'Coffee rust' ruining coffee taste

Report: Disease affects 30 percent of crop

(Samantha Reichman/CNN)

SACRAMENTO – Whether you like it black, with cream, with sugar or with both, coffee producers warn your cup of joe may taste different soon due to a disease known as "coffee rust."

CBS in Sacramento reports coffee producers have seen a dramatic increase in the disease formally known as "Roya" in crops in Latin America.

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Roya is a fungus that infects coffee trees, causing them to weaken and potentially die, according to The American Phytopathological Society. The leaves will show splotches of yellow, orange or brown, similar to metallic rust.

Coffee producers and distributors claim 30 percent of the high quality coffee bean crop has been affected by coffee rust. They also say half of next year's crop may be affected because the disease is spreading so quickly.

Jon Rogers, president of The Rogers Family Coffee Company, tells CBS Sacramento coffee drinkers will taste "a very pronounced difference" if the crops are affected by coffee rust.


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