Coffee fans - best stock up

[dowie]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...are-climbing-and-roasters-are-switching-beans

The world is facing a desperate shortfall of arabica coffee, the variety that gives the smoothest flavor and makes up about 60% of world production. Supplies were decimated after extreme weather destroyed crops, and with a La Nina pattern forecast through early 2022 expected to further hurt yields, it could take years for the market to recover. Arabica prices are surging to reflect the mounting crisis, while global shipping congestion is making it even harder to get beans where they are needed.

I guess there is bound to be a lag with this sort of stuff - plenty of coffee available in my local shops right now but it looks like it might be worth getting a few extra jars in now as the price is quite likely to rise a bit and/or the coffee replaced with robusta.

 

[dowie]

Does it keep well across years, I presume thats how long a seasonal failure can affect pricing

Depends - instant stuff fo sure, stuff bought now can go into 2023... though instant brands can be a mixture of robusta and arabica beans.

Ditto with tins of say ground coffee - I think I've got some illy tins I bought in summer 2020 which have an expiry in 2022.

Jars? You heathen

LOL fair, but sometimes I like an instant coffee too.

 

[dowie]

I'm not an upmarket coffee connoisseur, what's the outlook for good label instant stuff from the usual brands?

Shortages of most stuff I can adapt to toilet but take my coffee and I'll go feral

Well it's not going to vanish but either it might get expensive or the blends might have to change - taste might become more bitter if they rely more on robusta beans etc..

For example Nescafe ordinary, gold and Azera Americano use a blend of arabica and robusta beans AFAIK, it's arabica beans that are going to be scarce so I guess they could change the blend? In which case it might just taste worse! Or it could become more expensive.

Nescafe gold Alta Rica and Cap Colombia ranges use 100% arabica beans - those will probably become more expensive or perhaps just not be available.

If you have one of those stovetop espresso makers and use the ground illy beans they're to be 100% Arabica as is their instant coffee product too.

 

[dowie]

Until you can evaluate a £19 Aldi coffee machine by its every single action, you've got no dog in this fight

And this is why I get my coffee from Pret. £20 a month, as many coffees as I can drink. Sorted.

FML he's actually plotted the temperature changes.

He definitely looks like the kind of guy who is too into coffee!

TFW you meet your new GF's friends in the pub and that type of guy is there, you assume he's her gay BFF or something but no, he's actually straight and really into her so not happy at all with you.

Wears a man bag. Has a windows phone & surface pro.

Probably upset that Saab doesn't make cars anymore.