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History and General Knowledge
From the botanical origins of arabica dating back millennia, to the recent history of specialty coffee in the United States, there’s a long timeline of coffee coexisting with humanity.
While various coffee species populated the African continent prior to written records, Coffea arabica is a relatively recent botanical evolution. It is also the first globally cultivated coffee species and still accounts for the majority of the world’s production to this day.
Arabica evolved as a hybrid species from parents Robusta (Coffea canephora) and Eugenioides in the Keffa Zone in what is now the western edge of Ethiopia, and along the northwest border with South Sudan’s Boma Plateau.
Sufi travelers brought arabica coffee from Ethiopia to Yemen no later than the mid-15th century, where its exploding popularity led to its dissemination throughout the Turkish Ottoman empire. After two centuries of cultivation monopoly, coffee was cultivated in India, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia in the late 17th century prior to its globalization.
As coffee production spread throughout the world, so did innovations in preparation. The Crown’s writing covers the evolution of espresso and the adaptation of caffeination as a shaper of societal norms.
Coffee’s modern usage includes a number of topics worth covering in our general knowledge section. Starting with the rise of specialty coffee, we address ongoing discussions around its definition and relevance as we progress through the 21st century.
Additional topics of importance include nuanced discussions of decaffeination methods, mycotoxins, and GMOs. Among our most-referenced and requested information is that of mycotoxin. While words like mold and toxin in association with coffee can sound scary, we break down the basics of how it can occur, what preventative measures can be taken and, most importantly, why having trusted supply partners like Royal Coffee can make all the difference.
A New World History & Geography of Arabica Coffee Cultivars
A Visualization and Narrative of the Historical Cultivation, Selection, Distribution, Mutation, and Hybridization of Arabica’s Most Common Cultivars, with the Context of Dates and Locations
What is Specialty Coffee, Anyway?
"In most industries, words like “specialty,” “premium,” “top grade” or “gourmet” are often regarded as marketing buzz, while also vaguely designating a degree of quality above what might be commonly available on the bottom shelf of grocery aisle – the existence of “specialty” infers the existence of “ordinary.”
Mycotoxin, My Condolences
"Coffee is safe to drink and not a meaningful source of mycotoxins. While molds can occur in agricultural products, roasting significantly reduces ochratoxin A (OTA) to levels well below global safety standards. Industry-wide efforts led by the ICO and UN since 2001 have further minimized OTA presence in coffee."
"The phrase “specialty coffee” is usually attributed to the progressive and outspoken coffee importer Erna Knutsen, in a 1973 interview published in the Tea and Coffee Trade Journal. Her evolution in the coffee industry is intricately tied to the inception of our understanding of what specialty coffee actually means. Knutsen, who passed away in 2018, was eulogized eloquently by Mike Ferguson for Sprudge.com, lauding her at one point as coffee’s “unofficial spokesperson,” and crediting her with “launch[ing] an industry” – not by coining a seminal phrase (which she did) nor by shattering the glass ceiling (which she also did), but by selling small amounts of coffee to small roasters."
ReadIn most industries, words like “specialty,” “premium,” “top grade” or “gourmet” are often regarded as marketing buzz, while also vaguely designating a degree of quality above what might be commonly available on the bottom shelf of grocery aisle – the existence of “specialty” infers the existence of “ordinary.”
Read"Espresso has long been the cornerstone of the coffee industry. But how did it begin? In the late 1800’s the world saw a swarm of innovations around brewing coffee. With the creation of steam power, the first espresso machine was introduced at the 1906 World’s Fair called the Ideale by inventor Desiderio Pavoni. He coined the term “caffe espresso”. Due to his successful marketing espresso quickly became a word that was used to describe coffee that was made quickly(1)."
Read"What started innocently as a conversation over a cup of Colombian coffee, and an inquiry to create a quick graphic for a public coffee tasting, soon became an obsession. I’ve been quietly digging into coffee history for some time now, and suddenly I found myself pulling every reference I could. There was a massive gap in our industry’s commonly understood Arabica family tree. Where did these mutations and hybridizations take place? Who was responsible? And when did they occur?"
ReadBourbon coffee traces its global influence back to Réunion Island, where a small genetic pool reshaped arabica cultivation worldwide. This article explores Bourbon’s botanical origins, its spread across Africa and the Americas, and the emergence of Laurina—a rare mutation prized today for its distinctive cup profile and potential for specialty market differentiation.
Read"Islands are frequently associated with isolation, and for good reason. Many develop their own completely unique ecosystems and species of flora and fauna – look no further than Madagascar or Australia for confirmation of the wild, weird, and wonderful forms of life that can evolve independently in relative seclusion. Throughout history, islands have also served as waypoints and convenient stopovers for trade routes and explorers. And while an individual island may lack the resources needed for sustained living, a group of islands with good mainland connections can support a vibrant lifestyle."
Read"Coffee often exists as a routine, a caffeine delivery mechanism, well before any of us begin taking pleasure in its flavor. Like many things in life, enjoyment is usually cultivated over time, enhanced by experience and knowledge. For many who took to drinking coffee in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the first eye-opening sips of something that transcended hot, caffeinated sludge were from two very particular origins: dry processed coffees from Harar, Ethiopia, and wet-hulled coffees from Sumatra, Indonesia."
Read"In part one of this series, we explore the Non-GMO certification movement, and discuss its relevance to the specialty coffee industry. We begin with this polarizing subject due to its recent rise in popularity. Non-GMO labeling is the fastest growing certification, outpacing organic three years in a row. Labeling efforts are always driven by consumer demands. Here at Royal, we see this trend, and believe researching and sharing information is the most important step to transparency in our decision making."
