The Future Is Female in Uganda, Cold Coffee, and Your Brain on Coffee and Music

• How the female coffee farmers of Uganda are building their livelihoods

  By Amy Fallon for National Geographic

  “From farming stock, Mary [Butsina] first went to work with her father at the age of 10. Profits from his coffee crop paid her school fees. She married into coffee, too, with her husband giving her 100 trees as a wedding present. But Mary's since planted more than 300 herself and joined a women's cooperative. 'The aim was to reduce the dependence of women on men in coffee,' she says. She's one of around 100 women members, although husbands have been allowed to join too — as they tend to own the coffee plantations and support their wives in the business — which has brought the total membership to 200. And the collective has inspired others, too. 'More women have started to plant their own coffee,' Mary says.”

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• Cold coffee sales hit record highs for big brands - is specialty coffee on the same track?

  By Tasmin Grant for Perfect Daily Grind

  “In many countries around the world, a growing number of consumers are drinking more and more cold coffee beverages. These purchasing decisions can even transcend seasons - with cold coffee drinks becoming more popular all year-round, too. In line with this, it comes as no surprise that in its 2023 third quarter financial report, Starbucks stated that cold drinks now represent 75% of sales in the US. In recent years, we've also seen similar growth in the cold coffee market segment for other large chains as well. Ultimately, this shows that coffee consumer behaviour is evolving - and this change is likely to be permanent.”

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• Coffee And Music Make Your Brain Work Better

  By Zac Cadwalader for Sprudge

  “The cognitive ramping-up effect of coffee is not a new phenomenon. Hell, it's not even new to the investigatory eye of the scientific community. You don't really need at this point for any new research paper to tell you that coffee has a way of increasing brain functioning, it is at this point a known commodity, but still, maybe it's sometimes nice to hear it anyway? And if you are so inclined toward such words of affirmation, then good news! A new study has scanned people's brains and found that drinking coffee can boost your brain power.”

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• What is green coffee rehydration & could it help specialty coffee roasters?

  By Peter Gakuo for Perfect Daily Grind

  “According to the International Coffee Organisation, the ideal moisture content for green coffee is between 8% and 12.5%. This ensures roasters can get the best results from their coffees, as well as allowing customers to experience the full spectrum of flavour and aroma. As a general rule, during transit and storage, there should be as little exposure to moisture as possible to protect the integrity of green coffee. However, if packaged or stored incorrectly, moisture levels can fluctuate - effectively meaning quality can slip. Coffee beans can also become stale and age more quickly.”

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