Kenya’s harvest is climbing again while a $132,000 truckload of green coffee sits in court. It’s a split-screen day, and it tells home brewers where bean prices and gear bills are heading next.
Yesterday’s digest tracked countertop roasters. Today is about what feeds them.
Three headlines that matter on your counter
- Kenya production rebounds with government backing. Daily Coffee News reports output is up alongside higher farmgate prices and state support [s4]. For your shelf, that means more Kenyan AA and AB lots through late 2026, often the brightest, blackcurrant-leaning beans on a pour-over menu.
- Moccamaster launches the KBGT Midnight, all-black. Sprudge confirms the half-carafe (1.25L / about 5 cups) brewer keeps the same internals as the standard KBGT; only the housing changes [s2]. Same brew temp, same SCA cert, new finish.
- A $132,000 stolen coffee load triggers an insurance suit. Daily Coffee News details a roaster-versus-insurer fight over a hijacked container [s3]. Cargo theft losses get priced into green coffee. Translation: another small nudge on your next bag.
The next 24 hours on my watchlist
I’ll be tracking ICE arabica futures for any reaction to the Kenya rebound note, watching whether the differential on washed African lots narrows at specialty importers. The other tab open on my desk: Moccamaster retailer listings, to see when KBGT Midnight stock and US pricing land against the standard KBGT’s $359 sticker. A Kenyan Kirinyaga AB I cupped on Tuesday — blackcurrant, tomato leaf, a clean grapefruit finish — was the loudest reminder I’ve had this month that more of these lots arriving in late 2026 will reshape pour-over menus at my local roaster.
Shorter notes from the wire
The Hive Brew One is the smallest concentrate maker the company has shipped [s5]. For renters with 40cm of counter, that beats a 4L Toddy outright.
Spirit Origin Coffee in Roatán is a reminder that Honduran specialty is broadening past Marcala. Worth asking your roaster what they carry from Copán or the Bay Islands.
The Midnight KBGT is a paint job, honestly. If you already own a KBG, skip it.
Three moves this week: cup a Kenyan AA, weigh your concentrate footprint, ask your roaster about origin insurance pass-through.