For centuries, the powers that be have understood a simple truth that we often forget: the liquid in your cup is not just a beverage. It is a political accelerant.
Before coffee arrived in Europe, the average citizen began their day with a tankard of beer. Water was often unsafe to drink, so for hundreds of years, the Western world operated in a mild, depressive haze of alcohol. Then came the bean. Almost overnight, the morning depressant was replaced by a stimulant. The collective fog lifted. The result was the Enlightenment: a society that woke up, sobered up, and began to ask dangerous questions about why kings and popes held all the power.
When John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail on July 6, 1774, he didn’t just tell her he liked the taste of the new brew. He declared that tea must be “universally renounced” and that drinking coffee had become a patriotic duty. The fuel of the American Revolution was caffeine.
In France, the revolution didn’t start in a war room. It started at the Café de Foy in Paris on July 12, 1789. It was there that Camille Desmoulins jumped onto a table – not a soapbox, but a coffee table – and shouted “To arms!” Two days later, the Bastille fell.
In London, Edward Lloyd’s Coffee House (established in 1688) wasn’t just a place to gossip. It became the birthplace of the modern insurance market, Lloyd’s of London, because it was the only place where merchants could find clear-headed, reliable information.
Coffee creates the one thing authoritarians and fascists cannot survive: a sober, informed, and connected public.
The Fascist Enforced Silence
Where coffee starts conversations, fascism has always tried to stop them. Benito Mussolini, noted fascist, understood this quite well. In his campaign for Autarkia (national self-sufficiency), he viewed the coffee house as a “seditious den” of foreign influence and free thought, two things he perceived as enemies to his authoritarian paranoia.
His regime didn’t just ban the beans; they tried to ban the culture. To prove Italy didn’t need the world, he forced citizens to drink caffè d’orzo, a roasted barley water that mimicked the colour of coffee but provided none of the taste or stimulant. Mussolini’s propaganda machine framed drinking caffè d’orzo not as a sacrifice, but as an act of resistance against the “iniquitous siege” of foreign influences on Italy. Sound familiar?
And while we all love using the term “barista” these days, a historical note: Italians actually used the term “barman” quite a bit up until the 1930s, until Mussolini shamed them all into using the more Italian-sounding name, “barista”. Again, using the spectre of evil foreign influence as the shame point.
But his most effective tool wasn’t the barley; it was the silence. His Fascist secret police (OVRA) maintained a network of well over 100,000 informants, and routinely placed them in cafés to listen for dissent. In Italy, the coffee house was (and is) an extension of the living room for almost everyone, so this was an incredible invasion of privacy and outright spying to not only smother dissent, but set up arrests of those who dared say anything against Il Duce.
So, you could still go to the coffee house, but you couldn’t speak. The fear of the spy in the corner; the fear of sudden arrest, killed the community and potential for dissent, long before the embargo killed the supply.
The Modern Muzzle
Today, we are watching the American version of this history play out in real time. The Trump administration doesn’t need to ban the word “journalist” like Mussolini banned “barman.” They have found a more efficient method: they simply ban your credibility.
Consider just one example among thousands: on January 15, 2026, when Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was pressed on the legality of recent ICE operations in Minneapolis, she did not offer a legal defence. She simply labeled the reporters in the room “radical left-wing hacks” and “activists.” It was a tactical dismissal designed to signal to her base that the question itself was illegitimate. Just as Mussolini used the label disfattisti (defeatists) to strip critics of their Italian identity, the Trump administration uses labels to strip Americans of their standing.
This is a textbook fascist tool (and one of literally thousands the Trump administration uses). The goal is the same. Fascism requires the death of the coffee house conversation. They want you to drink your barley water, keep your mouth shut, and get in line for whatever they deem is appropriate for you.
Coffee Is Politics
I know what some of you are thinking. I can hear the comments already: “Stick to coffee, Mark. I don’t want politics with my espresso.” To that, I say: you are asking for something that is not only impossible considering coffee’s role in history, but now fully irresponsible to avoid.
It is dishonest to review a coffee when you know it was picked by a workforce hiding from government drones. It is impossible to discuss the price of a grinder without addressing the ludicrous “personal vendetta” trade war that inflated it. You cannot talk about the global community of coffee and its inclusive nature while the US government actively devolves into a fascist state that villainizes minorities.
And let me be crystal clear about something: Donald Trump is a fascist. Through and through. And I don’t arrive at this statement of fact lightly.
I hold a B.A. in Political Science and History, with a focus on the 20th Century. I spent years analyzing the rise and evolution of doctrines like fascism, communism, liberal democracy, social democracy, and neoliberalism. I know a bit about what qualifies as fascism, and I know it for what it is: the most inhuman form of governance our world has ever crafted.
