Coffee Price Tracker Screensaver
The Coffee Price Tracker screensaver shows the real, live global coffee price, tracked over time from the IMF's own published commodity price data. It is free, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.
Live preview
Press ESC to leave fullscreen. Settings are saved in your browser only.
How the Coffee Price Tracker screensaver works
The saver reads the real global coffee price series (Other Mild Arabica) from the IMF's own published commodity data.
The real current price and its real change over the past year are shown alongside a real historical trend line.
The pipeline refreshes the series on the source's own real monthly schedule.
No key is required for the published series.
What the IMF coffee series tracks
The series shown is the global price of Other Mild Arabica coffee, taken from the International Monetary Fund’s Primary Commodity Prices data, which the IMF updates monthly. The price is quoted in US cents per pound as a monthly figure. The St. Louis Fed’s FRED service republishes the same series and describes the values as benchmark prices representative of the global market, determined by the largest exporter of the commodity.
Arabica is one of the two main coffee species, generally regarded as the higher-quality bean. Because the figure is a monthly value, it smooths out the day-to-day swings of futures markets, where much coffee price discovery happens. Coffee is a weather-sensitive crop, so frost or drought in a major producing country, currency moves, shipping costs and shifts in stocks can each push the price, which is why the line often moves in sharp steps after supply shocks rather than as a smooth curve.
The price is a wholesale commodity benchmark. It is not what a café or supermarket charges, which includes roasting, packaging, transport, retail costs and margins, and it is a nominal US-dollar price, so long-run comparisons do not account for inflation. The latest point is behind the calendar, because each month’s value is published after the month ends.
A worked example
A real weather-driven supply shock in a major growing region shows up as a real jump in the historical price trend line.
Settings & tips
- Accent recolours the trend line.
- The price is a real global benchmark, not a retail cup price.
- The series updates monthly on the source's own real schedule.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this real commodity data?
- Yes — the real published IMF global coffee price series.
- Is a key needed?
- No. It is a free, public economic data series.
- Is this a retail coffee price?
- No — it is the real global wholesale benchmark price, not a cup of coffee.
- Is it free?
- Yes — free, no download, in your browser.
- Why is the price in cents per pound?
- The IMF series is published in US cents per pound, a common way to quote coffee prices by weight.
- What is the difference between arabica and robusta?
- They are the two main species of coffee. Arabica is generally regarded as the higher-quality, more delicate bean, while robusta is hardier, more bitter and higher in caffeine.
- Why does the line jump after bad weather?
- Coffee supply is concentrated in a limited number of producing countries, so a frost or drought can sharply cut expected output and push the price up.