ECONOMY: Rough road': Santa Fe coffee merchant details toll of rising costs

 This year everyone is feeling the downturn of the economy and the rising prices. Small businesses are struggling, and every business seems to be raising prices. We've noticed grocery prices increase quite a bit, and of course gasoline is much higher than 1 year ago. Today's blog is a story about a small business in New Mexico explaining their struggle. 

(Photo: Barista at Agapao Coffee. Credit: Nathan Burton, the New Mexican) 

A rough road': Santa Fe coffee merchant details toll of rising costs

Elizabeth Anne Andrews For The New Mexican , Jun 23, 2026

In the heart of downtown Santa Fe, customers still line up at Agapao Coffee and Tea’s Mud Hut for a cup of coffee and conversation.

But many are buying smaller cups these days.

“We’ve had a big increase in 8-ounce sales, which is interesting to me,” said company owner David Black. “People are still coming in, just not spending as much.”

The local coffee company raised its prices by 25 cents in the last 10 months. Black said it was the company’s first price increase since opening. The hike came as coffee prices around the country soar, thanks to tariffs, climate change and lingering market woes from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Agapao, which has sold packaged coffee since 2005, took over a kiosk at St. Michael’s Village West in 2020 and expanded into downtown in 2023. In the time since the company expanded, data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis shows the price of a pound of ground coffee beans increased from $4.47 in May 2020 to $9.51 in May 2026. “The prices have been going up and up every year,” Black said.

The trend has put pressure on coffee drinkers and on the businesses that serve them.

“It’s been a rough road but we’re getting through it for sure,” Black said Tuesday.

Labor, tariff issues

Coffee prices began to rise in 2020 and 2021. Back then, consumers could buy a pound of ground coffee beans for $4.56, according to national data.

Then came the pandemic and with it, labor shortages affecting the U.S.’s top coffee exporters. Prices didn’t come down after the pandemic ended, however.

Between 2022 and 2023, U.S. coffee prices hovered around $6 per pound. By January 2025, the price of a pound of coffee had reached $7.

Since then, the relationship between the U.S. and its top coffee exporters has become increasingly tense, causing prices to rise more dramatically over a shorter period of time.

On April 2, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order announcing a tariff of at least 10% nearly every country in the world, in response to trade deficits. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down many of the tariffs in February, ruling Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act was unconstitutional. The president issued a less broad series of 15% ”temporary import surcharges” shortly after, with a 150-day end date under the Trade Act of 1974.

Trade relations with several major coffee suppliers have continued to sour.

Vietnam, one of the biggest exporters of coffee beans, received a 46% reciprocal tariff, making it one of the worst affected countries. Indonesia, another top coffee exporter, received a 32% reciprocal tariff.

Brazil’s 10% tariff rose to 50% in July 2025 after Trump announced an additional 40% tax in response to actions taken against Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro. The tariff was modified to exempt agricultural products in November.

Tariffs have placed a significant strain on business owners, Black said, and he bore most of the cost.“It took a lot because I didn’t pass it on,” he said. “I sucked it up.”

Climate change

In addition to economic strain, climate change also affected countries where tropical climates usually allow for healthy coffee bean growth.

A 2015 study published in Springer Nature showed land in Brazil and Vietnam were becoming unsuitable for coffee farming. Last year, Brazil suffered a drought and wildfires that destroyed many coffee plants, The Associated Press reported. Typhoon Yagi in Vietnam also impacted coffee crops. Ethiopia, another top coffee producer, is experiencing significant effects of climate change. A 2023 study in Science Direct said these include changes in rainfall and temperature.

As for Black, he said he will continue to serve customers no matter the obstacles.“We love our customers,” Black said. “We really do. We wouldn’t be here without them. I love what I do.” 

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Elizabeth Anne Andrews, a student at New Mexico State University and the editor-in-chief of The Round Up, is a Santa Fe New Mexican and Searchlight New Mexico reporting intern through a fellowship with the New Mexico Local News Fund.

