Dark Hollow micro Roasters

Brewing methods #2 – Iced coffee and cold water Infusion

2011-06-23T15:21:00.002-04:00

First, let’s be clear that different brewing methods produce widely different results in the cup. A french press produces a markedly different cup than a drip brewer, and both are quite different than a percolator (one of the worst brewing methods ever). A great deal of coffee enjoyment comes from experimentation, and during the process, discovering what coffee experience satisfies your personal tastes.

All of the coffee extraction methods that I‘m familiar with involve hot water, except one. Basically, cold water infusion involves combining coarsely ground coffee with room temperature water, and letting the mixture steep at room temperature for 18 to 24 hours. What you get in the resulting brew is sort of a coffee concentrate that you can then use to make your favorite summertime cold coffee beverages. This is handy, since the resulting concentrate stores well in the refrigerator, and also gives you a great degree of freedom with iced coffee recipes. With a cold water infusion, you can make your iced coffee as strong as you want, without over dilution. Since the mixture is already cold, or at least room temperature, you use much less ice to chill it down to the desired temperature. You can even make ice coffee cubes out of the concentrate if you want, to completely eliminate any watered down effects.

There is a specialty cold water brewer for sale out there called the “Toddy” which looks like it can do the job, but in our experiments, we used our good old french press to cold brew and then separate the grounds from the mixture. If you don’t mind tying up your french press for a day, then it's an ideal way to make a cold infusion brew. In our 16 oz Bodum press we placed about a quarter pound of coarsely ground coffee (we used a lightly roasted Costa Rican Tarrazu FTO, roasted to just shy of a City roast. Then we just put our mixture into the fridge and came back the next afternoon. We carefully plunged the french press and poured the coffee into a mason jar. There was still a bit of the finer grounds in the mixture, and I suppose if you wanted to you could strain the mixture again with a coffee filter or cheesecloth. We didn’t do any of that. We just poured slowly and most all of the remaining grinds stayed in the bottom of the mason jar. We couldn’t resist tasting the mixture right away, so we dipped in our teaspoon and slurped. What we tasted was a sweet and strong coffee flavor, with great body. There were fewer of the subtle aromatics that hot brewing brings out, but overall we were quite pleased with the flavor. Then we mixed up a batch using our favorite iced coffee recipe (below) and enjoyed. I must say, that the ability to make a cold coffee beverage as strong as you want has its advantages. And, being able to pull cold coffee concentrate out of the fridge and instantly make a cup certainly beats making hot coffee and then diluting with ice until you get the temperature you want. We don’t believe that cold infusion will ever replace our favorite brewing method of the french press, but during the hot months of summer, a nice batch of cold-brewed coffee in the fridge is hard to beat for a quick and delicious iced coffee beverage.

Our favorite iced coffee recipe is to fill a 8 oz cup half full of cold breed coffee, then add ice to bring the level up to about an inch from the top. Then add sugar and cream to taste. Sometimes we add a little pure vanilla, and in the afternoon, we might even add a little Bailey’s Irish cream, or Kahlua.

Enjoy!

John

Today’s question: Decaffeination : How does that work?

2011-04-12T12:03:00.014-04:00

Thanks to Liz Smith at Local Roots for posing this question and giving us a chance to expound.

Here are a few caffeine facts to get started on.

Caffeine is a complex organic compound found naturally in many plants.

Typical decaf is 97% to 99% caffeine free.

A regular drip-brewed cup (8oz) of premium coffee (arabica) contains about 200 milligrams of caffeine.

Here’s a little chart I like for comparing relative amounts of caffeine in different beverages.

Totally unbiased opinion here, of course, but in bang (literally) for the buck, not to mention the wonderful enhancement of your day, a cup of fresh premium coffee beats, hands down, any so called “energy drink” that you see someone slamming down with a grimace, and then smiling as the caffeine kicks in. Seriously people, life is too short not to enjoy the consumption of a wonderful fresh coffee beverage. Then you’ll get the smile of the enjoyment during and after the experience. Makes me crazy when I see those “energy drink” commercials. Not to mention that, if made at home, a great cup of fresh premium coffee costs about 25 cents per cup. Completely unbiased I am, of course.

My personal love of caffeine appears to be coming through a little bit here, and we did start out with a decaf theme, so, continuing on, how do you get rid of caffeine if you don’t want it?

