Best of NPR’s Coffee Week

NPR recently hosted its Coffee Week, including a series of written, audio and video reports on numerous aspects of coffee culture and the coffee industry. The series was largely consumer-driven, but many of the stories may serve as important reminders to coffee professionals about how their industry is perceived. Following are some of the headlines that my be of the most interest to coffee professionals. For NPR’s full coverage, click here.

Exploring Coffee’s Past To Rescue Its Future

Genetic uniformity in coffee and exploring the possibility of genetic modification for more varietals. The NPR team speaks with Eduardo Somarriba of the  Center for Tropical Agricultural Research and Education, Emilia Umana of ECOM Trading and the SCAA‘s Peter Giuliano.

Masterpiece In A Mug: Japanese Latte Art Will Perk You Up

A photo gallery of some of Japan’s finest drinkable creations

Japanese latte art

Coffee For A Cause: What Do Those Feel-Good Labels Deliver?

Costa Rican coffee grower Luis Fernando Vasquez, Sergio Gurdian and Emilia Umaña of ECOM Trading and Christian Mora of the Costa Rican co-op AFAORCA.

Step Aside, Gents. Witness The Rise Of Women In Coffee

Inspired by Margaret Swallow of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance, and featuring numerous women leading the charge.

VIDEO: The NPR Virtual Coffeehouse

A Google Hangout hosted by NPR’s Allison Aubrey and Dan Charles, featuring Peter Giuliano of SCAA Symposium, Kim Elena Ionescu of Counter Culture Coffee and Mark Pendergrast, author of Uncommon Grounds. This appears to be a test run for a series of Google Hangout discussions with food professionals, and there is some good comedy at the front end of the video when the hosts don’t realize they’re live, and Pendergrast mentions Giuliano’s beard in an awkward meeting.