RESEARCH: New Study: Coffee, Tea Consumption Reduce Dementia Risk

A new study found participants who drank two or three cups of caffeinated coffee a day were at lower risk for dementia! I drink between 8 and 12 cups of black coffee, so I'm hopeful that I'm protected! Today's blog is about the scientific study. Drink up! 

(Photo: Tyler posing with a cup of coffee in 2019. Tyler always let me pose him for pictures (he passed 7/29/25). Credit: R.G) 

New Study Reveals Benefit Of Coffee, Tea Consumption 

Beth Dalbey, Patch Staff Feb 10, 2026

Most U.S. adults start their day with a caffeine jolt, but a morning cup of coffee may offer more than just a kick-start to the day. It may keep their minds sharp over time, according to a new longitudinal study.

In a study published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Harvard researchers found that moderate daily consumption of caffeinated coffee and tea may reduce the risk of dementia, slow cognitive decline, and preserve brain function.

The researchers found caffeinated coffee intake was significantly associated with a lower risk of dementia. The results were similar with caffeinated tea; however, researchers found no link between decaffeinated products and brain health.

That suggests that caffeine might be the active ingredient responsible for the neuroprotective effects, though researchers stressed that further study is necessary.

(Photo: Tyler posing with a cup of coffee in 2019. Tyler always let me pose him for pictures (he passed 7/29/25). Credit: R.G) 

Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia, currently affects more than 6 million people in the United States, a number that is expected to nearly double to 13 million people by 2050. 

Researchers noted their findings held true among people who were at a high risk for developing dementia, including those who are genetically predisposed to Alzheimer’s disease

Keeping Coffee Fresh for the Best Cup!

 As an avid Dunkin' Donuts coffee drinker for several decades, I can tell when coffee has been sitting on the burner too long (At Dunkin' they make a fresh pot every 18 minutes, so I heard). But keeping the Coffee Beans fresh is another thing. Here's an article on freshness that explains about natural oils, how they vary in darker roasts, whole beans vs. ground and keeping it fresh. All  courtesy of the HuffPost.

Are Your Coffee Beans Stale? Here's An Easy Way To Tell  

Huff Post, April 21, 2023 

How to Determine if your Coffee Beans are Stale 

 There’s a simple way to find out if your whole beans are really fresh. 

Put a half-cup of beans into a zip-close bag, squeeze out the air, seal the bag and leave it overnight. Fresh beans will release carbon dioxide and make the bag puff up. Stale beans will leave the bag flat.

Oil plays a role in coffee’s freshness

A bean’s journey from unroasted to stale has some steps along the way.  As the beans age, there’s a loss of aromatic compounds. And once they’ve escaped, you won’t be able enjoy them in your cup. Then there are negative flavors created by oxidation from oil in the coffee bean, which will turn rancid over time. 

The darkness of the roast plays a big part in how much of that oil will be forced to the surface of the bean.

You’ll see that darker roasts generally have an oily sheen to them.  This oil tends to oxidize much faster, and the roasting process actually makes the whole bean more porous and less dense, so all the staling chemistry happens faster with darker roasts. 

Whole beans, not ground, stay fresh longer 

In addition to the roast, experts highlighted another factor that’s important for how coffee ages.

“Once coffee is ground, staling happens very rapidly,” Hoffmann said. “Most people can spot the difference between freshly ground coffee and coffee that was ground even just a day or two before.”  Cheon pointed out that quicker staling with ground coffee isn’t always a bad thing.

“If you’re going camping and don’t have access to a grinder, or if your coffee is particularly fresh, you can artificially accelerate the resting process by pre-grinding your coffee 30 minutes before brewing, instead of waiting a week for that coffee to rest,” he said.

For those wanting the freshest coffee possible, Hoffmann had a tip: “A good coffee grinder for your mornings is the best investment you can make.”

Here’s how to store coffee to preserve freshness.

Official word on proper storage comes from Mark Corey, the head of science and policy for the National Coffee Association, an industry group.

