In Brazil Heatwave, Coffee is Literally Burning on the Trees
- Plants exposed for as long as nine hours a day of extreme heat
- Crop may be smaller than thought as losses are assessed
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Farmers just can’t catch a break with the weather right now. While a cold snap threatens winter crops in the U.S., scorching temperatures are imperiling Brazil’s prospects of a record robusta-coffee harvest.
The normally sturdy robusta beans -- used in instant coffee and espresso -- are roasting even before being picked amid unrelenting heat in the states of Espirito Santo and Bahia. Maximum temperatures this month are as many as 8 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit) above average in the main producing states, according to Somar Meteorologia.