Organic Coffee: Everything You Need to Know
Living the organic lifestyle is fast becoming a trend around the world and many coffee lovers are turning to organic coffee for the health benefits. While organic does not mean no pesticides have been used, it only means that natural options are used to protect the crops. Since coffee is worth more per pound than most other crops, farmers take special care to ensure only the best is produced.
While it might be slightly more expensive than your standard coffee, it does make a difference. We have sought out some experts and done a little bit of in-depth research to find out what these benefits are and whether you should buy organic coffee. In this article, you will learn a little more about organic coffee and why you should buy it:
What Is Organic Coffee?
Organic coffee to some might mean that the coffee is grown without any pesticides, but that is not the case. As we have mentioned, pesticides are still used, but they are natural and not harmful to the coffee beans or the environment. This makes organic a little safer and much healthier to use than your standard coffee beans.
The area of growth is also important when it comes to organic coffee. This relates to the ground that should be of a certain quality and free of any harmful additives. When sold, organic coffee is also regulated with a fair trade policy, protecting you the buyer and supporting the farmers and their worker producing the coffee.
Why Should You Choose Organic Coffee?
To help you understand organic coffee a little better, we have dug a little deeper and done some research. Now you can also understand the reason for organic coffee and make the smart decision when you buy your next coffee beans:
What are the organic coffee standards?
Organic is completely different in each part of the world and each country also has its own set of rules and regulations when it comes to these standards. In the US, the USDA organic standard is the main body regulating these standards and when you grow organic coffee, this can be one of the best ways to ensure you are on the right track.
When it comes to buying organic coffee, you can simply do a search of the origin of the coffee beans and have a look to see if they do meet the organic standards of the country they have been grown in. It is also worth noting that most of Europe also features the same organic standards, making regulation a little easier.
How to plant and harvest organic coffee?
Planting the organic coffee is one of the main parts that many people will understand and you might be right when you understand to avoid pesticides. However, modern coffee crops are grown in the sun, making them an easy target for most pests. One of the natural ways to grow organic coffee is to use the shade partially, allowing birds and insects to help feed on these pests.
The harvesting process is a little more complex and you will need to distinguish between wet and dry processing. Wet processing is much faster, but can also be harder without the help of additional additives. While dry processing is much easier, but also takes a little longer. The bags and equipment used should also be approved by your governing organic body.
How to handle organic coffee?
Organic coffee should be stored and placed near areas that will not contaminate the organic properties. When handling organic coffee, you should ensure everything has been approved as well as the storage location. Generally, the bags are also checked and they are sent around the world to collect the coffee for shipment. By using your own bags, you might be contaminating the quality of the coffee and this could lead to being reduced to normal coffee beans.
How to roast organic coffee?
When roasting organic coffee beans, the best option will be an organic roaster. These are a little more expensive, but they have been tested not to add any harmful chemicals. When using a normal coffee roaster, you should consider a new one that has not been used to roast any other coffee beans. To ensure this, it is much better to simply stick to an organic toaster.
Environmental benefits of organic coffee:
With the environment taking many hits with development and artificial growth enhancers, environmental coffee is something you can look into when you do care for the environment. The conservation of wildlife is really important in the modern era and with soil erosion taking center stage in many debates, natural pesticides will be the best option.
If you consider yourself to be an environmentalist, it is important to look for certification. As we have mentioned, there are also brands marketing coffee as organic, but using ways to boycott the system. With a little bit of research, the certification should not be that hard to find.
Fairtrade and what it means:
Most certified organic coffee farmers are fair trade compliant and this means you will be supporting the economy to an extent. The fair trade policy also protects the employers at many of these farms and it means they will be also be paid according to what the law states they should be paid. As mentioned, these farmers also put in a lot of time and money to ensure the coffee is a little better and organic.
Decaffeinating organic coffee:
Some people might be intolerant of coffee and taking the caffeine out of the coffee might damage the integrity of your organic coffee beans. When it comes to selecting a method of decaffeinating your coffee beans the organic way, the Swiss Water Process and Carbon Dioxide Coffee process are the only two that can be considered organic. This will also shoot up the price of the coffee, as these processes can be rather expensive.
Where can you buy organic coffee?
Organic coffee can readily be found anywhere around the world. The coffee is generally certified for use by the regulation standards of the governing body of the country where the crop has been grown. When looking at organic coffee, you should generally consider looking for certification, but it is also worth keeping in mind that some poor countries also follow the correct methods, but the certification process might be too expensive.
Final Verdict:
Organic living has made a lot of headway in the modern era and more countries are adopting the policy and trying to promote this form of healthier living. While it can be expensive in third world countries, by taking the shot now, you can ensure a better future for everyone. Something as simple as coffee can definitely make a major difference in the world.
We would like to thank you for reading this article and we would like to encourage you to share some of your thoughts on organic coffee. If you are serious about conservation, you should make the switch and we would love to read some of your comments on the topic. Let us know in the comment section what you think about organic coffee and if you would love to make the change.
