Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/1098730
12 STiR coffee and tea / Issue 2, 2019 (April / May) NEWS Thai Specialty Winners Top $400 Pound Results of this year's Thai Specialty Coffee Awards, a countrywide coffee competition, rivaled well known and marketed global coffee competitions and auctions with a winning bid of $418.48 per pound (THB26,500). The March 16 auction winner is from Khun Chang Kien, the first area where coffee was grown in Thailand. According to the farmer, his trees are not mixed with other varietals which is why it is thought to have such unique flavors. Unlike other coffee producing countries, who first focused on exporting their quality green coffee, Thailand's internal consumption of specialty coffee is growing. Top end Thai cafes and roasters are changing the face of specialty coffee. The buyers of these award-winning coffees were all Thai. The quality of Thai specialty coffee is not well known outside of Thailand due to limited quantities. Ethiopia, Panama, and Brazilian coffees can all be found in cafes, but Thailand's 90% import duty on imported coffee favors the local landscape. Lots were priced between the Best of Panama's record-setting $803 per pound Gesha and a Cup of Excellence lot from Costa Rica purchased for $300. Entries from Chang Mai are very small lots. One hundred and thirty-eight samples received and coded by the Specialty Coffee Association of Thailand (SCATH) and screened for defects and moisture. Ninety were accepted. Each sample was roasted to the protocol of SCA for cupping and competition transparency. A national jury of certified cuppers were selected and after calibration, cupped each sample. Qualifying samples went to semifinals as the top 20 and the best 10 were recorded and cupped at the annual Thailand Coffee Festival in a public setting. In 2013, Thai coffee players at the time gathered together and formed Good Quality Coffee and in 2014, coffee farmers, roasters, specialty coffee shops, baristas, and coffee professionals joined in. The name was changed to Thailand Quality Coffee aka TQC. In 2015, TQC decided officially to aim for specialty coffee enhancement in Thailand. SCATH was established and registered with the Thai government. SCATH has played a major role in educating the consumer on the attributes of specialty, not only in flavor profiles, but also sustainability. Learn more: scath.org — By Sherri Johns Thai Specialty Coffee Awards competition Photo by Sherri Johns/STiR Researchers Endorse Shade-Grown Coffee Coffee grown in full sun generally produces higher yields but researchers at Columbia University and Cornell who ap- plied an economic model to shade-grown coffee suggest farmers will benefit from higher price premiums. Author Juan Nicolás Hernandez-Aguilera said farmers can optimize coffee profits by converting one-thirds to two-thirds of their acreage to shade-grown. Shade-grown coffee that mimics a forest structure, lowers temperatures, conserves water, and supports wildlife. A single bird can save 23-65 pounds of coffee per hectare every year from pests. Although increased use of fertilizer and pesticides lead to higher crop yields it exacts a significant cost to wildlife populations and human health, according to Hernandez- Aguilera, a post-doctoral scientist at Columbia's Interna- tional Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI). Using fewer agrochemicals is more environmentally- friendly but requires farmers to face increased risks of losing crops to pests and disease. "Our estimates can guide the design of market-based mechanisms that aim to promote sustainable practices in coffee," Hernandez-Aguilera says. "While this image of shade-grown coffee is a romantic one, especially for those of us actively imagining how sustainable agriculture should look, farmers are not likely to change their systems unless it makes sense financially," according to IRI. The paper appears the journal Ecological Economics. Learn more: iri.columbia.edu Burger King's $5 Monthly Subscription Burger King in March announced an unusual $5 per month coffee subscription that gives customers a small cup a day. The fast-feeder charges $1 a cup for regular coffee making this an attractive offer for those craving caffeine. The initial promo targets Starbucks by comparing the price of a monthly subscription to a single cup of cappuccino. Since the offer excludes lattes, frozen, and iced coffees it has less appeal to coffee shop regulars but promises to be a strong enticement for breakfast customers currently visiting McDonald's or a nearby Dunkin'. Restaurant Brands International c.e.o. Jose Cil, formerly president of Burger King, says subscriptions "are a good way to bring people in, raise some excitement at Burger King." The company recently unveiled a Burger King Cafe brand like the successful McDonald's McCafe. Burger King is the first fast-food restaurant to offer any kind of subscription.