in a major hub for the importing and local roasting of coffee, and prices for even mid-range single-origin beans have jumped from $15 to $20 in the course of this year....
Yeah. I'm fortunate to live in a major hub for the importing and local roasting of coffee, and prices for even mid-range single-origin beans have jumped from $15 to $20 in the course of this year. It's absolutely wild.
Yup, same. I purchase some decent stuff locally but most of my coffee is from places all across the US as I really want to support specialty roasters everywhere, particularly ones who do...
Yup, same. I purchase some decent stuff locally but most of my coffee is from places all across the US as I really want to support specialty roasters everywhere, particularly ones who do interesting things but it is getting wild out there and I feel shipping costs are rising. I have expendable income which is nice but I know not everyone has these options.
The one good thing I've noticed in coffee is that more people suggesting longer resting/off-gassing periods of months rather than days. So even if prices aren't changing, I may be able to get free shipping by ordering multiple bags and not worry about a dip in quality if I'm using beans that are 2 months off roast.
I'm not a total coffee snob, but I don't buy Folgers and grocery store branded stuff. Not long ago, a ~12oz bag of coffee was about US$11. Sometimes even less at like $8-9. Now it's like $17-18. I...
I'm not a total coffee snob, but I don't buy Folgers and grocery store branded stuff. Not long ago, a ~12oz bag of coffee was about US$11. Sometimes even less at like $8-9. Now it's like $17-18. I keep a few different types/brands of beans on hand at all times. And it takes 1-2mo to get through it all. But when it's time to re-up, it's like half my grocery bill, as a single person, is just coffee. Which is kinda getting ridiculous.
If the president was a coffee or tea drinker he might have considered an exception but no. Just another example of the extreme stupidity in charge of policy at the moment.
If the president was a coffee or tea drinker he might have considered an exception but no. Just another example of the extreme stupidity in charge of policy at the moment.
From experience I can agree. It's merely decent. (Edit: same goes for their chocolate) Hawaii is only sub-tropical and the best coffees all come from more tropical regions of the world (Columbia,...
From experience I can agree. It's merely decent. (Edit: same goes for their chocolate)
Hawaii is only sub-tropical and the best coffees all come from more tropical regions of the world (Columbia, Equador, Uganda).
Haiwaiian coffee is fine. When you're comparing between speciality coffee in Ethiopia, Colombia, and so forth it's mostly a matter of preference. Some regions have bought more into it than others...
Haiwaiian coffee is fine. When you're comparing between speciality coffee in Ethiopia, Colombia, and so forth it's mostly a matter of preference. Some regions have bought more into it than others - Colombia famously has really catered to specialty coffee buyers in recent years.
Haiwaii certainly doesn't have the capacity to completely replace South American and African coffee by a longshot, of course.
For good coffee, you need climates of hot days with cool nights. That's why much of the best coffee growing areas in the world are either in mountains or on islands. Haiwaii checks off the other box.
Honestly, I like the Kauai coffee brand (and not just because it reads like "kawaii"). It has a smooth and refreshing flavor, and they also have unique Keurig capsules that use less plastic. (It's...
Honestly, I like the Kauai coffee brand (and not just because it reads like "kawaii"). It has a smooth and refreshing flavor, and they also have unique Keurig capsules that use less plastic. (It's a single plastic ring with the paper on top and an exposed filter on the bottom.) It's hard to find in stores though.
I usually go Cafe Bustello or LavAzza for home though, and prices have definitely been climbing.
I think it comes down to production and perceptions. There are a ton of environmental factors to consider in coffee production and if you think wine grapes are picky about where it's grown, coffee...
I think it comes down to production and perceptions. There are a ton of environmental factors to consider in coffee production and if you think wine grapes are picky about where it's grown, coffee cherries are even more particular. You can have vineyards in California, Australia, Chile, South Africa but there's no way you could grow coffee there. For example, altitude plays a big part in the quality of coffee and Hawaiian/Kona coffee is grown at lower altitudes compared to places in Central America or East Africa. From the production end, my experience has been pretty okish and it's coffee that for me, lacks the complexity I'm looking for: it feels like coffee I would have drank two decades ago from an independent shop.
At the same time, labor costs in the US are much higher and so it inflates the price and likely the perception of how "good" something may be. Classic example is kopi luwak which is not only unethical (imo) but incredibly mediocre and uninteresting in the eyes of most specialty coffee drinkers. However, for those not as involved in the coffee world, they see the price and instantly assume high price = high quality. Like here's an example, I could spend $28 for 8 oz for some medium/city+ Kona coffee or I could spend the same amount and get something from Panama roasted by Coffee Project in NY spend less and get an interesting Ugandan from Perc down in Savannah or get some really interesting blends from Colorfull in Montreal. To me it's a no brainer where I want to spend my money and what I value in coffee.
That said, if Kona is your thing, do it. Everyone should drink what they want and not be concerned about what others think, but for me, Kona is pretty uninteresting.
I have seen prices going up, but luckily one of the local coffee companies had their coffee on sale this week so I was able to stock up. So at least I can avoid the brunt of this temporarily.
