Coffee & Climate Change

Last November, we wrote about how the excessive rains in India were adjusting the forecast coffee exports from that country, and they have now reported a 21% decrease in exportable coffee during the 2008 - 2009 growing season. But it's mostly about when the rains hit -- they reported in June of this year that heavy summer rains will likely result in a 17% increase in coffee exports for the 2009 - 2010 growing season that begins on October 1st. Because we're working with an agricultural product, the flavor nuances and fluctuations created by the weather really do inform the more artistic elements of coffee overall. The 'third wave' of the espresso industry (which Eric from Seattle Espresso Machine Co. and Sam of Equal Exchange talk about in this video) was largely brought about by the ability to source very specific beans from estates around the world. Instead of buying huge blended batches of beans from an exporter, roasters started to go to the plantations themselves and trying different coffee beans, charting how they changed over time -- sometimes the plantations produced an amazing coffee, other times they would maybe be just good or not-so-great. Obviously, the specific plants and the altitude/growing style, as well as how the coffee is processed, will inform the flavor, but a big unknown every year is how the weather impacts the growing cycle. Similarly to how wine vintages are known for having a particularly good weather year, imbuing the grapes with the perfect balance of sugar and acids to make a great bottle of wine, the coffee cherries themselves produce different flavors every year depending on how the weather was in a particular region. This is why a blend you loved a few years ago may have changed in flavor over time -- and why there is often a little bit more art than science involved with making really great espresso. The Fair Trade/Direct Trade movements over the past few decades have helped bring about the opportunity to appreciate coffee on this very micro level, but while they have done a lot to contribute to the sustainable and cultural development of farming communities around the world, this excellent article by The Guardian outlines how contending with global climate change will require a more comprehensive, orchestrated approach. Last year, the rains hit India at the wrong time -- a long drought resulted in intense flooding once the rains finally came -- and this year they arrived at just the right time. That's not always going to be the case; in fact, the global climate change projections indicate that this bust-then-boom weather is likely to increase. Given that coffee is the top tropical commodity in the world, and given that most of the farmers who grow it already spend a few months of year in poverty -- despite Fair Trade/Direct Trade/sustainable movements -- this is not a pretty picture on the horizon.