Features

Australian dairy

Dairy in danger

Milk is an integral part of the Australian coffee industry, but prolonged droughts and climate change are placing increased pressure and a greater need for support on dairy farmers. Multiple studies, research organisations, and industry bodies have come to the consensus that by 2050, demand for coffee will double while suitable land for production will fall to half of what it is today. 
Read More
Riverina Fresh

Riverina Fresh: Heart of the land

Riverina Fresh has been producing dairy products since 1922. Twenty local farmers are responsible for its award-winning milk and hope to continue their profession for generations to come. The morning sunrise casts a pink glow over Simone and Neil Jolliffe’s property in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales. It’s a frosty start to the day at 3°C but the 250 Holstein Friesian cows lined up for the morning milking don’t seem to mind. They take their orderly position one behind the other like they’re waiting in line for a footy finals ticket. Like any diehard fan, there’s a bit of argy-bargy to ensure a prime position, but they all get their turn in the herringbone dairy, with the reward of a feed for their efforts. 
Read More
Jamaican coffee

Jamaican coffee’s hidden value

John Russell Storey of Cofi-Com describes the value of Jamaica’s smallholder producers and the value of shade cover in the Caribbean island nation. When people think of the island country of Jamaica, thoughts immediately turn to a love of reggae and the Jamaican bobsled team, made famous in the 1994 movie Cool Runnings about four Jamaican athletes who formed a bobsled dream to fulfill their dreams of competing in the Winter Olympics. 
Read More
Christopher Hendon

Coffee chemistry with Christopher Hendon

Dr. Christopher Hendon discusses the impact of water chemistry, freezing coffee, mathematical models, and artificial intelligence on cup quality. Dr. Christopher Hendon’s current employer, the University of Oregon, touts him as “Dr. Coffee”. He’s an expert in coffee science, and his research into how water chemistry and grind temperature affect flavour have been used and discussed on stage at the World Barista Championship (WBC) many times. 
Read More
Toby's Estate

How Toby’s Estate remains on the front foot

BeanScene talks to Toby’s Estate about how the established coffee roaster continues to grow and innovate while maintaining its quality and connection to origin. Not many coffee roasters have the capacity or expertise to produce seven different single origins a month, but Toby’s Estate is one of them.
Read More
Casa De Cha Specialty tea

Tea roasters of Wuyishan

Bradley Cahill and Mafalda Moutinho of Casa De Cha explore the teas that forever changed their minds, hearts, and business. The tea roasters of Wuyi work tirelessly day and night throughout spring. Beads of perspiration and smoky tears pour from their faces as they patiently and skilfully tend to their Yancha oolongs in temperature-controlled roasting rooms that commonly exceed 100°C.
Read More
ASCA

ASCA says thanks

ASCA celebrates not only the champions but those who make the competitions possible each and every year. Our 2020 Regional Championship season is now well underway, and while I know everyone is focused on the stars of the show – our baristas, one of whom will represent Australia on the world stage in each discipline – I’d like to draw attention to some of our hard-working volunteers.
Read More
NZSCA education

NZSCA puts education first

The New Zealand Specialty Coffee Association (NZSCA) is committed to providing training to the NZ coffee community that can be passed on. Becoming a professional barista is often compared to learning how to drive a car or play a musical instrument. Different schools of thought exist around teaching methods, what’s important to know, and which equipment to use. Regardless, the end goal remains the same, and fundamental skills need to be structured, consistent, and cohesive. Then, you can build on those with practise, practise, and more practise.
Read More
CQI Fairtrade PNG coffee

CQI and Fairtrade on the potential quality of PNG coffee

Fairtrade is providing small-scale producers in Papua New Guinea with access to advanced training to improve the quality and consistency of their coffee. Not long ago, Papua New Guinea was one of the leading suppliers of coffee to Australia, providing more than half the nation’s imports. However, after PNG gained independence in the 1970s and quotas and duties were lifted off other origins in the 1980s, Australia began looking elsewhere to source its coffee.
Read More
Ona Coffee Melbourne

Ona Coffee Melbourne to open in 2020

Ona Coffee is joining the Melbourne coffee community with a Brunswick café, headquarters, and training academy set to open in 2020. Melbourne is often touted as one of the coffee capitals of the world, alongside the likes of Seattle, London, and Milan. This is in no small part due to the city’s many specialty roasters emphasising innovation and development, community engagement and education, and coffee quality and sustainability.
Read More