Because of this, it took me a long time to begin using that horrible term for that man. Indeed, I refused to label him a fascist until February of last year. Previously I labeled him a grifter, a con man, a racist, and a bigot. I reserved the word “fascist” because it is so extreme, and I did not want to believe anyone would actively embrace it. Naive, I know.
But it is a fact: Trump is a fascist. Those who actively prop him up and run his departments are fascists. Those who enable him are, at best, fascist supporters, and at worst, fascists themselves.
Coffee is politics.It always has been, from the tables of the Café de Foy to the fields of Kona. Today, the stakes are higher than the cost of beans. I am concerned with the rising price of gear, but I am far more concerned with the cost of silence. I am concerned with women being dragged from their cars by armed goons. I am concerned with Native Americans being pepper-sprayed for simply voicing dissent. I am gravely concerned with women being shot dead in their cars while they are trying to drive away from confrontation.
If you want me to write about flavour notes while ignoring the fact that civil liberties are being burned to the ground, you are asking me to wear blinders. I cannot do that.
And at CoffeeGeek, we don’t serve barley water. We serve the truth.
Economic Impact & The “Fascism Tax”
Mark speaks of the political and personal costs of silence. I am here to speak about the literal cost of the beans you brew.
If you have purchased specialty coffee in the last six months, you know something is broken. We are not discussing the standard creeping inflation of logistics. We are looking at a manufactured crisis.
In April 2025 the Trump administration imposed a universal baseline tariff on imports that included green coffee. This broke with decades of precedent. By September 2025 the year-over-year price of roasted coffee in US grocery stores spiked between 20% and 41%.
This is not a supply chain error. It is a redistribution scheme.
When an importer brings green coffee into Oakland or New Jersey, they pay the tariff. Brazil does not pay it. Colombia does not pay it. The American importer pays it, then passes that cost to the roaster, who passes it to you. Every extra dollar you spend on that twelve-ounce bag goes directly to the US Treasury. Trump is taxing you, the coffee drinker.
The administration cited this tariff revenue as the primary funding for extending the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which disproportionately benefits the wealthiest earners. So at least there’s a tiny sliver of honesty and clarity there from an administration that usually lies about everything.
The math is brutal. You pay 30% more for your morning pour-over so a billionaire can pay lower capital gains taxes. It is a direct wealth transfer from the working class to the ultra-wealthy. And it is happening with almost everything you buy that isn’t made in the USA, and many of the items that are made in the USA (but use some foreign-built parts).
The Canadian Price Shift
While Natia breaks down the pain at the American grocery store, the situation regarding equipment pricing has become unprecedented north of the border. We are witnessing a near-complete market inversion. Historically, coffee gear has always been cheaper in the USA. That is no longer true.
Over the Christmas Holiday, I was regularly tracking the prices of the most popular espresso machines for our holiday gift lists. Almost all the major machines, from Breville, to Lelit, from Gaggia, to Rancilio, from De’Longhi to some of the up and coming Chinese brands were all cheaper after currency exchange on the Canadian market as compared to the USA offered prices. This was true for every espresso machine manufacturer that had a direct Canadian importer, and for the direct-ship companies like the Chinese brands. Sometimes the difference was minimal (around $25 cheaper in Canada); but in some cases, the savings was well over $1,000.
Why the difference? Canada’s trade agreement (CETA) with the EU means we pay 0% tariffs on Italian machines. The US consumer pays a “Trump Tax” that can be in the hundreds of dollars. It is now financially viable for a Seattle resident to drive to Vancouver, buy a high-end machine, and smuggle it back. You are not paying for quality. You are paying a premium for isolationism.
This holds true for almost every piece of gear not made in the USA. Accessories made in China have seen price increases across the board in the US while remaining stable in Canada. Even “Made in the USA” products are not safe, as they rely on foreign motors, logic boards, and burrs. Manufacturers must pass on these costs or go bankrupt.
We saw this personally when upgrading the CoffeeGeek photo studio. Every camera body and lens we price or purchased was cheaper in Canada. We saved over $1,500 compared to US prices because brands – from Canon to Nikon, Fujifilm and Sony – increased their US MSRPs to account for Trump’s tariffs.
If anyone tells you the exporting countries pay this tariff, they are lying. You, the American consumer, pay this tax every single day. And those taxes are going to fund the biggest tax breaks in history for the wealthiest people in the United States. This is a pure redistribution of wealth, from the poor and middle class, to the rich, and this is one of the tenets of fascism: the state decides who gets the wealth.
The Weaponization of Volatility
The high prices are painful. The instability is fatal.
Authoritarian economic models thrive on unpredictability because it forces businesses to seek favor rather than compete. The coffee market in late 2025 illustrated this perfectly.
