STiR coffee and tea magazine

8 STiR coffee and tea | 2023 Issue 1 (February / March) Point of View Editor & Publisher Glenn Anthony John glenn@coffeetea.media Managing Editor Brian Mertens brian@octobermultimedia.com Art Director Somjet Thitasomboon snt@octobermultimedia.com Sales Director Emerson Leonard edl@octobermultimedia.com Tea Correspondent Dan Bolton tea@coffeetea.media Coffee Correspondent coffee@coffeetea.media Special Correspondent Thomas Schmid Contributing Writers Dan Engel (Europe) Eugene Gerdin (Russia) Bethany Haye (Colombia) Sherri Johns (U.S.) Sunalini Menon (India) Shem Oirere (Africa) Carrie Pallardy (U.S.) Administrative Assistant Sommai Jekaram asj@octobermultimedia.com Subscriptions Malisa Kongkatitum malisa@stir-tea-coffee.com Translations (China) TC Online Director, October Inter Co., Ltd. Boonthin Tubsongkroh brt@octobermultimedia.com c/o October Inter Co. Ltd. Interchange 21 Bldg., 32nd Fl., Room 3225, 399 Sukhumvit Road, North Klong Toey, Wattana, Bangkok, 10110, Thailand Tel +66 2 660 3789 www.stir-tea-coffee.com Published by A Member of STiR's coverage of tea in this edition includes a roundup by Aravinda Anantharaman on one of India's leading origins, the Nilgiris Hills, in and around the far southern state of Tamil Nadu (pages 32–35). Tea lovers know this region for its orthodox black tea as well as a growing array of other specialty leaf including green, white, and oolong. The industry relies on Nilgiris for blends, iced teas, and CTC. As in other regions, growers in Nilgiris need to invest in re- vamping farms, processing, marketing, and collaboration in order to earn higher prices and ensure viability. In a new section, "Culture of Coffee and Tea," STiR features a too-brief excerpt from a stun- ning large-format book, The Life of Tea: A Journey to the World's Finest Teas, photographed by Michael Freeman and co-written by Timothy d'Offay (pages 20–23 and cover photo). The selection here highlights tea "terroir" and Pu'er tea. It's an award-winning volume that captures the mystique of tea, documenting some of the world's most important living cultural heritage, much of it threatened. Not to be missed. In coverage of sustainability, STiR looks at the operations of Neumann Kaffee Gruppe, the green coffee company based in Hamburg, Germany (pages 24–26). Working with farms, cooperatives, and other suppliers, the company integrates environmental, social, and eco- nomic performance monitoring and improvement into its operations at every level. Coffee's future viability is far from certain, mandating sustained efforts by industry stakeholders. Green coffee suppliers like NKG and its peers can play an especially important role given their position close to growers and communities. Their increasing efforts to document their sustainability work can help inform and encourage other stakeholders. Looking at sustainability farther down the supply chain, STiR talks to Germany's Probat about their pioneering work to develop and commercialize coffee roasters heated by hy- drogen, the zero-carbon fuel of the future (pages 16–19). Chief technology officer Thomas Koziorowski explains how their hydrogen roasters are not flashy "concept cars" intended to impress. They are already viable, practical options for roasting operations that want to improve their sustainability KPIs. Europe's Green Deal, announced in December, will have an impact on the world's coffee producers, which will have to invest in increasing the traceability of their products to show that they are not linked to deforestation, as reported by Mariana Proenca, a veteran coffee journalist based in São Paolo (pages 28–30). Brazil's woeful lapses in protecting its forests in the Amazon region stand in contrast to better performance in other parts of the vast nation, where strict regulation and enforcement is the norm. Coffee farming, for its part, is causing little deforestation in Brazil these days, unlike farming of soybeans and cattle. Some Brazilian coffee producers believe that they will cope alright with Europe's new regulation. Tighter international rules could even help to highlight the strengths of nation's sophisticated coffee industry, including tangible progress in its sustain- ability journey. Also in Brazil, STiR reports on the recent Cup of Excellence awards and auctions that cel- ebrated the best of the nation's specialty coffee production (pages 36–38). In a coffee-loving producer country like Brazil, where the Cup of Excellence was born, the contest results are headline news. STiR's Colombia correspondent Bethany Haye surveys the winners and tells it like it is. Brian Mertens Managing Editor

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