Key Findings • The potato taste defect (PTD) reduces the value of coffee in Africa’s Great Lakes Region, and in doing so decreases farmer incomes. • The antestia bug is an East African coffee pest that can cause up to 40% of coffee cherry loss. • While scholars have suggested that the antestia bug may cause PTD, a new study presents experimental evidence that controlling antestia reduces PTD. • This study also shows that Fastac (10% alpha-cypermethrin) and organic pyrethrum-based pesticides, when combined with pruning, are effective at controlling antestia and reducing PTD. • While the percentage of farmers using pesticide has increased since 2015, 24.41% of farmers still do not use pesticide. • Further, most farmers do not receive training on antestia control. • Policy recommendations to improve antestia and PTD control can be found on pages 4-5.