After months of crushing tariffs, the administration suddenly announced exemptions for coffee and cocoa in November. This did not fix the problem. It furthe contributed to the destruction of small businesses.
Small independent roasters operate on thin margins. Many had locked in green coffee purchases at the “tariff price” in August to ensure holiday supply. When the tariffs were dropped, the market floor fell out. Massive conglomerates like JAB Holding and Nestlé have the reserves to hedge against this volatility. Your local roaster did not.
They were left holding inventory that was instantly overpriced. This volatility wipes out the small players and consolidates power into the hands of the massive corporations that have the lobbyists to navigate the chaos.
The unpredictability is not a side effect. It is the weapon. It clears the field of independent operators and leaves only the giants standing. Again, this is a tenet and practice of fascism.
The Silence in the Fields
Natia described the economic machinery of fascism. I am here to discuss its physical enforcement. While controlling wealth is essential to the regime, it cannot survive without a mechanism of fear. Active state spying, regardless of the law, is that mechanism.
When most of us think of the Kona Coffee Belt, we picture paradise. We imagine lush green slopes dropping into the Pacific Ocean, the scent of jasmine in the air, and a slow, peaceful rhythm of life. It is the image on the postcard. It is the image on the bag.
But if you were to stand on those slopes today, you would notice something terrifying. You would notice the silence. The farms are quiet. The workers are gone. And the air does not feel like paradise. It feels like a prison.
We talk a lot about the technical side of coffee or the economic side, but we rarely talk about the human sanctity of the farm. For generations, the coffee farm was a sanctuary. It was a place where people worked the land, often as families, to create something beautiful. That sanctuary has been violated.
In May 2025, a wave of ICE raids swept through the Big Island that fundamentally changed the nature of American agriculture. These were not standard enforcement actions. They were the debut of a new kind of policing that treats coffee pickers not as people, but as targets in a digital hunt.
The weapon of choice is no longer just the raid van. It is the “Stingray.”
For those who don’t know, a Stingray is a cell-site simulator. It is a box, sometimes mounted in a van or even a small aircraft, that masquerades as a legitimate cell phone tower. It forces every phone in its range to disconnect from the real network and connect to the police device instead.
Think about the violation inherent in that. It does not just target the undocumented worker. It captures everyone. If you are a farm owner, a legal resident, or just a tourist driving by on the Mamalahoa Highway, your digital life is being intercepted. Your location is being pinned. Your privacy is being stripped away without a warrant, all in the name of hunting down the people who harvest our morning cup.
The result is a digital panopticon. The government has effectively placed an invisible ankle monitor on an entire agricultural region.
Members of my family live on the Big Island. I’ve spoken to them about this, and they describe the atmosphere as heartbreaking. They tell me of families who have lived on the island for decades who are now terrified to leave their homes. They tell me of harvest days where the coffee cherries are perfectly ripe, a deep beautiful red, but there is no one there to pick them. The workers are not lazy. They are hiding. They are hiding because they know that the moment they step onto the road, an invisible signal might be flagging them for deportation.
And if you think the community can simply rise up and object to this treatment, you have not been paying attention to the new laws championed by figures like Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Under the guise of “public safety,” the Trump administration has pushed for federal laws that aggressively criminalize protest, including the proposed “Safe and Open Streets Act”. These laws are designed to ensure that dissent is not just ignored, but prosecuted. If a community group in Kona wants to block a road to protest an ICE bus taking their neighbors away, they are no longer engaging in civil disobedience. They are committing a federal felony.
The message is clear. You cannot work. You cannot hide. And you cannot speak in protest.
This brings a heavy, bitter taste to the coffee we drink. We obsess over the ethics of sourcing beans from Colombia or Ethiopia. We worry about fair wages and sustainable farming practices abroad. Yet right here on American soil, we are witnessing the complete erosion of human rights in our own supply chain.
We are drinking coffee that was produced under the gaze of a surveillance state. The “terroir” of American coffee is no longer defined by the volcanic soil or the island rain. It is defined by fear.
I look at my own brewing setup, my V60 and my favorite mug, and I feel a profound sense of loss. Coffee is supposed to be about connection. It is supposed to be the thing that brings us together. But how can we celebrate connection when the people who make it possible are being hunted?
The silence in the Kona fields is not peaceful. It is the sound of a community holding its breath, waiting for the next digital ping to shatter their lives. And it breaks my heart.
Corruption and Grift
We have already laid bare the tangible costs of this new order in the USA. We have seen the inflated prices at the register and the terrified silence in the fields. These are the physical wounds of a government at war with reality and its citizenry.
But while we are distracted by the noise of the raids and the chaos of the trade wars, a quieter theft is taking place. The administration is not just breaking the physical economy; they are actively looting it. They are dismantling the solid ground beneath our feet and attempting a feat that would make a medieval charlatan blush.