I have seen prices going up, but luckily one of the local coffee companies had their coffee on sale this week so I was able to stock up. So at least I can avoid the brunt of this temporarily.
As a coffee enthusiast, this is such a predictable outcome from such a stupid policy. Coffee, esp. speciality coffee, is extremely manual labor intensive ,incredibly susceptible to climate change, and increasingly difficult to grow. There isn't a single place in the contiguous US that can grow coffee and the only state that can grow coffee , produces okish coffee that will never satisfy domestic demand. One of my pet theories about why there are so many experimental processes being adopted these days is because its a way for producers to offset rising costs while utilizing beans that wouldn't be subtle for more traditional processing. Not complaining as all these processes make for some interesting brews but sometimes I just want a clean washed coffee.
Most people in America are drinking commodity coffee sourced from Vietnam or Brazil and they're all about to see some sticker shock at their local Starbucks/Dunkin/etc. IMO, coffee is already under priced but I can see a world where off the shelf brands available at your grocery store start approaching specialty prices from a decade ago (~12 to 15 for 8 oz) while specialty prices continue to rise. For context I've already seen this and regularly pay 25 for 250g/9oz ot coffee which is the norm for speciality roasters.
Yeah. I'm fortunate to live in a major hub for the importing and local roasting of coffee, and prices for even mid-range single-origin beans have jumped from $15 to $20 in the course of this year. It's absolutely wild.
Yup, same. I purchase some decent stuff locally but most of my coffee is from places all across the US as I really want to support specialty roasters everywhere, particularly ones who do interesting things but it is getting wild out there and I feel shipping costs are rising. I have expendable income which is nice but I know not everyone has these options.
The one good thing I've noticed in coffee is that more people suggesting longer resting/off-gassing periods of months rather than days. So even if prices aren't changing, I may be able to get free shipping by ordering multiple bags and not worry about a dip in quality if I'm using beans that are 2 months off roast.
I'm not a total coffee snob, but I don't buy Folgers and grocery store branded stuff. Not long ago, a ~12oz bag of coffee was about US$11. Sometimes even less at like $8-9. Now it's like $17-18. I keep a few different types/brands of beans on hand at all times. And it takes 1-2mo to get through it all. But when it's time to re-up, it's like half my grocery bill, as a single person, is just coffee. Which is kinda getting ridiculous.
If the president was a coffee or tea drinker he might have considered an exception but no. Just another example of the extreme stupidity in charge of policy at the moment.
Maybe we'll even see some Diet Coke subsidies.
Any reason for why Hawaiian coffee is only okay-ish?
From experience I can agree. It's merely decent. (Edit: same goes for their chocolate)
Hawaii is only sub-tropical and the best coffees all come from more tropical regions of the world (Columbia, Equador, Uganda).
Haiwaiian coffee is fine. When you're comparing between speciality coffee in Ethiopia, Colombia, and so forth it's mostly a matter of preference. Some regions have bought more into it than others - Colombia famously has really catered to specialty coffee buyers in recent years.
Haiwaii certainly doesn't have the capacity to completely replace South American and African coffee by a longshot, of course.
For good coffee, you need climates of hot days with cool nights. That's why much of the best coffee growing areas in the world are either in mountains or on islands. Haiwaii checks off the other box.
Honestly, I like the Kauai coffee brand (and not just because it reads like "kawaii"). It has a smooth and refreshing flavor, and they also have unique Keurig capsules that use less plastic. (It's a single plastic ring with the paper on top and an exposed filter on the bottom.) It's hard to find in stores though.
I usually go Cafe Bustello or LavAzza for home though, and prices have definitely been climbing.
I think it comes down to production and perceptions. There are a ton of environmental factors to consider in coffee production and if you think wine grapes are picky about where it's grown, coffee cherries are even more particular. You can have vineyards in California, Australia, Chile, South Africa but there's no way you could grow coffee there. For example, altitude plays a big part in the quality of coffee and Hawaiian/Kona coffee is grown at lower altitudes compared to places in Central America or East Africa. From the production end, my experience has been pretty okish and it's coffee that for me, lacks the complexity I'm looking for: it feels like coffee I would have drank two decades ago from an independent shop.
At the same time, labor costs in the US are much higher and so it inflates the price and likely the perception of how "good" something may be. Classic example is kopi luwak which is not only unethical (imo) but incredibly mediocre and uninteresting in the eyes of most specialty coffee drinkers. However, for those not as involved in the coffee world, they see the price and instantly assume high price = high quality. Like here's an example, I could spend $28 for 8 oz for some medium/city+ Kona coffee or I could spend the same amount and get something from Panama roasted by Coffee Project in NY spend less and get an interesting Ugandan from Perc down in Savannah or get some really interesting blends from Colorfull in Montreal. To me it's a no brainer where I want to spend my money and what I value in coffee.
That said, if Kona is your thing, do it. Everyone should drink what they want and not be concerned about what others think, but for me, Kona is pretty uninteresting.
I have seen prices going up, but luckily one of the local coffee companies had their coffee on sale this week so I was able to stock up. So at least I can avoid the brunt of this temporarily.