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BANG FOR THE BITE
If 10,000 Biters buy a pound of organic, shade-grown, fair-trade coffee instead of conventional, we'll avert the weight of 556 espresso machines in toxic chems while really helping wildlife and workers.
COCKTAIL FACT
Beethoven was so particular about his coffee that he counted out exactly 60 beans for each cup.
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home › tip library › Organic, Fair-trade, Shade-grown Coffee
Do you count on your coffee beans for more than just taste?
The Bite
We mean besides giving you the ability to function normally. Check your coffee label for the perfecta trifecta before you jump-start your day: fair-trade, organic, and shade grown.The Benefits
- Our number ones for flavor. We bet you'll like these blends as much as your go-to roasts.
- Getting workers' finances in order. Fair-trade means fair wages for workers and guarantees that foreign producers get a decent price for their beans.
- Quantifiably safer sippin'. At an average of 3.1 cups of coffee per day, coffee drinkers who sip organic avoid the risk of consuming pesticides.
- Upping bird numbers. Shade-grown means that farmers let trees grow on their land, giving migrating birds a place to stop and smell the coffee.
Personally Speaking
Jen gave up coffee on new year's and has stuck to it. But with the likes of Equal Exchange and other great finds around, the rest of us just don't have it in us to say goodbye...Wanna Try?
- Equal Exchange French Roast - flavorful, classic brew ($9/10 ounces).
- Beantrees Classic Espresso - a tasty, rich espresso ($11/12 ounces).
- Jim's Happy House Blend - has a smooth, robust flavor that's anything but bitter, even if you take your coffee black ($10/12 ounces).
- Café Humana Peruvian Swiss Water Decaf - a great dark decaf ($11/12 ounces).
Sep 18,2008
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All editorial suggestions in this tip are the result of testing and a preference for the tip topic. No advertiser has paid to have its company referenced in the tip. For more information, please read our Editorial Policy.
Bean Equality
Oscar Wilde once said, "Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast." Thank you, Oscar.
Still, I am compelled to remedy my a.m. lack of brilliance with a cup of coffee every morning. The roomies and I take turns buying coffee to feed the group addiction (I won't lie - my most recent offering was a sample of Buywell's Screaming Monkey blend from work - delicious), but last time it was my BFF Leandra's turn.
So, she brought home Lesbeans. Sound it out.
Lesbeans (I would link here but I guess they don't do the Interweb in HI) is coffee grown and handpicked by lesbians on the Big Island. Judging from the utopian imagery on the packaging, it looks like a pretty sweet setup - lots of frolicking, etc. I'm not sure if it's fair-trade, shade grown, and organic, but if it is, I'll mos def buy it again, just so these ladies can go on doing what they do.
-SF Editor Hanah...off to vote with my dollars...
Biter Comments...
Even better than fair trade, shade grown, and organic is to find a local roaster that also offers the above. Buy whole beans and grind when ready to brew.
My husband and I are about to open a leftist bookstore and coffee shop in Tucson AZ. Revlolutionary Grounds Books and Coffee. It amazes me how many people know knothing about shade grown and fair trade coffee. The person we bought much of our equipment from asked a lot of questions about it.
Many people have told us that we are nuts spending extra on those things potentillly charging more for our coffee, especially during an economic downturn. The thing is there will always be an excuse to cut costs at the environment's and worker's expense. We are first and formost a leftist business, so we have no business putting capitol first. If more business worked on a similar model perhaps we would not be in this mess now.
Another great source for Fair Trade, organic coffee is Dean's Beans (deansbeans.com). I've been buying all my coffee from Dean's for years because they stock decaf beans, which are hard to come by in stores. Their prices are MUCH lower, and their founder, Dean Cycon, is a real activist who has a personal relationship with the coffee farmers he buys from. He has what he calls "people centered development" projects going in many of the coffee countries, and his high school aged daughter has just started a scholarship program for teenaged girls in Guatemala. Check the website for more information on the many social and environmental benefits of Fair Trade, organic coffee and other products.
We sell the Equal Exchange products at my church; they're popular because they're very good.
I'll second Sarah's recommendation of Dean's Beans. Not only does he have good coffee (fair trade, organic, shade grown) with great names (my favorite blend is called "Uprising"), Dean is also an excellent writer. He has a new book out about his travels all over the world seeking out fair trade coffee opportunities-- Javatrecker. It's available on his website (deansbeans.com. Worth knowing a little more about where your morning beans originated.
I an a BzzAgent. I get to try new products and help spread the word on these products. It so happens that I am currently doing a 'spread the word' for Nabob coffee.
Nabob Coffee Company is partnering with the Rainforest Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to making sure the good things of today are around for many tomorrows.
The Company has also improved their packaging so it's now 34% lighter (excluding the coffee weight, of course), which means fewer resources are required to make and transport the coffee. Quick facts:
Made with 100% Premium Arabica coffee beans
A minimum of 30% is sourced from beans grown on Rainforest Alliance Certified™ coffee farms, with the goal of increasing this number all the way to 100% over the next few years (and the short-term goal of moving to a minimum of 60% certified content by the end of 2009)
Available in almost all Canadian supermarkets
311 g – 326 g canisters for suggested price of $5.29, 915 g – 930 g canisters for suggested price of $11.49.
Learn more online:
Nabob Coffee Company: www.nabob.ca
Rainforest Alliance: www.rainforest-alliance.org
for any norcal folks, my favorite local roaster up here in sonoma county is wolf coffee. consider me hooked! http://www.wolfcoffee.com/ I love the mocha java blend. family owned, locally operated... I also love thanksgiving coffee up in Mendocino. they are serious about sustainability, and donating to worthy causes. and I love their motto "not just a cup but a just cup" http://www.thanksgivingcoffee.com/
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"Oscar Wilde once said, "Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast."" This is brilliant! I will comment on this the next time I am at a Bed and Breakfast house. I hate talking to strangers at B&B. Anyway about the coffee, I prefer the Organic coffee sold at out Costco. It is really really good.
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Linda | September 18, 2008 at 07:01 AM