“We generally recommend storing coffee beans in a cool, dark location, ideally in an opaque, airtight container,” he said.

Vonie, the independent consultant, suggested keeping coffee in the same packaging it came in. “If you want to transfer it to a different container, make sure it blocks light and has an airtight seal,” she said.

Coffee: A Great Fat Burner!

As a hyper-coffee drinker, I've (Rob) always suspected coffee helped me stay at the same weight I've been since I was 20. Of course, eating small meals (and not finishing everything on the plate in restaurants) and exercise has helped, too.  Now, there's another new study that reinforces my thoughts about this benefit to coffee (there are many others). 

Source/More Information: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/can-coffee-help-you-burn-fat.html 

Coffee Can Help to Mobilize Fat From The Fat Tissues

Dunkin- the best fat burner

Caffeine stimulates the nervous system, which sends direct signals to the fat cells to tell them to break down fat (4, 5). Another thing that caffeine does is to increase our blood levels of the hormone Epinephrine, which is also known as Adrenaline (6, 7). Epinephrine travels through the blood, to the fat tissues and send signals to break down fats and release them into the blood. This is how caffeine helps to mobilize fat from the fat tissues, making it available for use as free fatty acids in the blood.
  

Coffee Can Increase The Metabolic Rate
How many calories we burn at rest is called the Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR). The higher our metabolic rate, the easier it is for us to lose weight and the more we can allow ourselves to eat without gaining. Studies show that caffeine can increase the metabolic rate by 3-11%, with larger doses having an even bigger effect (8, 9). Interestingly, most of the increase in metabolism is caused by an increase in the burning of fat (10).
Unfortunately, the effect is less pronounced in those who are obese. In one study, the increase in fat burning in lean people is as high as 29%, while in obese individuals the increase is about 10% (11). The effect also appears to diminish with age and is more pronounced in younger individuals (12).

Coffee before a workout!

Caffeine can improve athletic performance via several mechanisms, one of those being increased mobilization of fatty acids from the fat tissues. Studies show that caffeine can improve exercise performance by 11-12%, on average (13, 14).

Coffee and Weight Loss in The Long Term
There is one major caveat here, and that is the fact that people become tolerant to the effects of caffeine (15, 16). In the short term, caffeine can boost the metabolic rate and increase fat burning, but after a while people become tolerant to the effects and it stops working. But even if coffee doesn’t make you expend more calories in the long term, there is still a possibility that it blunts appetite and helps you eat less.
In one study, caffeine had an appetite reducing effect in men, but not in women – making them eat less at a meal following caffeine consumption. However, another study showed no effect for men (17, 18). Whether coffee or caffeine can help you lose weight in the long term may depend on the individual.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/can-coffee-help-you-burn-fat.html#ixzz2v1j3dujc

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/can-coffee-help-you-burn-fat.html#ixzz2v1i6A2Cy

Research Paper: A day later, caffeine stimulates memory

Caffeine helps people remember fine distinctions between similar things at least up to 24 hours after it is consumed, new research shows.I keep up with some scientific journals and when a study like this one comes along, it's got my attention being a hyper-Dunkin' Donuts coffee drinker (Tom is a hyper-tea drinker). - Rob

VIDEO SOURCE: http://youtu.be/quvKBJKoRgo

A day later, caffeine stimulates memory

Caffeine helps people remember fine distinctions between similar things at least up to 24 hours after it is consumed, new research shows.

