TODAY’S COFFEES roasted in San Diego on 4/17/25:
COMMON GOOD: Mexico Chiapas El Mezcal, single origin, light roast. http://commongoodcoffee.com
STEADY STATE: Colombia Santander,Tabi varietal, anaerobic natural process, light roast. http://steadystateroasting.com
RYAN BROS.: Brazil Single Origin dark roast. Broadway Blues, fair trade certified, dark roast. http://ryanbroscoffee.com
COFFEE SHIPPING NEWS: A new challenge to coffee prices at every level of the market looming on the horizon is a proposal by the White House and the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) to impose new and very heavy port fees on any Chinese-built or linked vessel calling at US ports. Chinese built ships are now the bulk–some 80%–of the world’s container shipping, and the fines of up to $1.5 million per US port call would be destructive to norms of trade here. As expected, the proposed port fee scheme faces heavy pushback from many US industries, from coal to agriculture. Trump, engaging in his usual pattern of inflicting outrageous fees to do business where they did not exist before, may yet soften the proposal, but uncertainty remains high and the price and availability impact at every level of the coffee market could be huge.
At present, tariffs against Mexico coffees are steady at 10% for all shipments on or after April 5, with no unusual delays of cross border shipment of coffee by land reported.