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Dubai – Ali Al Zakry | Qahwa World On May 4, the European Commission published its “simplification” package for the Deforestation Regulation. Some saw it as genuine relief. Others called it cosmetic. Dr Steffen Schwarz described the EUDR as an administrative monster. Qahwa World opened this file from the beginning. We spoke to six experts

Dr. Steffen Schwarz, an expert in applied coffee science, believes that a gradual yet decisive transformation is underway in Europe’s coffee preferences. Canephora beans (commonly known as Robusta) are quietly gaining ground over Arabica, which has long dominated the continent’s coffee culture. Schwarz refers to this as a “silent shift,” driven not only by economic

Author: Dr. Steffen Schwarz Date: May 21, 2026 Executive Summary: A green coffee defect is not an object but a trace. It is the visible end of an invisible process that may begin with overripe cherries, drought stress, insect damage, poor drying, or inadequate storage. Defects have families: extrinsic (stones, sticks, husks) cause physical damage

Netherlands – Ali Azakary | Qahwa World On May 4, the European Commission published its “simplification” package for the Deforestation Regulation. Some saw it as genuine relief. Others called it cosmetic. Qahwa World concludes its interview series with industry experts. After Dr. Steffen Schwarz, Kim Thompson, Burke Campbell, John Seroney, and Michael Trung, our sixth

Vietnam – Ali Azakary | Qahwa World On May 4, the European Commission published its “simplification” package for the Deforestation Regulation. Some saw it as genuine relief. Others called it cosmetic. Qahwa World continues its interview series with industry experts. After Dr. Steffen Schwarz from Germany, Kim Thompson from Dubai, Burke Campbell from Honduras, and

Kenya – Ali Azakary | Qahwa World On May 4, the European Commission published its “simplification” package for the Deforestation Regulation. Some saw it as genuine relief. Others called it cosmetic. Qahwa World continues its interview series with industry experts. After Dr. Steffen Schwarz from Germany, Kim Thompson from Dubai, and Burke Campbell from Honduras,

Dubai – Ali Azakary | Qahwa World On May 4, the European Commission published its “simplification” package for the Deforestation Regulation. Some saw it as genuine relief. Others called it cosmetic. Qahwa World continues its interview series with industry experts. After Dr. Steffen Schwarz from Germany and Kim Thompson from Dubai, our third guest is

Dubai – Ali Azakary | Qahwa World On May 4, the European Commission published its “simplification” package for the Deforestation Regulation. Some saw it as genuine relief. Others called it cosmetic. Qahwa World continues its interview series with industry experts. After Dr. Steffen Schwarz from Germany, our second guest is Kim Thompson, Co-Founder of RAW

By Ali Al Zakry · Investigative Journalism · May 11, 2026. In this report, we explore EUDR simplification and feature coffee industry voices on the topic. Soluble coffee is in, leather out, geolocation stays, but is the global coffee chain ready for 30 December 2026? Six experts from four continents give their verdict. On 4

By: Dr. Steffen Schwarz, Coffee Consulate The future of circular coffee will not be determined by innovation alone, but by whether standards, policies and institutions recognise what coffee is becoming before the market moves on. For many years, the coffee industry focused on taste, trade and technology, while policy was mostly background noise through customs,

Why the future of coffee may depend not only on what ends up in the cup, but on how the industry learns to use everything beyond it. By Dr. Steffen Schwarz  The modern coffee industry has become exceptionally skilled at valuing one thing with remarkable precision: the bean. Across the global supply chain, coffee seeds

By Dr. Steffen Schwarz How a shade-grown origin once hidden behind state control and instant exports is being rediscovered through climate pressure, stronger roasting capacity, and a fast-maturing café culture. India has long been one of the world’s major coffee producers — yet for decades, it remained largely invisible in the global specialty conversation. The

By Dr. Steffen Schwarz If you stand at the edge of a coffee farm at dawn, the industry looks almost impossibly fragmented. It is a mosaic of small plots and a patchwork of varieties where thousands of decisions are made by hand: when to prune, when to fertilize, and when to pick. Multiply that landscape

By Dr. Steffen Schwarz, Coffee Consulate There is a peculiar irony in the coffee business: we have spent more than a century perfecting how we roast, grind, extract, foam, chill, carbonate, nitrogen-infuse and brand a seed, while the plant that produces it has been standing all along as a far larger, greener biomass—photosynthesising, defending itself,