You basically have two choices. You can decaffeinate using solvents or pure water. Hmmmm, tough choice. Pure water or paint thinner, which to choose? Seriously, on the “chemical extraction” side, the common solvents that are used to combine with caffeine include, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and (omg!) benzene. Although it is claimed that no traces of these lovely compounds remain on decaffeinated beans after the process, I personally can’t stand the thought that they ever touched my beautiful beans!
One of the main reasons that these chemical processes are so popular is that they allow the reclamation and repackaging of the caffeine for use in other products from Red Bull to Excedrin.
In general, in the chemical process, unroasted coffee beans are steamed, the solvent is applied, and the caffeine chemically attaches to the solvent, which is later treated with additional chemicals to make the caffeine drop out for reuse.
But, back at the beans, soaking in their little solvent bath, this process is repeated, until the desired 97% to 99% caffeine-free level is reached. Water is added and the beans are steamed for several hours “until the last of the solvent is removed”. At least that’s what they say.

On the pure water process side, no chemicals whatsoever are used, but due to nature of the process, the caffeine itself cannot be reclaimed for reuse, therefore, the process itself is more expensive. In a nutshell, water has the capacity to absorb caffeine on it’s own, along with soluble “flavor solids” present in the raw bean. In the pure water process, the unroasted beans are soaked in water, extracting a percentage of caffeine and also some of the flavor solids. The resulting caffeinated and flavored water solution is then passed through carbon filters which filter out the caffeine, but not the dissolved flavor components. Then, the beans from this original bath are thrown away. Yes, chucked out. Their mission in life was to produce a flavor solids rich, but caffeine poor water solution, which will be used in the next step of the decaf process.

The real secret in the pure water extraction process is in water’s ability to absorb only a given amount of dissolved flavor components. In the example above, the beans are exposed to repeated baths of water, but only the caffeine is removed by the carbon filters. At some point, the caffeine is fully extracted from the solution, but the dissolved flavor components remain, reaching equilibrium with the soluble flavor components in the bean, with the result that no more flavor components can be extracted. This is key when a fresh batch of beans is presented to the flavor rich, caffeine poor bath. Flavor components present in the new beans are not extracted because they are already in equilibrium with the flavor components in the solution, while caffeine continues to be extracted by the caffeine poor bath. Only the original beans (the thrown away ones) are used to create the flavor extract bath. The subsequent beans lose only caffeine to the bath. I find this idea of balance and equilibrium very appealing.

The most recognized pure-water process is known as the Swiss Water Process, or SWP for short. If you see “SWP Certified” on a bag of coffee, then you can be sure it was decaffeinated using a pure water process and no chemicals whatsoever. If it doesn’t say SWP it probably was chemically treated, since with that method the caffeine can be harvested (the profit motive is a strong one).

One thing that has been pointed out to us on a couple of occasions is that our Organic Decaf doesn’t say SWP anywhere on the label. The truth is, we have used SWP and only SWP processed decaf since the beginning, and wouldn’t consider using anything else (in case you couldn’t tell from the above). We will shortly change our decaf labels to reflect that fact (and we should have done it a long time ago).

So there you go. We love the power of informed choice.

John
john@darkhollowcoffee.com

"Good Chemistry is more than a representation of a wonderful molecule.
It is the relationship we strive for with all of our customers."

Supply Chain Slavery Part II : Hope

2010-08-29T12:03:00.021-04:00

It’s easy to get cynical these days when we wade abroad in the mediasphere and become bombarded with messages about what we should be consuming. Bulk meats, bulk cheeses, overly processed ready to eat meals, anything with high fructose corn syrup, bottled water for goodness sake. These items, made for mass consumption and spit out of factory “farms” are marketed with happy images of sunny farms, green pastures, and frolicking animals. Unfortunately it’s often a scary experience to go behind the images, upstream to the actual production facilities of mass food delivery. I get depressed just writing about it. (sigh)

Then something amazing happened to give me hope.

I was fortunate enough to spend the weekend in Patrick Springs Virginia, on a real farm dedicated to raising some of the finest lamb in the world. Sunny farm – check. Green pastures – check. Frolicking animals – double check. Also gruff Great Pyrenees sheep dogs guarding the flocks and taking their jobs very seriously, nippy border collies herding the flocks into their pens, and overall wearin’ farmers walking their fields and casting a watchful eye over the proceedings. These things I saw with my own eyes and it gave me such inspiration that it was truly a renewing experience.

