The Sprudge Report - Sustainability & The Private Jet
Plus a riveting new Sprudge Twenty interview.
Dr. Sunalini Menon: The Sprudge Twenty Interview
Dr. Sunalini Menon is arguably one of the most influential people in coffee today, and she is someone we are honored to include as part of the 2024 class of the Sprudge Twenty. In this sprawling interview, Dr. Menon talks about her over 50 years in the coffee industry, starting all the way by in 1971 as an an Assistant Cup Taster with the Coffee Board of India. A true living legend.
Getting beefy with coffee
Last week’s news wasn’t all that great for coffee drinkers approaching old age. But it’s a new week and new research has some more promising findings. The new study finds a positive association between coffee consumption and skeletal muscle mass, and it’s especially beneficial for older individuals with sarcopenia, a chronic disease that causes decreases in skeletal muscle mass and function.
Mile High Coffee
Denver has been one of the most exciting coffee scenes in the country for many years now, and here in 2024 that doesn’t appear to be slowing down. That’s why it was time we returned to take a look at what is exciting Mile High City with our latest city guide to Denver, Colorado.
Snoop goes to Amsterdam
Speaking of a mile high, Snoop Dogg. The rapper turned Olympics host has just opened his own coffeeshop in Amsterdam. Coffeeshop not coffee shop. The world’s most famous marijuana proponent opened SWED (for Smoke Weed Every Day) earlier this month in Amsterdam, making it the second of the brand’s storefronts following the opening of the LA dispensary.
Builds roll on
We’ve got three new Build-Outs of Coffee for you this week, starting off with Another Round in Portland, Maine, the latest installation of board game cafes combining table-top adventures and high-quality coffee. Next we headed north of the border to check in with Oughtred Coffee in Delta, British Columbia, whose quality- and sustainability-focused roastery will be opening at any moment. And finally, we’re going to back Denton, the North Texas college town that is home to Record Coffee Supply, a new cafe sharing a space with a bike shop and two tattoo parlors!
A coffee shop with a tennis court?!
We love a wild coffee concept, and the newest cafe destination by Indonesia’s Common Grounds Coffee Roaster is maybe one of the most ambitious yet. The Menteng Tennis Club in Jakarta combines a high end coffee shop experience with a full-size tennis court, with the whole thing drawing heavy inspiration from the red clay of Rolland Garros.
All About Coffee, a Page by Page Podcast
All About Coffee is William Harrison Ukers’s 800-page classic all about coffee. And what better way to take in such a lengthy work than in a page-by-page podcast? That’s what is the latest offering from Covoya’s The Exchange Podcast Network, and it feature Chief Storyteller Mike Ferguson taking the long road on one of the most important coffee books ever written.
Press release news
It’s an event-filled press release round up, starting off with the return of the Ljubljana Coffee Festival in Slovenia, which will bring together some of the country’s biggest names in coffee under one roof next month. Next up was FoamAroma, whose brand refresh by Black Sheep will premier at Coffee Fest LA this weekend!
A secret memo from Starbucks Corporate
Last week news broke that Starbucks fired their CEO Laxman Narasimhan and would be replacing him with Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol. Then this week, it was uncovered that Niccol would be using the corporate jet to commute to Seattle from Newport Beach at least three times a week. Sprudge got their hands on a secret (and not at all made up for the sake of satire) internal memo between Starbucks and the new CEO, which we are bravely reprinting in full.
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…
The Barn—EL VERGEL
EL VERGEL is a true exploration of Colombian terroir. A washed coffee with delicious depth, this is a sweet espresso with complex character. In the cup, this is a Colombian with real depth. Leaning towards sweetness, we find the pleasing notes of caramel and vanilla. Hints of berry and bubblegum add sweet complexity, with a gentle malic acidity on the finish.