By: Dr. Steffen Schwarz We are instinctively drawn to what we can see. A ripening coffee cherry that blushes from green to red. A glossy crema that signals freshness. A rust lesion that alarms us because it is visible proof that something is wrong. Yet the most decisive actors in coffee, in agriculture, and even

How flavour molecules, memory, and culture quietly rewrite the same espresso in the minds of experts and customers alike Dr. Steffen Schwarz There is a particular moment, just after the demitasse has been set down, when espresso becomes less a beverage than a negotiation between physics and expectation. The crema still holds its heat, volatile

How an ancient hybridisation in East Africa, a handful of historical bottlenecks and a quiet tug-of-war between subgenomes still shape aroma, sweetness, acidity and resilience in modern coffee. BY: Dr. Steffen Schwarz, Coffee Consulate If coffee were a person, Coffea arabica would be the one with the complicated family history, the enviable charisma, and an

By Dr. Steffen Schwarz Few challenges weigh more heavily on coffee’s future than climate change. Coffee is a climate-sensitive crop, with both Arabica and Canephora varieties thriving only within narrow temperature and rainfall ranges. Even slight shifts in these conditions can significantly affect yields and reduce suitable cultivation areas. Scientific consensus is sobering: if current

By Dr. Steffen Schwarz As coffee production has globalised, so too has its consumption. Once dominated by Europe and North America—particularly Scandinavian countries and Italy—the world’s coffee scene is witnessing a dynamic shift. Today, a new wave of consumption is sweeping across emerging markets, especially within traditional coffee-producing nations that historically exported nearly all their

By Dr. Steffen Schwarz  Once centered in Africa and Latin America, the global map of coffee production has dramatically evolved in recent decades. New producers have risen to prominence, shifting the balance of global supply and reshaping the coffee trade. At the forefront of this transformation is Vietnam, whose meteoric rise represents one of the

By Dr. Steffen Schwarz (Coffee Consulate) & Qahwa World Editorial TeamPublished: August 6, 2025 In the cool pre-dawn of Ethiopia’s highlands, a smallholder farmer tends ancient arabica coffee trees – the same species first brewed by monks centuries ago. Halfway around the world in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, rows of robusta plants line the red soil,

by Dr. Steffen Schwarz, Coffee Consulate In today’s connected kitchens, a single tap on a smartphone can activate a grinder, ignite a kettle, and tailor a brewing profile with precision. Within seconds, a notification pings: Brew ready in 1:25 – enjoy your washed Castillo from Nariño. What once relied on hands-on craftsmanship now operates through

By Dr. Steffen Schwarz | Coffee Consulate – Applied Coffee Science Deep within Colombia’s lush coffee-growing regions—where humid air mingles with volcanic soil and the aroma of ripe coffee cherries—an invisible transformation unfolds inside each bean. It’s not just fermentation shaping the taste of your morning brew; it’s a microscopic migration of acids and sugars

As the global coffee sector seeks innovative ways to boost sustainability and profitability, fresh attention is turning to one of its most overlooked resources: the by-products of the coffee cherry. In a recent expert essay titled “The Hidden Wealth of the Cherry — Rethinking Waste in the Coffee Economy,” Dr. Steffen Schwarz of Coffee Consulate

In the intricate world of espresso, every detail influences the final taste. Recent research highlights the significant role of water quality—specifically pH and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)—in crafting the perfect espresso experience. By studying how water affects the release of carbon dioxide (CO₂) during brewing, scientists are uncovering new insights into enhancing espresso’s flavor and

International Coffee Convention: Unveiling Real, Science-Based, Sustainable Solutions for the Coffee Industry Foreword: In an era marked by profound global changes, the coffee industry confronts significant challenges shaped by climate fluctuations, evolving consumer preferences, sustainability imperatives, and digital transformations. These formidable issues necessitate innovative and sustainable solutions to secure the future of coffee production. The

By: Dr. Steffen Schwarz, Coffee Consulate There is a word in coffee that has done more damage than most people realise. It is short, convenient, commercially familiar, and scientifically careless. The Coffea canephora Robusta myth is a prime example of how a term can become misleading in the world of coffee. For decades, the global