The Sprudge Report - Cups, Swaps, And Crops
Plus a new coffee guide to a historic Spanish city.
A coffee guide to Granada
Barcelona and Madrid may be the more obvious stars in the Spanish specialty coffee map, but Granada is making a case. Like its northern neighbors, the southern Andalusian city is experiencing a coffee renaissance, driven by the young Granadans looking to modernize an already rich coffee tradition. This week on Sprudge, contributor Michael Butterworth takes on an exploration of some of the best cafes in Granada.
The E-Nose knows
We all love a good volatile aromatic compound in our coffee—just ask any competitive barista or USBC judge. And now researchers are using those same compounds as markers to detect a roasted coffee’s origin. I normally just look on the bag, but the science behind the new study is fascinating nonetheless.
Wine’d ‘em and grind ‘em
The coffee industry borrows a lot from the wine industry, mostly in how green coffee get processed and how we describe flavors. But now we’re borrowing their shapes too. There’s a new portable electric grinder on the market and it looks like a wine bottle. I’m not sure exactly why the X&Y Bottle Electric Coffee Grinder looks that way or what benefit it has, but that’s a wine bottle if I’ve ever seen one.
Reviving coffee production in Madagascar
Coffee has been a commercial commodity and a daily drink on the island of Madagascar since the 1800s, but the last several decades have seen domestic production of coffee disintegrate with exports out of the port of Toamasina drying up. Nowadays, though, new private commercial endeavors and government research are pushing the coffee industry towards a timely revival, buoyed by the island’s unique geography and unparalleled biodiversity. In a new feature for Sprudge Special Projects Desk, N.C. Stevens reports on the revival moment for coffee production in Indonesia, where coffee varieties such as Coffea humblotiana and Coffeea ratelo hold promising possibilities for coffee’s genetic diversity.
A taste of spring at Pachamama
Sacramento’s Pachamama Coffee has rolled out their spring menu and are we ever ready for those cool sunny days. The menu includes drinks like Olive Oil Lattes, Lavender Lattes, Cardamom Rose Lattes, and the tea-forward Strawberry Matcha, and a Pandan Matcha. As part of our On The Menu, we spoke with the team at Pachamama to learn more.
Getting Legendary at Expo
Cafe Imports’s Legendary Coffee Exchange is back for another installation and it’s happening later this month at SCA Expo in Houston. What began as a means of staying connected during COVID lockdown has bloomed into an in-person networking opportunity for roasters of all stripe. Oh yeah, and they’re giving away an Ikawa sample roaster to one lucky participant. Not too bad a haul just for doing a coffee swap.
Bigface mean-muggin’
Bigface Coffee, the brand by NBA star Jimmy Butler, has teamed up with Created Co for an all-new line of ceramicware. The Warp Collection features high-gloss white ceramics in a variety of sizes, all with an embossed Bigface logo. Time to make a little extra space in your coffee cabinet.
James Hoffmann is bigger than coffee
After it is all said and done, James Hoffmann is the winner of the 2025 Sprudge Ultimate Coffee Bracket Challenge. The Finals was close, but Hoffmann ultimately edged out the V60 by the slimmest of margins, less than 50 votes. There are two ways to take this historic victory. One is that this is Man triumphing over Machine, centering the humans of coffee. The other is that we now like influencers more than the things they are supposed to be influencing. The internet has beat real life. Or maybe it's just a silly little contest for us all to have a little bit of harmless fun. You be the judge.
Roaster’s Village
We’re highlighting outstanding coffees from some of our favorite roasting partners each week here in the newsletter. This week’s selection of tasty coffees are…
Klatch Coffee – Songbird Seasonal Blend
THE BARN – Bali Karana Carbonic Maceration
Heartwood Coffee – Nicaragua La Esperanza Natural
Equator Coffees – Super Bloom Blend
Madcap Coffee – Colombia Santiago Patiño
PERC – Colombia Los Nogales Yellow Bourbon
Dune Coffee Roasters – Ecuador Hacienda La Papaya Anaerobic Sidra
Pachamama Coffee – Perú
Passenger Coffee – Colombia Lucas Melo
Partners Coffee – Colombia Vladimir Calambás
Phil & Sebastian – Colombia Jose Cuellar Pink Bourbon & Bourbon Aji
Night Swim Coffee – Ethiopia Nano Genji #6
La Barba Coffee – Ecuador Pepe Jijon Typica Wave
Stumptown Coffee Roasters – Hair Bender
Sightglass Coffee Roasters – Spring Equinox
Olympia Coffee – Colombia San Sebastian Reserva
Mr. Espresso – Java Gunung Tikukur, Washed Process
Verve Coffee Roasters – Kenya Gura AA
Onyx Coffee Lab – Colombia Tio Conejo Gesha Natural
Joe Coffee – Honduras Rubí Sisters Catuaí
CXFFEEBLACK – Fruit Of Our Labor
New job listings from Sprudge Jobs
Equator Coffees - Cafe General Manager - Sonoma, CA
Mill City Roasters - Warehouse Worker - Minneapolis, MN
Mill City Roasters - Designer & Brand Strategist - Minneapolis, MN
PERC - Shop Managers - Atlanta and Savannah, GA
Captain + Stoker Coffee Roasters - Shop Manager - Monterey, CA
La Marzocco - Sales Support Assistant - Seattle, WA
Better Brands - Service Technicians - New York, NY
Better Brands - Tech Apprentices - New York, NY
Stumptown Coffee Roasters - Manager of Business Development, National Accounts - Portland, OR
Do you have a news tip? Feedback? A funny joke? Send us an e-mail, use the contact form on Sprudge, leave a message at 1-888-55-SPRUDGE, or send us a letter at P.O. Box 3943 Portland, OR 97218.