Read"One of the big pieces of recent news at Royal is that we’ve elected to cease contracting Methylene Chloride decaf. The reasons are nuanced, but a recent conversation with founder Bob Fulmer made it clear to me that the decision was made at least in part in principle. While the impact of Royal Coffee avoiding Methylene Chloride may not have far-reaching consequences on its global production, our choice is one of millions of small decisions that together we believe will positively impact the health and well-being of our planet and the people, plants, and animals that inhabit it."
Read"Let’s cut to the chase: I need to issue a few corrections. Lucia Solis, of Scott Labs (not to be confused with the similarly named entity that helped develop the SL-28 variety in Kenya, for example. That Scott Labs no longer exists as such, but is now the National Agricultural Laboratories, a part of the larger Kenya Agricultural & Livestock Research Organization), recently met with me to chat about some erroneous and misleading language used in the second half of my article on mycotoxins, so I’m going to clarify a few points here, and have amended my previous article to better reflect what we know or believe to be truthful and scientifically accurate."
Read"Every so often, I get a question about mycotoxins and moldy coffee. Words like “mold” and “toxin” tend to elicit some visceral responses, so it’s not surprising to me that there is a lot of concern and some misunderstanding and misinformation. I’m going to attempt to set the record straight."
Read"In Part I of this 2-part series on mycotoxins and coffee, I focused on science and research to help understand that the risk of coffee-related Ochratoxin-A affliction is minimal at best. However, we do have to acknowledge that OTA presence in coffees is possible. Part II will focus on preventative measures for both casual consumers and coffee professionals."
Read"“LUCKY” is not likely to be the first descriptor you’d hear from coffee farmers when discussing their careers. Successful coffee production isn’t the result of chance. The job takes skill, dedication, intuition and resilience. Yet coffee is fickle, and prone to innumerable afflictions; even the most fastidious farmer’s trees fall victim to disease. One of the vilest afflictions known to coffee is a fungus known as rust."
Read"Recent research on Hemileia vastatrix, presented by Juan Carlos Herrera at the biannual ASIC (Association for Science and Information in Coffee) convention in October 2018, in Portland, Oregon, shed new light on the blight’s behaviors. Cenicafé, the science arm of the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia (FNC, Colombian Coffee Federation), found that stressors—including too much sunlight and too little nitrogen in the soil—can increase coffee’s susceptibility to the rust fungus. It’s worth noting that non-hybrid arabica varieties like Bourbon and Caturra were especially prone to stress-related increases in infection. Planting different species of coffee in the field together, such as robusta and arabica, surprisingly increased rust’s potency."
Read"Coffee’s history is rich with irony in that for a substance so stimulating and enlivening, the origin of the fruit remains fuzzy to this day. Origin stories vary and there is no confirmed evidence revealing where coffee grew in Africa or even who among the native peoples might have used the stimulant prior to the 17th century. One account describes a legendary group of raiders from the Oromo tribe in the remote Ethiopian massif – a mass of mountains in Northeast Africa- as first recognizing this energizing plant. As the story goes, they gathered ripe cherries from wild trees, ground them, mixed mashed seeds and pulp with animal fat, forming small balls that they carried in leather pouches during war parties."
ReadCoffee is safe to drink and not a meaningful source of mycotoxins. While molds can occur in agricultural products, roasting significantly reduces ochratoxin A (OTA) to levels well below global safety standards. Industry-wide efforts led by the ICO and UN since 2001 have further minimized OTA presence in coffee. Consumers can reduce risk by sourcing from trusted suppliers, choosing high-quality specialty or organic coffees, and avoiding low-grade decaf. Royal Coffee upholds strict quality control through moisture and water activity testing, multiple cuppings, and transparent sourcing standards to ensure clean, specialty-grade coffee free from contamination.
Read"Microlot is a third wave term and represents highly traceable coffee in the 7-50 bag range. Elevation, processing techniques, cultivar, farm name, region, farm size producer name, producer story and more are all elements that can be provided when purchasing a microlot coffee. Producers are often contributing to both microlots and bulk coffee, diversifying inventory is a good course of action to protect themselves against the expenses that are involved when making a microlot."
Read"Royal Coffee’s own Richard Sandlin, based in Japan, was recently interviewed by Better Food Magazine on the state of organic and regenerative coffee. The conversation covers why organic has grown at a macro level while quietly fading from specialty shop menus, what makes regenerative agriculture so promising and so rare and how producers are navigating the very real business pressures behind certification decisions."
ReadThere are two main types of decaffeination processing, indirect and direct solvent. Indirect solvent method uses Green Coffee Extract (GCE) which draws out caffeine through diffusion. GCE molecules then become saturated with caffeine while the green coffee is essentially free of caffeine. Filters remove the caffeine from the solution and then it is dried out. Direct solvent process is when the coffee is pre-soaked to expand the bean and directly placed in a solvent to extract the caffeine. The coffee is then dried out, re-bagged and either sold to roasters or sent back to an importers’ warehouse.
ReadGreen coffee flavor is shaped by three main factors: processing, roasting, and brewing. Processing methods (washed, natural, honey, anaerobic) have the greatest impact, roasting defines sweetness, acidity, and body, and brewing controls extraction and balance. Secondary influences, origin, variety, freshness, and storage, add nuance but are often overshadowed by how coffee is handled after harvest. Defects like ferment, mold, phenol, and potato arise from poor processing or storage.
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