Our recurring round-up of the latest specialty-coffee industry news.
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Featured image by Joshua Earle
Weber Workshops’ Unibasket® Named Official Espresso Basket of the 2026-2027 World Barista Championship
Weber Workshops has been appointed as the first-ever Official Espresso Basket Sponsor of the World Barista Championship (WBC) with their Unibasket®.
The Unibasket grew out of Weber Workshops’ Unifilter®, which was introduced by Weber Workshops in 2022 as the first unibody portafilter. The Unifilter brought new attention to the relationship between basket geometry, puck stability, active extraction area, and flow, helping change how the industry thought about extraction dynamics. The Unibasket followed later that year, bringing that same focus to a format compatible with standard 58 mm portafilters.
“The World Barista Championship is where countless hours of practice are distilled into a few minutes. It’s an environment where every variable deserves to be considered, and we’re thrilled that the Unibasket has become the Official Espresso Basket of the WBC for 2026-2027. We look forward to seeing what competitors create over the next two years,” said Douglas Weber, founder of Weber Workshops, in a press release.
Applications Are Open for the 2027 World’s Best Coffee Producers Contest
Coffee producers can now apply for the 2027 World’s Best Coffee Producers contest, a recognition platform designed to celebrate and elevate outstanding coffee producers, farms, co-operatives and coffee projects around the world. An offshoot of the World’s Best Coffee Shops list, World’s Best Coffee Producers is an initiative that, at its core, shines a spotlight on origin.
“The focus is not on cafés or roasters, but on the people and projects responsible for growing, producing and developing exceptional coffee,” writes the initiative on their website. To learn more and apply, click here.
American Heart Association Says Up to 5 Cups of Coffee a Day is Safe for Most Adults, But Puts Out Warning for Energy Drinks
In a scientific statement published earlier this month, the American Heart Association (AHA) reported that drinking a moderate amount of caffeinated coffee (roughly 2–4 cups per day) is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, and heart failure. The association also found that drinking up to 5 cups of coffee a day (around 400 mg of caffeine) is generally safe for most adults.
However, the report warns that energy drinks are a different story, finding that energy drinks with high doses of caffeine have been linked to dangerous heart rhythm problems.
FDA Closes Public Comment Period on Methylene Chloride Usage in Decaf Coffee
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently opened public comment on whether to ban the use of methylene chloride: a solvent commonly used to decaffeinate coffee. The public comment period was opened after consumer advocacy groups argued it should no longer be allowed under federal food safety law. The period has now closed, with a decision yet to be made by the FDA.
The National Coffee Association disagrees with the decision to ban the solvent, saying the process is safe, science-backed, and widely used to produce the decaf coffee that about 10% of U.S. adults drink. While no statement on the decision has been released yet, any changes could affect how decaf coffee is sourced, labeled, and priced across the industry.
El Niño Threatens Brazilian Coffee Production
Reuters reports that El Niño could cut Brazil’s expected harvest by up to 20%. “We are now talking about a crop loss of 15% to 20%, which in a normal year would be within expectations. But in the current scenario, that is very bad news,” said Celirio Inacio da Silva, Executive Director of the Brazilian Coffee Industry Association, in an interview.
However, he also noted that this year, thanks to technological advances leading to a more climate-resilient crop, Brazil’s coffee producers are better prepared than during previous El Niño episodes. Click here for the full story.
Subscribe and More!
As always, you can enjoy your own copy of Barista Magazine by subscribing or ordering an issue. Long live physical media!
Support Barista Magazine and show your love with a Membership.
Signup for our weekly newsletter.
Join us at Camp Coffee Shop Aug. 10-13 in Napa, California.
Read the June + July 2026 Issue for free with our digital edition.