Ancient alchemists wasted centuries trying to turn lead into gold. They failed because physics is stubborn. The modern authoritarian does not have that problem because their alchemy is digital. They don’t need to change the laws of nature. They just change the definition of money to their sole benefit.
To understand the endgame of this digital alchemy, you don’t need to look at Wall Street. You need to look at the coffee lands of El Salvador.
I absolutely love coffee from El Salvador. My favorite region is the coffee lands of Santa Ana and the cooperative farms of Chalatenango. That country possesses some of the finest volcanic soil on earth. It should be a garden. But I’ve noted the quality (and availability) of coffees out of this region have taken a downward spiral in the last few years, so I did some research into why. It is because for years now, the government has ignored the coffee farmer to chase the mirage of “Bitcoin City.”
The neglect is physical and it is cruel. The Salvadoran government poured hundreds of millions of public dollars into buying Bitcoin and propping up the failing “Chivo” wallet app. Meanwhile, the national coffee sector has been left to wither. A major industry report from 2025 confirms that El Salvador still lacks a comprehensive national coffee strategy. While the government creates digital wallets, they have failed to provide the basic financial support farmers need to actually plant and maintain their crops. The state has pivoted entirely to a digital gambling economy and left the physical economy to rust.
To the modern authoritarian, El Salvador was not a cautionary tale. It was a beta test.
The Trump administration watched this hollow model – where a leader starves the physical economy to feed a digital grift – and imported it to the United States. In late 2025 the Trump family launched “World Liberty Financial.” They called it a revolution in banking. I call it a casino where the dealer admits he is keeping most of the chips.
The prospectus was shockingly honest, stating that 75% of the net proceeds would go directly to the family. It is a machine built to extract wealth from the public trust without producing a single usable good, mirroring the exact strategy deployed by his counterpart in San Salvador.
You can tell a lot about a leader by who they forgive. To signal his commitment to this unregulated frontier, Trump has now twice issued pardons for high profile cryptocurrency criminals. He used the power of his office to liberate the architects of digital money laundering schemes, framing their release as a victory for financial freedom.
The coffee producer in Apaneca does not have that freedom. They cannot launder a harvest through a blockchain. They cannot hide a coffee tree from the climate. The farmer is bound by the brutal reality of the soil. When the government diverts its attention and its capital to propping up a volatile token, the fields go fallow.
We are watching a great hollowing out. In El Salvador the “Bitcoin City” project glitters for the tourists while the mangroves are paved over and the highlands go dark.
In America the administration pushes a crypto scheme to enrich the First Family while small businesses, battered by the administration’s aggressive new tariffs, buckle under costs they can no longer absorb.
There is an old warning about Midas, the king who wished for everything he touched to turn to gold. He got his wish. Then he starved to death. You cannot eat gold. And as the farmers of El Salvador are learning the hard way, you certainly cannot drink it.
The Hard Line
The cynic in me expects a flood of comments to come below: “Stick to your lane.” “I come here for coffee reviews, not politics.” “Unsubscribed.” To the last one, I have only one thing to say: Go ahead.
For the last full year, I struggled with how to address the fire that is burning down the house just south of where I live. I tried to keep CoffeeGeek a “neutral zone.” I thought if I just focused on the grind size and the water temperature, I could provide a nice little escape for everyone from the insanity that US politics has become, and the encroaching fascism we are all clear witnesses to.
But then I watched a video by tech reviewer Luke Miani. He runs a channel about MacBooks and iPhones: the definition of “consumer escapism.” But he sat down, looked straight into the camera, and said something that hit me in the chest: “I almost felt like I was lying to you guys by talking about normal tech stuff while this is all happening.”
He was right. Staying silent is a form of lying.
How can I honestly review a Kona coffee when I know the person who picked it is terrified to leave their home because of a government drone? How can I smile and recommend a new grinder when the price has spiked 40% because of a tariff designed to steal money from the American public, and fund tax cuts for billionaires? To pretend these things aren’t happening – to pretend that “coffee” exists in a magical bubble separate from the world – is a fraudulent act.
I am done lying to you. Our writing team is done lying to you, and I am so proud they decided to collaborate with me on this article.
If reading all of this makes you angry because it is “too political,” then consider this my formal invitation to leave. If you are comfortable with an administration that hunts human beings, drags innocent Americans out of their cars at gunpoint, breaking their arm in the process, shoots and kills an unarmed woman who is just trying to drive away, runs crypto-scams to rip off Americans, and criminalizes dissent, then I do not want you as a reader. I do not want to provide you with any tools or advice or expertise on anything related to coffee or espresso. Find it elsewhere.
As Miani said in his video, “we are draining our own swamp”.