What brought me out to this oasis of pastoral beauty was Craig Rogers (occupation: shepherd) and the beautiful Border Springs Farm, hosting a get together of some of the most forward thinking and talented chefs in the country, and in a perfect storm of goodness, also representing (in addition to Craig) were leaders on the producer side. The producer side produced beef, pig and lamb, all humanely and locally raised. The chef side of the equation produced an unbelievable demonstration of cooking knowledge and creativity. Then throw in the fact that everybody was camping, in this beautiful landscape, and the weather was beautiful and the moon was full. Well, all sighs now are sighs of contentment.

Bev Eggleston brought in his humongus smoker, which looks like it’s been built out of parts taken off a battleship, and he also brought all of the pork that was consumed over the weekend (best bacon I have ever, ever had). Bev runs Eco Friendly Foods in Moneta Virginia. Craig and Border Springs Farm provided the lamb (of course), and the chefs and crews provided endless entertainment and expertise. I’d put the total at about 180 souls out under the stars. Over three days, bonfires were lit, beef was cooked over an open spit, pig too. Pork was smoked, lamb was smoked, heck, even sweet potatoes were smoked. Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable. Craig called it “Lambstock”.

If I was a name dropping kind of guy, you would be impressed at the culinary talent represented at this event. Let’s just say, that if I were an artist, this would be like being thrown in with young Picassos and Warhols. In the chef business, these guys are that good. And the laid back good will which permeated the entire event was just so great.

In our capacity to provide locally roasted coffee to this wonderfully diverse group, we broke out the Dark Hollow "off the grid" Coffee Lounge tent, and served fresh roasted, fresh ground coffee each morning. Our setup consists of a propane fired water heater, which is converted from a stainless steel coffee urn that was used on US Navy ships in the ‘40s, two converted hot water coffee brewers and a twelve volt battery powering the bean grinder and the all important morning (gentle) sound system. We put together a coffee bar for the airpots, threw out a few bag chairs and we were ready to go. As far as I’m concerned we had the best seat at the show. Like a bartender at a great party, when you’re the guy serving fresh coffee in the morning, you get to meet almost everybody. And it was great, because everyone seemed so pleased to see me (it’s the coffee, I know). The look of gratitude on some people’s faces early in the morning as they stumbled out of their tents and made their way up to the coffee, was inspiring to a coffee person like me. And, as one person pointed out, you get to see different versions of people as they get into their day – the pre-coffee version and the somewhat clearer version a little later as the caffeine kicks in. The best compliment we got all weekend was from Josh LaBrecque of Local Roots Restaurant who came up, gave me a big hug and said “you’re doing God’s work”. And yes, I love my job.

So, y’all, there is hope. I will attest to that. Be conscious of who you buy from and what you are buying. Check out the local resources in your area. Know and support your local producers. And enjoy it, because I guarantee that these folks care more about the quality of their product and the humane and considered treatment of their resources than any person pushing a button at a factory farm.

For more information and a few pictures from “Lambstock” you can check out the Dark Hollow FB page, or you could probably google “Border Springs Farm lambstock"” and see blogs and stuff on other attendees.

Peace y’all,

John

Coffee Primer: French Presses and Freezing Beans

2010-03-17T11:14:00.006-04:00

Love the french press. For brewed coffee it doesn't get any better, no matter what coffee gizmo seems to have momentary market popularity. With the press, you have complete control of amount, brewing (steeping) time, and temperature. And, very few commercial brewers actually get the water up to the 195F to 200F (just off boil) that you should have for proper extraction. I have often encouraged restaurants to go the french press route as a great way to present quality roasts (alas, to little avail - too labor intensive). It's good to have a grinder that will do a coarse grind, to prevent too much muddiness in your cup. I think with the press, the coarsest grind possible is the way to go. Ideally, a burr grinder does a good job, however you can use a cheap blade grinder for a coarse grind if you sort of “pulse” it when you grind. As opposed to most brewers, which only allow momentary contact with the grounds as the water passes through the filter, a french press allows for gentle steeping of the grounds until the brew is as mild or fuerte' as you like, and with much more flavor! The possibilities for exploration are endless.
As far as bean storage goes, if I was told that I wouldn't be able to get more fresh beans for a year, I would be throwing large quantities into the freezer. Freezing is an "ok" method of storage, however there is a flavor premium that is paid due to moisture condensing on the beans upon removal, which "leaches" some of that fine flavor from the bean. Honestly, the very best thing in the whole world is to have a relationship with a local roaster (which you do!), so you never have to face the prospect of having to freeze your beans or, even more terrifying, having to buy some storebought "whatever / whenever" coffee. Fresh roasted beans peak about 48 hours after roast, and that peak lasts for about three weeks. The only storage conditions they require is an opaque, airtight container. During those three weeks, the coffee is heaven. For a few weeks after that it is still pretty darn good, and even for weeks more is still pretty wonderful. But, brewing within the first three weeks is the ideal, which is how one should think about it when ordering fresh roasted coffee.
Although it might go without saying, grinding your beans just before brewing is one of the most "cup improving" things you can do. While freshness of the roasted bean is measured in weeks, as mentioned above, once it is ground, freshness is measured in hours (I say minutes!).
Okay, that's all I can think of at the moment. We'd love to hear about any coffee experiences you have after grinding a few Dark Hollow beans.

