Coffee lovers are in trouble. Arabica New York futures hit a new high in 13 and a half years in November 2024. The price of the commodity futures market exceeded its highest value in 2024, and the annual increase rate reached 70%. The main producing areas of coffee beans are tropical and subtropical regions called the “coffee belt”. Experts point out that the main cause is the expansion of drought and pest damage due to global warming in the “coffee belt” area. Another factor is the increase in coffee lovers. According to statistics from the US Department of Agriculture, China’s consumption has increased by more than 40% in the past five years. Coffee culture is spreading in Asian countries where incomes and populations are rising. The impact of increasing demand even if supply decreases is beginning to become apparent.
Arabica and Robusta account for more than 99% of coffee beans distributed in the world. The largest producer of Arabica is Brazil. Robusta is from Vietnam. Generally, Arabica is considered a high-end product, while Robusta is considered a general-purpose product. Recently, more and more cafes are offering “single origin”. Single origin literally means that one type of coffee bean is used. The definition of single origin is that it is a bean that you know who (in which country and on which farm) made it and when. For example, there is a coffee variety called Geisha. This variety is considered to be one of the most expensive coffees in the world. The name “Geisha” comes from the place name of its place of origin in Ethiopia. (Not Japanese geisha.) There are people who will spend $200 to enjoy this cup of coffee.
Coffee’s fragrant aroma has been created through the co-evolution of living things. Animals and insects, who are more sensitive to scents than humans, communicate with plants. Flowers that bloom at night release their scent to effectively lure pollinators. Aromatic plants such as mint and basil release fragrances that attract natural enemies of pests in order to protect themselves. Coffee’s weapon is caffeine. Caffeine has the effect of inhibiting the growth of other plants. This caffeine can be considered a chemical weapon produced by plants to protect new shoots from predation by external enemies. Coffee lovers enjoy the poisonous gas produced by this coffee. Looking at it from another perspective, if we could embody the diversity of caffeine, we might be able to create a new Geisha-like coffee.
