Continuing our Year in Review, we now look back on some of the biggest coffee science and research-related stories of 2023.
It was a particularly abundant year for scholars in the fields of green coffee and sustainability, coffee consumption and quality control, and, of course, coffee and human health.
Here’s our roundup of the biggest stories in each of those areas:
Green Coffee and Sustainability
Study: Climate Change Increasing ‘Systemic Shocks’ to Coffee Production
The global coffee industry can expect increasing and “ongoing systemic shocks” to coffee production due to climate change, according to new research published this month in the journal PLOS Climate… read more
Study: Coffee Industry at High Risk Due to Climate Change, Land Use and Pollinator Loss
A new study suggests that the loss of pollinators due to climate change and tropical deforestation will have a pronounced effect in the global coffee industry, further threatening the livelihoods of farmers while affecting global trade… read more
Researchers Point to Liberica as the Next Major Coffee Crop Species
Drastic disruptions in the global supply stream may soon open the door for the commercial proliferation of Coffea Liberica, a.k.a. liberica, a coffee species that has long existed in the shadows of arabica and robusta… read more
Study Explores Costs and Profitability in ‘Specialty Coffee’ Production
The research was focused on coffee farmers in the neighboring countries of Honduras and El Salvador, both of which export a relatively high percentage of specialty coffee, as opposed to conventional coffee… read more
‘Naturally Decaffeinated’ Coffee Plant Study Enters Decisive Stage in Brazil
Researchers at the IAC have been pursuing low- to no-caffeine coffee plant development for more than 20 years… read more
Royal Coffee Releases the ‘World History and Geography of Arabica Cultivars’
Bay Area-based coffee trading company Royal Coffee has released an engrossing historical interpretation of the coffee family tree, called the World History and Geography of Arabica Cultivars… read more
Researchers Write New Chapter in the History of the Arabica Species
In a groundbreaking study published last month, researchers shed new light on the early movements of the arabica coffee species that took place centuries ago, pinpointing genetic clusters and domestication routes in commercial coffee’s infancy… read more
World Coffee Research Launches Public Database for Arabica Fingerprinting
The database is freely accessible to private and public labs for coffee variety verification using “SNP markers,” molecular genetic markers that can be analyzed more quickly and at a lower cost than other genetic markers, according to the nonprofit group… read more
Coffee Consumption and Quality
Study: These Types of Single-Serve Coffee Capsules Are Worst for the Environment
After conducting a sustainability assessment of three different types of single-use coffee capsules by material type, researchers in The Netherlands concluded that conventional plastic is the worst for the environment in terms of recyclability and circularity… read more
Researchers Begin to Demystify Fermented Coffee Aroma and Flavor
A group of researchers from the Coffee Excellence Center at Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) this week shed new light on what makes the flavors and aromas of certain specialty coffees stand out on the cupping table… read more
Study: A Pre-Grind Spritz Can Improve Espresso by Reducing Static and Clumping
New research suggests that adding a touch of moisture to roasted whole bean coffee just before grinding can result in less static electricity and clumping, resulting in more consistent and intense espresso… read more
New Research Explains How Finer Grinds May Lead to Weaker Espresso
Research published yesterday shines a new light on a counterintuitive phenomenon in espresso craft, when finer grinds may lead to underdeveloped, or “weaker,” espresso… read more
SCA Paper Questions Roles and Skills Associated with Coffee Cupping
A new white paper from the international Specialty Coffee Association makes the case that professional coffee cuppers have evolved to become critical communicators of value… read more
German Coffee Association Completes Espresso Extraction Research
The German Coffee Association (Deutscher Kaffeeverband) and a prominent German food science nonprofit have published initial results of a three-year research project on espresso extraction… read more
Coffee and Health
Study: Regularly Drinking Coffee Reduces COVID-19 Infection Risk
After conducting in vitro lab testing of human cells, as well as a human trial involving 64 participants given a SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus, the research team concluded that drinking coffee every day might be a useful dietary tool in preventing infection in individuals… read more
Study Finds Coffee with Milk May Increase Anti-Inflammatory Effect
Coffee that is combined with milk may double the natural anti-inflammatory properties of immune cells, according to research published this week in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry… read more
Study: Coffee Consumption May Help Keep Blood Pressure Down
Researchers in Italy have concluded that regular moderate coffee consumption may contribute to lower blood pressure markers associated with arterial stiffening and cardiovascular disease… read more
Study: The Experience of Drinking Coffee is What Fully Jumpstarts the Brain
New research suggests that it is the experience of drinking coffee, not solely the caffeine bump, that gives people a boost in alertness and efficiency… read more
Study Says Acids in Coffee Byproducts Safe for Human Consumption
New research from Germany may ultimately help pave the way for additional commercialization of beverages derived from coffee byproducts… read more
Study: Music and Coffee Can Make Brains Work Better
New research suggests that drinking coffee and listening to music are two everyday activities that can improve cognitive performance, specifically in tasks requiring concentration and memory… read more
Study Associates Moderate Coffee Drinking with Reduced Depression and Anxiety
A recent study from researchers in China associates two to three cups of coffee per day with the lowest risk of both anxiety and depression among all coffee drinkers and non-coffee-drinkers alike… read more
Study: Common Coffee Toxicants Cannot Be Simultaneously Reduced in Roasting
New research suggests that simultaneously mitigating the presence of two common food-born toxicants in roasted coffee is impossible, since one increases with longer, darker roasts, while the other decreases… read more
Study: Unsweetened Coffee Associated with Reduced Weight Gain
A new study involving more than 100,000 participants found that drinking unsweetened coffee was associated with a reduction in weight gain among adults… read more
Study: Coffee Consumption Associated with Reduced Frailty Later in Life
Adults who regularly drink coffee in their midlife adult years may have significantly reduced physical frailty later in life, according to a new study involving 12,000 participants… read more
