More Controversy In Taiwanese Specialty Coffee

Modern Japanese coffee culture, especially in hubs like Tokyo, has a reputation for being some of the best, most forward thinking on the planet. But Japan also has a strong history with a decidedly more traditional approach to coffee. They’re called kissaten, and they offer a slower pace. For Sprudge’s Special Projects, contributor Taylor Bond looks at the past, present, and future of the Japanese kissaten.

Who doesn’t love an indie coffee festival? Community driven and community focused, they represent the best a coffee scene has to offer, as told by the people who make it what it is. Which is exactly what Roast Retreat is doing. Now in its fourth year, Roast Retreat is bringing together some of the best roasters in Michigan for a one-day coffeepallooza in Detroit, and tickets are on sale now.

Two weeks ago, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit Honaunau-Napoopoo on the Big Island in Hawaii. Thankfully there have been no reported casualties, but the damage done by the natural disaster has been significant. Especially for Kona coffee farms, who have had their water supply depleted. Most farms don’t have access to community water, thus they rely on rain catchment systems, and the earthquake destroyed many of them, some holding as much as 10,000 gallons.

I love a goofy little pour-over. I can’t help it. And there’s a new one-of-a-kind brewer that I both covet and am perplexed by. Inspired by the works of Rodin, the new handmade porcelain manual coffee brewer features a man’s muscly torso with a conical brewer for a head. And where the coffee comes out? Well, let’s just say, it piddles.

The Specialty Coffee Association announced this week that the European leg of the World of Coffee event series will be heading to Lisbon, Portugal for 2027. Taking place in June, it will feature three of the seven World Coffee Championships: the World Latte Art Championship, the World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship, and the World Cezve/Ibrik Championship.

We had two new Build-Outs of Coffee for you this week. We started off in Carrboro, NC, where Gray Squirrel is expanding their cafe and roastery into the space next door. Then we headed to Birmingham, AL, where Daysol Coffee Lab is bringing an Americana vibe to their new 8,000-square-foot space.

Caffeine is a necessity for many folks, but there’s such thing as too much caffeine, particularly as bed time draws near. It has led many folks to experiment with caffeine modulation, or altering to more decaf-forward coffees as the day moves on. And some coffee brands are putting their own spin on it. In her new article, Sprudge editor-at-large Jenn Chen goes deep on caffeine modulation as well as the coffee companies working in the space.

From the press desk this week, we learned about a new deck of cards, Taste-To-Ace, “created to make coffee tasting less intimidating, while helping everyday drinkers to better understand flavor, build confidence, and engage more deeply with what’s in their cup.” Meanwhile, Portland’s Keia & Martyn’s have won a Good Food Award for their Ethiopia Guji Shakiso Natural coffee.

Coming one month after World of Coffee quietly and retroactively changed all mentions of Taiwan to Chinese Taipei, the Alliance for Coffee Excellence has announced that the Taiwan Cup of Excellence has been cancelled for 2026. In the announcement, ACE cited a need for “long-term governance structures [that] include broad participation, clear communication, shared responsibility, and strong representation from across the coffee community.” Taiwan Cup of Excellence released their own statement, saying in part, "Even as the spirit of collaboration between ACE and [Taiwan Cup of Excellence organizers] TCL worsened and the conditions for the program's continuation constantly shifted, we never once stopped fighting for Taiwan to compete internationally under its own name."

We’re highlighting outstanding coffees from some of our favorite roasting partners each week here in the newsletter. This week’s selection of tasty coffees are…

Equator Coffees – Boutique Crenn Espresso Fair Trade Organic
Partners Coffee – Honduras Edin Lopez Gesha
Blueprint Coffee – Colombia Nidia Lasso
Klatch Coffee – El Salvador Jasal Orange Geisha Anaerobic Natural
8th & Roast – Brazil Mara Madeira
Night Swim Coffee – Colombia Yessica and Diego Parra
La Barba Coffee – Colombia Los Patios Solsticio
Joe Coffee Company – Cafè Feminista
Stumptown Coffee Roasters — Wild Flower
Phil & Sebastian – Sure Thing
Onyx Coffee Lab – Geometry
Madcap Coffee – Eureka
Olympia Coffee – Big Truck
Portland Coffee Roasters – Anniversary Roast
Mr. Espresso – Java Garut
Presta Coffee Roasters – 120 PSI Blend
PERC – Super Power Plum
Verve Coffee Roasters – Wilder Blend
Caffe Umbria – Bizzarri Blend

Highwire - Lead Roasters - Emeryville, CA
Passenger - Director of Producer Partnerships - Lancaster, PA
Equator Coffees - Shift Leads - San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Equator Coffees - Baristas - San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Equator Coffees - Bench General Manager - Burlingame, CA
Equator Coffees - Kitchen Lead - San Francisco, CA
Equator Coffees - Operations & Customer Service Manager - San Rafael, CA
Equator Coffees - Production Associate - San Rafael, CA
Equator Coffees - Production Roaster - San Rafael, CA
Misc.Coffee - Baristas - Rolling Hills Estates, CA
Trellis Coffee Bar - General Manager - Augusta, GA
Royal Coffee - Sales Team Associate - Emeryville, CA
Royal Coffee - Junior Trader - Emeryville, CA

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