Equator Coffees—Colombia Saldaña Regenerative Organic Certified®
This sweet, balanced, and approachable single origin coffee was produced by family-owned farms in Saldaña. These farmers have been reinvesting in agricultural sustainability & higher coffee quality, as demonstrated by their commitment to regenerative and organic farming practices.
Partners Coffee—Mexico – Hermanos Luna
The García Luna brothers belong to a producer group of mostly younger farmers in the community of San Vicente Yogondoy, Oaxaca. Most of the coffee planted here is a variety called pluma hidalgo (or simply pluma), a local mutation of typica. This lot is comforting and approachable with notes of milk chocolate, orange zest, caramel, baking spice, cashew butter, and dark honey elevated by red apple and white grape.
Olympia Coffee—Kamwangi AA Micro Lot 18
Out of hundreds of lots tasted at origin in Kenya, this was our top pick of the harvest. Produced at Kamwangi washing station as their 18th lot of the season, this coffee features plump AA beans packed with warm flavors of orange, brown sugar, and waffle cone.
DUNE Coffee—Chito Ecuador
We are excited to share this coffee and be a part of this project for these coffees and producers. In the cup, we find many of the characteristics that coffees from Ecuador have captivated us with: from soft melon and sweet orange, with a milk chocolate character throughout.
CXFFEE BLACK—GUJI LO-FI
Decaf Ethiopian Coffee, Mountain Water Process. Candy Corn, Semi-Sweet Chocolate, Molasses. Guji Mane, Diaspora Collection
Verve Coffee Roasters—Vancouver Swiss Water Decaf
Our Vancouver Swiss Water Decaf blend highlights candied almonds in a chocolaty background. The 100% chemical-free process results in 99.99% caffeine-free coffee. Anyone who enjoys a dessert-tasting coffee will love this.
Amavida Coffee Roasters—Fero Ethiopia Sidamo
This delicate Ethiopian coffee is from Fero Cooperative in the Sidama region. It features pronounced notes of orange blossom, hibiscus, and jasmine. Certified Organic and Fair Trade.
PERC—Decaf Colombia Los Nogales
Los Nogales is the best decaf we’ve ever tasted! We were lucky enough to get our hands on some after this year’s harvest at Los Nogales farm in Colombia, and we’re so excited to share it with you. Weihong Zhang won the 2024 brewer’s cup using Los Nogales’s Decaf, which shows how special this coffee is. Look for big floral and berry flavors in the cup. We taste jasmine and honeysuckle, complemented by a sweet blackberry flavor.
Madcap Coffee—Hunapu
In Antigua, Guatemala, volcanoes dominate the horizon and local farmers cultivate the nutrient-rich soil to grow coffees of world-renowned quality. Luis Pedro Zelaya calls this region’s coffee Hunapu, after the Mayan name for the largest volcano in the region. Madcap has proudly been working with Beneficio Bella Vista and purchasing Hunapu for nine seasons now. A quintessential representation of the quality in Antigua, expect a coffee with great structure and mild acidity balanced by a syrupy, juicy sweetness. Tasting notes of milk chocolate, apricot, and raw sugar make this lot one of our favorites.
Mr. Espresso—Mexico Mayan Village — Women’s Lot
Rosalba Cifuentes Tovía came to the San Francisco Bay Area from Chiapas, Mexico, with two small children and without knowing any English. What she did know was coffee. Incredibly, she built a network within Bay Area coffee circles. It has been her passion to use her coffee expertise to uplift the people from her native community of Chiapas. Rosalba has grown Mayan Harvest into a source that represents some of the best in the region. Combined with direct traceability and an exquisite taste that brings to mind notes of cherry, cream, and panela, this is a coffee you’ll feel good about buying and better about drinking.
Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters: ETHIOPIA ADDISU KIDANE LOT #2
Phil’s favourite washed Ethiopian coffee of the season! Addisu Kidane is back with some of the finest coffee you can find in Gedeb – a region already known for some of the best coffee in all of Ethiopia. Roasted for filter/drip brewing methods – expect flavours of peach, vanilla wafer, and black tea.