The Wallet as Ballot
If you are a coffee lover and a previous Trump supporter, who, after reading this, feel you do not want to support the rise of fascism, then I say, welcome to the resistance. You too can do your part to end this.
For the rest of you, the 70% of Americans and the 95% of global citizens watching this American horror show with a deep pit in your stomach, I want you to know that we stand with you. You are not powerless.
The system is definitely rigged. It is not rigged the way Trump says it is. It is rigged to benefit the oligarchs and punish the rest of us. As Zuzanna and Natia have shown, the tariffs and the grift are designed to strip you of your political agency. But you still have one vote left that they cannot gerrymander, and that is your money.
In this modern political environment, spending is voting. Every dollar you give to a company is an endorsement of their values. If you don’t like that Phil Knight, founder and largest shareholder of Nike, just donated $3 million to the Republican party, stop buying Nike products. If you hate that Jeff Bezos and Tim Cook are normalizing this regime to protect their stock prices, stop giving Amazon and Apple your money. Buy direct. If you want a grinder, buy it directly from the manufacturer (this is often a better option anyways), or from a specialized independent retailer like 1st in Coffee, Seattle Coffee Gear, or Cafune.
The most anti-fascist espresso machine is the one that already exists. Buy a used Gaggia or Rancilio and repair it. Deny the corporations a new sale and keep the tax revenue out of the administration’s hands. Support companies like Baratza that sell you spare parts and provide how-to videos on repairs, and boycott the ones that glue their machines shut. Disposable tech is a tool of control. Repair is an act of rebellion.
If you own a cafe or roastery, your space is a frontline. Join movements like the Sanctuary Restaurants project. Train your staff on their rights and refuse entry to ICE agents without a judicial warrant. Make your space a known safe harbour for your community. You also need to verify your supply. “Direct Trade” is no longer just a marketing buzzword. It is a necessity. If your importer cannot guarantee they are not cooperating with state surveillance in Kona or labor exploitation in Central America, fire them.
History tells us this works. The United Farm Workers grape boycott brought giants to their knees. The global divestment campaign against South African Apartheid helped break a regime. If a roaster stays silent about the raids, close your wallet. If a brand advertises on platforms that amplify hate speech like Twitter, tell them why you are leaving.
And if the momentum builds for a General Strike, join it. The French have used this tool to great result. Americans can do the same. Shut it all down.
Support the fighters. Support the loud ones. Support the businesses that are setting up legal defense funds for their workers, or just taking a public stance against fascism. We are done being polite. It is time to be expensive.
The Cost and Reason
This article could likely cost us advertisers (I hope not). It will certainly cost us readers. That is a price I am willing to pay. Some things are more important than the click-through rate on an affiliate link.
We will be back very soon with the usual content. We will continue to review machines. We will argue about espresso ratios. We will teach you how to pour a perfect rosetta and the most balanced cappuccino you could ever want. We will show you the latest crazy trends in filter basket sizes, tell you how this SOUP movement in espresso is bonkers, and hype the latest pour over brewing method.
But we will do it with our eyes open. CoffeeGeek has drawn a line in the sand, and we are not crossing back.
To our friends in the industry: take a stand. Silence is complicity to the growing fascism.
To our readers: drink good coffee, stay loud, and never let them grind you down.
Mark has certified as a Canadian, USA, and World Barista Championship Judge in both sensory and technical fields, as well as working as an instructor in coffee and espresso training. He started CoffeeGeek in 2001.
Natia loves coffee and relishes at the chance to write about it. She's competed in regional barista competitions in the past, and while no longer a Barista as a profession, she says espresso runs through her veins.
Allison's day job is highly sought after dog groomer, which encapsulates one of her three loves: dogs. Her other two loves: writing and coffee, are what brought her to the CoffeeGeek writing team. An unabashed V60 fan, Allison also explores Portland's cafe scene with gusto, often taking Max, her border collie with her.
Zuzanna travels the world because of her job, and makes it a point to find the best cafes, best coffee, best espresso in every city, town, or village she visits.
43 Responses
Been reading coffeegeek forever. There are a million other places I go to read politics…please
As mentioned in the conclusion John, we have a suggestion for you if you don’t like this article.
Mark, I understand where you’re coming from and agree with you for the most part, but you should still address your audience with more charity than that. Telling half the country “I don’t want you as a reader” is not only uncharitable, but it’s unhepful to your cause. No one will be shamed into joining your cause. Stay strong and be bold, but you should also understand why many would rather not feel there’s a political litmus test to enjoying your content. I’m NOT saying you should not address the political implications that relate to coffee, you should, but to understanding that hundreds of millions of people land differently than you and they aren’t all stupid or evil. Let’s keep real dialogue going, not echo chambers.
