Coffee Digest · Aug 20 — Portland, pressure and new bars

Portland has a roasting date on the calendar, Round K is back in Manhattan with a pressure-extraction project, and coffee capsules have entered a new compliance phase in Europe. This digest covers verified reports published Aug. 13–18, 2026: what changes the roast, the shop floor, or the cup?

Roast Summit returns to Portland’s Redd on Salmon Street on Oct. 1–2. The two-day program runs 9 a.m.–4 p.m., costs $250, and combines technical sessions with hands-on roasting across machines from Diedrich, Loring, Roest, Ikawa and others. 1

For enthusiasts, this is less a consumer festival than a peek at where professional conversation is heading: thermal control, processing-to-cup-profile links, output versus quality, and sourcing partnerships. It is a useful watchlist for what may show up in the next crop of cafe menus.

The Netherlands-based Sustainable Trade Initiative IDH launched a four-year Resilient Coffee Program across Vietnam, India, Colombia and Uganda, with a goal of reaching 300,000 farmers by 2030 and generating roughly 500,000 metric tons of so-called regenerative coffee annually. In Vietnam, the program targets about 75,000 farmers, or approximately 10% of coffee-growing households and 14% of coffee area; Aldi Süd was named the frontrunner investor, with financial terms undisclosed. 2

The interesting part is less the label than the measurement system: IDH says the program will share reporting, verification and traceability tools. It is not proof that a particular bag will taste better; it is a bet that common data can make origin claims more checkable as producers face climate and cost pressure.

The European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation began applying on Aug. 12, and machine-compatible coffee capsules now sit inside the legal definition of packaging, bringing them into packaging-waste-responsibility requirements. The regulation’s stated milestones include recyclable packaging by 2030 and recycled packaging at scale by 2035. 3

The European Commission says the regulation applies to all packaging and that all packaging must be recyclable by 2030, with lighter rules for micro-enterprises. 4 For capsule users, this is not a brewing change; it is a reminder that the afterlife of a pod is becoming part of the product’s operating cost and design brief.

Ockhyeon Byeon has reopened the original Round K name on Manhattan’s Lower East Side at 78 Canal St., after the successor Round K by Sol closed and the space went through a renovation. The bar runs a Victoria Arduino Black Eagle for espresso, Hario V60 and Kalita for pour-over, and a simpler food program centered on daily pastries. 5

The shop also roasts in Brooklyn on a restored 5-kilogram Imex electric roaster and is testing a pressure-driven extraction system with an unnamed South Korean equipment maker. The system is still in development, but the target is clear: more controlled delivery of thermal energy and a concentrated expression of fruit, aroma, texture and origin character. 5

Groundswell Coffee Roasters opened its third Chicago cafe in July inside the historic Fine Arts Building at 410 S. Michigan Ave. The 1,000-square-foot room uses white surfaces, natural wood and earthy tile to echo the building’s Art Deco character; a white La Marzocco Linea Classic S and white Mahlkönig grinders anchor the bar. 6

The opening brought an exclusive Groundswell × Fine Arts Building roast, plus breakfast burritos, all-day sandwiches and pastries from Good Ambler bakery. 6

Loring Smart Roast launched a mobile-friendly online Knowledge Base for customers and service technicians, gathering machine manuals, technical specifications, troubleshooting articles, repair information and pre-installation documents in one place. 3 The portal is available through Loring’s support site. 7

It is not a new extraction method, but faster access to the right manual can keep a cafe from turning a machine problem into a lost morning. Loring-equipped shops should bookmark it.