“We’ve always known that caffeine has cognitive-enhancing effects, but its particular effects on strengthening memories and making them resistant to forgetting has never been examined in detail in humans,” says Michael Yassa, assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences at Johns Hopkins University.
The Yassa team’s paper – published January 12, 2014 in the journal Nature Neuroscience – shows “for the first time a specific effect of caffeine on reducing forgetting over 24 hours,” he says.
Yassa and colleagues, led by undergraduate Daniel Borota, gave research participants a series of images to study, and five minutes later gave them either a 200-milligram caffeine tablet or a placebo. The subjects—none of whom regularly ate or drank caffeinated products—provided saliva samples before taking their tablets to measure their caffeine levels. Saliva was taken again one, three, and 24 hours later.
The next day, the caffeine group and controls were tested on their ability to remember the images from the previous day. Some of the visuals were the same, some were new and some were similar to but not the same as those the subjects had studied. More members of the caffeine group were able to correctly identify new images as “similar” to previously viewed images versus erroneously citing them as the same.
The brain’s ability to recognize the difference between two similar but not identical items reflects a deeper level of memory retention, the researchers say.

4 Minute Video on Coffee! (Rob's fav topic)

Here's a really creative, fun, informative video about Coffee! - including history, physical and mental effects, where it's grown, how it's made and how it affected History! I'm headed to Dunkin' Donuts right now for an extra-large black coffee. :)


More information at: http://blog.cgpgrey.com/coffee-greatest-addiction-ever/

Coffee Enhances Memory! - new study

I guess I'll have a good memory when I'm 80!:)
NY DAILY NEWS (July 7, 2009) Studies have found that giving lab mice the equivalent of 500 milligrams of caffeine per day had a positive impact on their memory.
The researchers found that the caffeine had "a very positive effect on their memory and thinking actions over a two-month period," said Dr. Jennifer Ashton. "So put another one in the column of a good effect of caffeine."
The research, published online in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, found that for mice with the rodent equivalent of Alzheimer's disease, consuming the caffeine-spiked drinking water resulted in a 50 percent reduction in the levels of a protein in the brain that is a key aspect of the disease. FULL ARTICLE: http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2009/07/06/2009-07-06_coffee_may_help_treat_memory_loss_a_major_symptom_of_al.html

NOW...I can go to Germany

Our friend Gary just visited Germany and he took this photo. Yes, there's actually a Dunkin' Donuts in Berlin. NOW I can finally go visit Germany. :)

Drinking coffee reduces risk of Alzheimer's

As a result of growing up in New England, specifically Quincy, Mass - I became a coffee fanatic at a young age. That's because Dunkin' Donuts was founded in that city back in 1950 (I'm younger than that)- but the coffee is the BEST in the world. As an adult, I can't do without it. Today, I even drink between 3-8 cups a day (even more sometimes) all day or night. I love it- and studies like this make me feel good about it! -Drink up! Rob
STOCKHOLM (AFP) – Middle-aged people who drink moderate amounts of coffee significantly reduce their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, a study by Finnish and Swedish researchers showed Thursday.
"Middle-aged people who drank between three and five cups of coffee a day lowered their risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease by between 60 and 65 percent later in life," said lead researcher on the project, Miia Kivipelto, a professor at the University of Kuopio in Finland and at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.
The study, which was also conducted in cooperation with the National Public Health Institute in Helsinki and which was published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease this month, was based on repeated interviews with 1,409 people in Finland over more than two decades. They were first asked about their coffee-drinking habits when they were in their 50s and their memory functions were tested again in 1998, when they were between 65 and 79 years of age. Some studies have also shown that coffee helps protects the nerve system, which can also protect against dementia. FULL STORY:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090115/hl_afp/swedenfinlandhealthcoffeealzheimersresearch

NEW STUDY: Men more responsive to caffeine

Below is the latest coffee research from Barcelona University...How come I never get called for this kind of research!? I'd love to make money taking COFFEE Surveys! Anyway, Dunkin' Donuts coffee is the best Christmas present for me!