I appreciate the spirit of your note, and under different circumstances, I would agree with you. If this were a traditional disagreement between left-leaning and right-leaning ideologies, such as debates about tax rates or the size of government, I would always try to find common ground. In those instances, dialogue is essential and charity is a virtue.
But we are not talking about traditional conservatism. We are talking about fascism. And history has taught us a brutal lesson. There is no middle ground with fascists. My stance at this time is that anyone who continues to support this administration is supporting a fascist regime. I am not worried about alienating them because I refuse to normalize that ideology.
It is also important to correct the narrative that this represents “half the country.” It does not. A sober examination shows that roughly 40% of the voting public supports this man. That equates to only about 25% of the total American population. We are talking about one in four people, not half the nation.
Fascism is the most poisonous, insidious doctrine ever devised. It relies on the tolerance of the decent to survive. There is no “having charity” for a movement that seeks to strip rights from your neighbours and destroy the democratic systems they rely on. If one continues to support Donald Trump, they are supporting fascism. I cannot and will not offer a safe harbour for that.
Hi Jenn! I appreciate you writing in. You mentioned that we are alienating “half the country,” with this article we all worked hard on, but I need to push back on that math because it obscures the terrifying reality of our current situation.
It is true that in certain rural counties, Trump’s support is indeed 50% or higher. But land does not vote; people do. In the highly dense, populated urban centres where the majority of Americans actually live and work, his support is often in the single digits. We are not a nation divided down the middle. We are more like a nation held hostage by a minority. If our system had true equal representation, where every vote carried the same weight regardless of geography, the GOP would almost certainly never hold a national trifecta again, and that man would most certainly be in jail now for his crimes.
That does not make me feel better. In fact, it keeps me awake at night. I am constantly scared by the fact that even 25% to 30% of my fellow citizens continue to cheer for this. That is millions of people who are okay with the raids and the retribution.
As Mark said, history has proven that you cannot find a middle ground with fascists. When one side’s “politics” involve denying the humanity of the other side, negotiation is not an option. It is surrender.
How much Fascism should we be comfortable with?
Thanks for taking your sign down, Mark.
Tell me you’re jewish without telling me you’re jewish. This is the most neurotic article I’ve seen lately. Might as well have been written by jonathan greenblatt.
I did appreciate the observation “Benito Mussolini, noted fascist”. Oh, he’s a noted fascist, is he? “Michael Jordan, noted basketball player”. Imagine your career is writing, and you’re putting up trite nonsense like this.
Mike, consider your racism as not welcome here, at all. I’ve banned your IP address, and your comments are not welcome here.
Bravo.
If I only had one word to leave that would be it. but I have a few more. Like you, I watch Miani’s videos on apple tech. It is one of the top youtube channels I watch regularly and I am a subscriber. The day he came out with that video, I sent him a long thank you letter for taking a stand and speaking up. In my industry, many of my colleagues and work mates cannot stand the orange demon. Yet very few of the business owners are willing to take a stand publicly. This has to change, and I am glad you and the team here have.
I saw the speech your prime minister gave at Davos. The “taking the sign out of the window” metaphor stuck with me. I get the sense it stuck with you too. The only way we can overcome fascism is by speaking up, speaking out, and taking action.
This article is also a near perfect example of “political journalism”. It takes the mundane, the small, the daily things and weaves them into the bigger impacts. The larger causes and effects. This well crafted article is not something to skim or gloss over. it must be read and fully digested.
I applaud you for this very brave and forceful action. I do hope others in your industry start speaking up.
“The most anti-fascist espresso machine is the one that already exists.”
Such a fantastic slice of prose!
I never actually thought about used gear this way. I have been trying to speak with my wallet more, I haven’t shopped on amazon for six months, and both me and my wife have been shopping more locally and avoiding sam’s club and walmart. But like you said, “Disposable tech is a tool of control. Repair is an act of rebellion.” (another fantastic line!). I had some plans for 2026 in upgrading our home coffee bar but you have given me the drive to make sure everything I buy is used. Also thank you for this contribution of eye opening thought. Where I live, there’s a lot of Drumpf supporters and it always gets me down, but I think things are changing. Three houses on our street that had Drumpfs flats up have taken them down in the last few months, two of them replacing them with american flags. So I have hope.
Thank you for this. We are all in danger if we act like everything is normal, continuing to read our hobby blogs, watch our shows and generally go on as if everything was normal when people are being killed or put into internment camps, whilst the contributions of communities are being wiped from our history, the world is being made more dangerous by the glorification of dictators abroad, rule of law is being dismantled and instead of being there to support people in need, it’s being used for vengeance and fear. Thank you a million times, I wish I was as eloquent as you.
I love you, Mark and team. In 29 years you’ve never brought up politics.