John

Supply Chain Slavery - What is it and how can we break free?

2009-03-17T18:22:00.015-04:00

Websters defines slavery as "submission to a dominating influence", while wikipedia defines "supply chain" as "the system of organizations, people, technology, activities, information and resources involved in moving a product or service from supplier to customer". Wikipedia goes on to comment "many of the exchanges encountered in the supply chain will be between different companies that will seek to maximize their revenue within their sphere of interest, but may have little or no knowledge or interest in the remaining players in the supply chain".
So, to paraphrase, supply chain slavery is the dominance and submission of the end consumer to whatever and however the players in the supply chain choose to deliver their products. In our culture, this circumstance is characterized by mega companies, mostly concerned with their bottom line, and little concerned with the effects (both unintended or ignored) of their actions. To the end consumer, this manifests itself as no choice, limited choice, or illusory choices with no actual variation in the actual supply chain. Or.... something else.
"Something else" in this case is the emerging interest in sustainable models for agriculture as well as culturally sustainable models. In the coffee business it is an appreciation for the way that a crop is grown. Was the crop produced using eco-friendly organic models that factor in the health of the bio-system, or were short term profit goals realized by slash and burn farming and chemicals which promise short term yields but put nothing back into the soil? It is an appreciation of the labors of the growers and the social structures that they maintain. Were the growers and pickers able to make a living wage, to participate in the decision making process and experience the dignity that comes from a participative process? Or are they themselves kept in their own form of slavery to the middle men in a market that gives little choice but to sell at a rapacious price that guarantees a future of company dominance for the worker and their families?
Ending supply chain slavery is not always easy. Think about buying hamburger, buying chicken, or rice, or bread. Each of these, like coffee, has a well-entrenched mega supply chain. But also, a much smaller competing supply chain exists in each of these examples. The recent development of organizations such as USDA Organic and Fair Trade certifying organizations are helping to bring knowledge and transparency to supply practices that, even today, can be largely opaque to the end consumer. With these certifications come a more informed choice. Your informed choice is the most important part of the process.
Bottom line? Be informed, look for the certifications and understand that "marketing" in many of it’s forms is there to obscure, not enhance just where our products come from, and how they were made. Support your smaller local producers who are part of a supply chain that helps to create the kind of (sustainable) world where life and eco-systems are improved along with the delivery of our daily bread (or coffee!).

John

COFFEE ! Is there anything it can't do? Part II

2008-10-24T08:03:00.013-04:00

Cup of coffee may foster human kindness, report says...

A recent study shows a positive correlation between "warm hands and warm heart, as reported in Science Magazine, National Geographic and others.

From National Geographic, "In a new experiment, people who held steaming cups of coffee for a few seconds judged another person as more generous, caring, and happy than people who held a cup of iced coffee did."

"The findings indicate that physical warmth unconsciously stimulates friendly behavior toward other people, according to marketing professor Lawrence Williams of the University of Colorado at Boulder.

"There's a meaningful interface between the physical world and our bodies and the psychological world and what's going on in our heads," said Williams, who led the study, to appear in tomorrow's issue of the journal Science. "

For the complete articles go here: http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2008/1023/2

Or here: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/10/081023-warmth-coffee.html

Yes, another reason that cafe's and even just gathering around a fresh brewed pot of coffee seem so friendly...

Warm regards,

John

"The future of plastic in a post-petroleum world."

2008-10-09T10:03:00.003-04:00

P L A

What is it, and why is it important?