A strong cup of coffee has a greater effect on men than women, research shows. In a study on 668 healthy volunteers, an espresso pepped up men after just 10 minutes. Women also became more alert after the beverage, but less so.
The University of Barcelona researchers say some of this effect might be psychological because decaffeinated coffee also worked to some extent. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry reports the work.
The volunteers were asked to drink either a classic espresso containing 100mg of caffeine or a decaffeinated espresso containing 5mg of caffeine.
Then the researchers looked for changes in alertness over the following minutes and hours. Both men and women saw an improvement in their activity levels after drinking the classic espresso and these effects began after as little as 10 minutes.
According to the investigators, 45 minutes is the time needed for maximum caffeine concentration to be reached in the blood, but levels reach half this concentration after just a few minutes. And the effect appeared to be greater in the men.
Interestingly enough, DECAF coffee had a similar, but weaker effect and tended to be more potent in the women rather than in the men.

YES! Dunkin' Coffee Beats Starbucks in National Taste Test!

Yes!! My favorite coffee is America's #1 choice!

WINNER IN THE BATTLE OF THE BREWS: DUNKIN' DONUTS BEAT STARBUCKS IN INDEPENDENT NATIONWIDE TASTE TEST
Consumers invited to learn more at new website, www.DunkinBeatStarbucks.com
CANTON, Mass. (October 20, 2008) -- Dunkin' Donuts or Starbucks? Americans have made their coffee choice clear. An independent taste test of coffee drinkers across ten major U.S. markets shows a significant majority of participants preferred Dunkin' Donuts coffee over Starbucks.
A&G Research, Inc., under the counsel of claims test advisor Al Ossip, conducted the taste test in May and June in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, and Starbucks' home turf, Seattle. 476 adults, each of whom had consumed regular, hot brewed coffee within the past week, participated in this double-blind taste test. For the test, A&G Research used fresh packaged coffee purchased in each brand's stores, tested each brand's most popular flavor (Dunkin' Donuts Original Blend versus Starbucks House Blend), brewed the coffee using equipment recommended by each brand and served it black.
RESULTS: A&G says that the study results clearly indicate a preference for Dunkin' Donuts: Among all participants, 54.2% preferred Dunkin' Donuts coffee, compared to 39.3% who chose Starbucks. 6.3% expressed no preference. Of those participants who did have a preference, 58% favored Dunkin' Donuts coffee, versus 42% for Starbucks.

Coffee (and Breakfast) GREAT for Men, too -

FROM MEN'S HEALTH MAGAZINE (June 2008)- You knew that breakfast was important to healthy weight—eating in the morning boosts your metabolism by 10 percent all day. But new research suggests that front-loading your day's calories into a break-feast may help you lose four times as much weight over the long haul.
Study participants lost 20 percent of their body weight by starting with breakfasts totaling 610 calories. By our count, that's four slices of French toast. That's two Egg McMuffins (or ROB'S FAVORITE POP-TARTS!). That's any of these 5-minute breakfasts, with room left over for a smoothie and of course...Coffee!!! You can have plenty of joe to wash down your sunrise smorgasbord: In addition to all the health benefits we've told you about coffee, another new study found that men who drank six or more cups each day have a lower risk of heart disease, cancer, and other illnesses. Besides, if you drink enough- maybe you'll look like this guy- I'm putting on another pot of coffee right now! - Rob

Coffee Enhances a Woman's Lifespan!

DRINK UP!!!! - Here's new research, just published in the Baltimore Sun newspaper, from a scientific jounal:

Coffee will extend your life span, if you're a woman. A study out this week says that regular coffee drinking can have a protective effect. It defines regular drinking as up to 6 cups a day.
The findings are based on surveys taken by thousand of men and women, who answered questions about their health, diet and lifestyle every few years. The researchers analyzed answers given by 84,214 women in the Nurses' Health Study and 41,736 men participating in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Participants completed questionnaires every two to four years.
The results, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, show women consuming two to three cups of caffeinated coffee per day had a 25 percent lower risk of death from heart disease between 1980 and 2004, and an 18 percent lower risk of death caused by something other than cancer or heart disease. There were no differences detected among the men, who were tracked from 1986 to 2004 (BUT I THINK MEN NEED 10 CUPS A DAY...oh, yeah, that's what I drink!) The researchers accounted for other risk factors, such as body size, smoking, diet, and specific diseases, in their results.