It’s completely disingenuous now not to. Otherwise this site is just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Wow! You are heroes for publishing this, and I do not use that word loosely. It takes true courage to speak out in the face of runaway evil, knowing that there will be a cost for doing so and that silence is the far safer, more self-serving choice. This is not the obvious, role-required heroism of a firefighter, surgeon, or (until recently) police officer, but the kind of unsung individual bravery, strength, and heart that will ultimately defeat the naked cruelty, greed, and [ugly]-ism (national-, rac-, fasc-, etc.) that currently have half the country under their spell. I only hope others with any kind of public visibility will start to follow your example and say we are not just going to silently continue business as usual, blithely carrying on while all the progress we’ve made over the last century is completely dismantled. That is the only way this evil—which is completely dependent on silence and acquiescence—will be overcome.
Thank you Declan! I really appreciate your words of support, and I know my writing team does too.
Hey Mark.
You probably won’t remember me, but I am also class of ’90 Carleton, and we shared several Political Science classes over the years (remember Party Bill? I was his roommate for a time). I came across your name back in the mid 2000s when you had Coffeegeek going strong and we chatted a bit in the forums. I digress though.
I remember the same things you do in our studies. The signs and triggers and tenets of fascism. It burns deep inside, and every time I read the news, I see the steps the USA is taking into this maelstrom. In my day job (I work for the federal government) I cannot speak out publicly, or take a public stance, though it’s something we talk all the time over lunch breaks about. I also recognize how extraordinary it must be for you and your writing team to speak up. I have to assume the overwhelming majority of your readership is USA-based, and that means up to 30% of your readers support this fascist clown. Probably some of your advertisers too. To take this stand could alienate 1 of of 3 or 4 Americans, and lose you advertising revenue. That is why this is so brave, and I want to tell you something.
For years, your resource has taught me how to make great coffee and espresso and gave me the appreciation for everything surrounding it. It is my most passionate hobby in my private life; to the point where my retirement plans revolve around opening a little cafe as a side hustle down the road. I’ve pointed countless people over the years to your website and would often say “oh yeah, I went to school with this guy! I used to go to keg parties he hosted!” (shhh!). I’ve always appreciated the information and passion you share about espresso. I guess you could say my appreciation was at a full “10”.
But this post by you and your team? It’s now up to “11”. Thank you.
(I’m also including my private email address here if you want to reconnect).
OMG.
First, of course I remember you Jason! You were the sane part of “Party Bill” world! 🙂 🙂 🙂 (sorry others, insider stuff).
Second, just… wow. I’m at a loss for words, except thank you for your fantastic comments. I do see your email address; I’ll fire off a private message and would love to reconnect.
I can’t thank you all enough for this post!!
Most of us in the US who are extremely alarmed by the constant barrage threatening our Constitution and stability as a country are silent for a reason. We talk constantly among ourselves, but we don’t know how to fight back. Most of us are waiting for the leadership that will show us the way.
You are providing that – and please continue to do so!
Spot on. We are way past the point of “no politics with my coffee”. At this point, I am tempted to say anyone who tries to avoid “politics” is accepting the atrocities.
A friend’s repost brought me here. I love coffee, but this page largely operates above my level.
However…I’m a whiskey writer, have been for almost 30 years. “Stick to whiskey, Lew. I don’t want politics with my bourbon,” is something I’ve heard for quite a while, and when I read that, it rang completely true.
If talking about the terrible truths this current administration insists on shoving into our faces means losing book sales, well, I’m ready to retire anyway. At which time, I’ll talk more about those truths.
Bravo, Mark.
Thank you so much Lew!
And OMG, you’re the drinks writer at the Daily Beast, aren’t you? I have long been a fan of your content, and you’ve taught me so much about spirits. I didn’t know about your recent podcast, and I’m now a subscriber.
Thank you for speaking up. This is something we all need to do, at every opportunity. I’m not the coffee geek I was 25 years ago and have not followed this site in recent years, but I think this may be the best, most important article you’ve written. Thank you.
I am in complete agreement, Mark! Thanks very much for this positive and public position statement.
Thanks Mark for speaking up. Although I am not looking for a political discussion on a site like coffeegeek,I nevertheless want to deal with people having a moral compass that points in the right direction (humanity). Whether you you are ‘woke’ or leaning conservative or anything in between, I have no problem respecting you. However I cannot respect anyone who supports, or even is ok with blatant corruption, crimes, cruelty and even pedophilia-cover-ups.
I am happy to learn that coffeegeek is part of decent America (which I still hope is the majority of this magnificent country, just needs to wake up in some parts ….)
“When the fascists return they will call themselves the Anti-Fascists”. – Winston Churchill
Mr. “Anti-Fascist” Mark Prince, for the life of God focus on keeping CoffeeGeek anti-political. Your readers, albeit a few vocal minority, out of CoffeeGeek’s coffee focus. We all hear enough propaganda from the left and right on their respective networks.