Joe Coffee—Amsterdam
Rich, sweet, and comforting, Amsterdam is the perfect drip coffee option for those who seek a deeper roast profile. We select the components for this coffee for their ability to stand up to a more developed roast, without ever tasting over-roasted or smoky. Instead, we pull out classic notes of chocolate, nut, and toffee.
Sightglass Coffee—Summer Solstice
Named for the shortest night and longest day of the year, Summer Solstice is the perfect compliment for the warmer season. A time when we seek carefree adventures, experience these moments with a radiantly refreshing cup. This years blend combines beans from Ethiopia and the Ngorero region of Rwanda to create an easy-drinking beverage with fruity and bright notes of hibiscus, Meyer lemon, and honeysuckle.
Night Swim Coffee—Jairo Arcila – EF2 Natural
A masterclass in processing, the work Cofinet and Jairo Arcila’s team have done at Santa Monica and La Pradera produced a very balanced, sweet, and clear encapsulation of the best characteristics of the Java variety. Take this limited opportunity to join us in enjoying the remarkable sundried Java varietal from Quindio, Colombia. We think you’ll find your childhood in it’s limeade-like acidity, sweet and sticky strawberry frutiness, and a syrupy, lingering, chocolate-y mouth feel.
Pachamama Coffee Farmers—Peru Santa Teresa
This single origin coffee is from Pachamama Farmer Owners at COCLA cooperative in Santa Teresa Peru. Just a short trip from the slopes of Machu Picchu, the organic and shade grown farms of the cooperative are situated in prime landscape to grow world class coffee. This coffee brings forward notes of cherry chocolate and cream in each cup.
Onyx Coffee Lab—Tropical Weather
Tropical Weather is a seasonal blend that celebrates coffees from our favorite coffee producing country: Ethiopia. We take a fresh washed offering that provides delicate florals and juicy texture, and incorporate a natural processed coffee that promotes pungent fruits and natural sugars. The result is indeed better than the sum of its parts.
Stumptown Coffee Roasters—Ecuador Rancho Carmen
This coffee is a combination of small lots from a group of 35 producers in Ecuador’s southernmost province. Rancho Carmen has a lush ganache body elevating notes of raspberry jam and brown sugar in a vibrant cup.
Greater Goods Coffee Roasters—Basha Bekele
Our latest release from Ethiopia is a juicy fruit bomb from the Sidama region. Grown at the mid-bending altitude of 2000 plus meters above sea level, this coffee is a great example of how clean and beautiful extremely highgrown coffee can be. In the cup we got mouth-watering notes of dried strawberry, grape candy, and star jasmine.
Portland Coffee Roasters—Endless Summer
This summer, let your cup transport you to a place of endless sunshine and good vibes. Portland Coffee Roasters is proud to introduce Endless Summer, our brand new medium roast that captures the carefree spirit of the season in every delicious sip.
New job listings from Sprudge Jobs
Highwire Coffee Roasters - Production Lead - Oakland, CA
Prodigy Ventures/Prodigy Coffeehouse - General Manager - Denver, CO
Central Coast Coffee Tech, Inc - Experienced Coffee Technician - Santa Cruz, CA
Corvus Coffee Roasters - Production Roaster - Denver, CO
Neighborhood - Director of Coffee/Head Barista - Los Angeles, CA
Broad Porch Coffee Co - Head Roaster - Luray, VA
Thomas Hammer Coffee Roasters - Production Manager - Spokane, WA
New cafes on Sprudge Maps
Here are new cafes discoverable on our global cafe portal Sprudge Maps. Register your cafe for free—thanks to the support of La Marzocco and Pacific Barista Series.
Fuglen - Oslo, Norway
Unravel Coffee - Aspen, CO
High Five Coffee - Asheville, NC
Amateur Coffee - Omaha, NE
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.