Direct Trade Coffee, Heirloom Coffee, and the Professional Moka Challenge

• Certifications and direct trade in the coffee industry

  By Ana Pipunic for Perfect Daily Grind

  “In recent years, direct trade has become increasingly prominent in specialty coffee. The idea is simple: by reducing the number of intermediaries in the supply chain, the farmer receives a higher percentage of the final sale price. However, there is no official definition of direct trade, which leaves the model somewhat open to interpretation. There is also no specific “direct trade” certification for coffee – and as such, the definition of it can be used rather loosely in the coffee industry.”

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• What Is Heirloom Coffee?

  By Liz Clayton for Sprudge

  “Heirloom coffee is a convenient (sort of) way to describe Arabica coffee plants whose variety may not be easy to ascertain. The term is of particularly abundant usage in reference to Ethiopian coffees, of which there are thousands of varieties, and where a particular producer’s output may include a broad range of these. When these coffees don’t fall into the easy categories that cultivated coffees in other growing origins do, they have often been grouped into the vague term ‘heirloom.’”

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• A Coffee Competition All About the Moka Pot

  By Vasileia Fanarioti for Barista Magazine Online

  “The Professional Moka Challenge is an annual event that occurs in Italy. It is a barista competition with a difference—instead of using espresso machines, participants must use Moka pots to make their coffee. […] The Moka pot was invented there in 1933 by Alfonso Bialetti, and it has been a staple of Italian homes ever since. So what makes this competition so special?”

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