Bobby
Bobby, please just leave this website, and never visit it again. We don’t want fascist supporters learning from what we write and share.
“We don’t want fascist supporters learning from what we write and share.”
Wow! Just Wow! You actually think your stuff is original? Man are you full of yourself.
Thanks for the laugh, man.
Bobby
Yet you visit the website Bobby. But since you don’t like our content or feel any of it is original, I can help you out so you don’t have to ever see it again.
Like I said in the article, we’re drawing a line.
Coffee tips, yes. Politics, no. There are plenty of authentic political commentary sites to go to, CoffeeGeek is not one of them. You are not a political news site. You have no Canadian free press protection. What you present is hate speech against a protected group. You either are ignorant of the law or you have a bad attorney advising you.
Bobby, please feel free to never visit our website again. We do not want fascists being part of this community. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
I thank you all for articulating that which I cannot do so eloquently. I re-visited here today looking for something totally different but forgot about that after diving into this article. I think more and more people are finding the words to match the situation and you and you staff of writers are helping this patriotic American with that endeavor. Appreciate ya!
First time visitor to your site. Was doing a little browsing for gift ideas to “escape” from the daily news.
Did not expect the political articles.
But, silence is complicity. You are right to speak out.
Our government is committing crimes against humanity. Our government is protecting, pardoning and enabling criminals. Our government is endangering its citizens on both national and international levels.
It is our moral imperative to reject this administration’s inhumane, illegal, anti-democratic and downright dangerous actions. This is our responsibility. There is no “escape” from the urgency of our duty.
Those who would silence you are complicit.
Thank you for your courage.
Thank you for taking your sign out of the window.
Came for information on coffee. I guess I came to the wrong place. My bad. See ya.
If you approve of, or support fascists Neil, you are not welcome here, so you won’t be missed.
Welp, I guess today is my first and last visit to coffeegeek.com. There are other places I can go for information without being preached at.
If you approve of, or support fascists, you are not welcome here anyway Stan, so you won’t be missed. I’ll help you though so you don’t have to visit again.
Also, I have noted this article was posted to a pro-fascist reddit group, and this is why there has been a slew of pro-fascist posts in the past few days. I can pretty much guarantee none of these posters have visited this website before.
This article brought to you by TDS.
No, Rodgrigo, this article was brought to you by a concern for the rise in fascism, and fascist supporters such as yourself. I see you’re another one of our first time visitors from that reddit thread in the pro-fascist group over there. But not to worry mate, I’ll help you so you don’t have to visit again.
Hey everyone. I discovered that this article was posted to a pro-fascist reddit group (it supports the current US President, so it is a pro-fascist group), and we were flooded with comments recently from members of that group. I had to delete about 15 of them because they were obscene and what is sadly expected from that group. I did approve a few of the others, because normally I don’t want to censor any comment that at the very least isn’t full of swear words and personal insults and threats.
Mark et al
Well thought out and well said. A brave post and an honest post. Hopefully the support for you is as loud as the opposition
Interesting perspective. Historically, coffeehouses did help spread ideas and debate during periods like the Age of Enlightenment and around the French Revolution. At the same time, coffee culture today is also about community, discussion, and simply enjoying the drink. It’s fascinating how a simple cup can connect history, culture, and everyday life.
You didn’t bring politics into coffee. Politics was already there; it never left.
Thomas Paine didn’t write his revolutionary pamphlets in a palace. He wrote them for ordinary people to read aloud to each other in coffee houses and taverns. His most famous line still hits: *”These are the times that try men’s souls,” written for regular folks who needed the courage to call out what was happening around them. That’s all you’re doing here.
Samuel Adams warned that the first move of any authoritarian isn’t violence — it’s labeling. Call your critics radicals, call journalists activists, and suddenly the question itself seems illegitimate. You nailed that observation about the press briefing. Adams saw that trick coming 250 years ago.
Patrick Henry had no patience for people who could clearly see a threat but chose silence because it was more comfortable. He’d have a lot to say about “stick to coffee.”
And if you need a more recent lesson, look at Germany in the 1930s. Hitler didn’t consolidate power in a single day. He did it gradually, while millions of ordinary, decent people told themselves it wasn’t their problem, that it wouldn’t go that far, that someone else would speak up. Pastor Martin Niemöller lived through it and spent the rest of his life warning the world with a simple message: by the time they came for him, there was no one left to object, because good people had stayed quiet at every step along the way.
Silence isn’t neutrality. It’s a vote for whatever is happening.
The founders built this country in coffee houses. John Adams called drinking coffee a patriotic duty. Reviewing beans while ignoring what’s happening to the country that grows, trades, and drinks them, they would have called that cowardice, not politeness.
So keep writing. You’re in good company.