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a biodegradable polymer derived from lactic acid. It is a highly versatile material and is made from 100% renewable resources like corn, sugar beets, wheat and other starch-rich products. Polylactic acid exhibits many properties that are equivalent to or better than many petroleum-based plastics, which makes it suitable for a variety of applications. (From Wikipedia)

Check out a bag of Dark Hollow Coffee sometime and look at the freshness liner inside. It’s not "plastic" in the traditional sense. All bags in Dark Hollow consumer products are made out of PLA bonded to an outer kraft paper bag. Together, this makes a wonderfully biodegradable product container!
In addition, "producing PLA uses 65 percent less energy than producing conventional plastics, according to an independent analysis commissioned by NatureWorks. It also generates 68 percent fewer greenhouse gases, and contains no toxins. "It has a drastically different safety profile," says NatureWorks operations manager Carey Buckles. Additionally, NatureWorks reports that the majority of the corn it uses is low-grade animal feed not intended for human use.
For retailers, PLA has a halo effect. Wild Oats was an early adopter of the stuff. "Our employees loved the environmental message of the containers, that they came from a renewable resource, and our customers had a strong reaction when we told them they were compostable," says Sonja Tuitele, a Wild Oats spokesperson. The containers initially boosted the company’s deli sales by 17 percent, she says, and the chain now uses six million PLA containers a year. Newman’s Own Organics uses PLA packaging for its salad mixes. "We felt strongly that everywhere we can get out of petroleum products, we should," says Newman’s Own CEO Peter Meehan.
(all quotes taken from Smithsonian.com).
For the complete article see http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/plastic.html?c=y&page=1

We like it!
John

Coffee! "Is there anything it can't do?"

2008-10-02T10:54:00.004-04:00

BBC News reports:
Daily caffeine 'protects brain'
Coffee may cut the risk of dementia by blocking the damage cholesterol can inflict on the body, research suggests.
The drink has already been linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer's Disease, and a study by a US team for the Journal of Neuroinflammation may explain why.
A vital barrier between the brain and the main blood supply of rabbits fed a fat-rich diet was protected in those given a caffeine supplement.
UK experts said it was the "best evidence yet" of coffee's benefits.
The "blood brain barrier" is a filter which protects the central nervous system from potentially harmful chemicals carried around in the rest of the bloodstream.
Other studies have shown that high levels of cholesterol in the blood can make this barrier "leaky".
Alzheimer's researchers suggest this makes the brain vulnerable to damage which can trigger or contribute to the condition.
The University of North Dakota study used the equivalent to just one daily cup of coffee in their experiments on rabbits.
After 12 weeks of a high-cholesterol diet, the blood brain barrier in those given caffeine was far more intact than in those given no caffeine.
'Safe drug'
"Caffeine appears to block several of the disruptive effects of cholesterol that make the blood-brain barrier leaky," said Dr Jonathan Geiger, who led the study.
"High levels of cholesterol are a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, perhaps by compromising the protective nature of the blood brain barrier.
"Caffeine is a safe and readily available drug and its ability to stabilise the blood brain barrier means it could have an important part to play in therapies against neurological disorders."
A spokesman for the Alzheimer's Society said that the barrier seemed to work less efficiently in people who went on to develop Alzheimer's or suffer strokes, and the cholesterol link might explain this.
"This is the best evidence yet that caffeine equivalent to one cup of coffee a day can help protect the brain against cholesterol.

I love my job.

John

Another reason to "Drink Locally"

2008-09-29T05:59:00.017-04:00

MSNBC September 29, 2008

FDA warns of coffee in U.S. from China may be tainted with industrial chemical, officials say.

WASHINGTON - U.S. regulators warned the public on Friday not to consume seven Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk tea products that were made in China because of concerns they may be contaminated with melamine.
The Food and Drug Administration said the products were recalled by King Car Food Industrial Co Ltd "due to possible contamination with melamine." Infant formula tainted with the industrial chemical has resulted in hospitalization for thousands of Chinese babies with painful kidney stones. Four have died.

Melamine, which can be used to cheat quality checks by mimicking food protein, also has been found in candy, buns and carton milk sold to other countries and regions, unleashing fear in markets already shaken by a string of "made-in-China" scandals last year.
As of Thursday, FDA testing of milk-based products imported into the United States from China had not found any melamine contamination, an agency statement said.
The coffee and tea products being recalled are:
Mr. Brown Mandheling Blend Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
Mr. Brown Arabica Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
Mr. Brown Blue Mountain Blend Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
Mr. Brown Caramel Macchiato Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
Mr. Brown French Vanilla Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
Mr. Brown Mandhling Blend instant Coffee (2-in-1)
Mr. Brown Milk Tea (3-in-1)

Here's a better way...

A Word about FRESHNESS

2008-09-23T08:23:00.006-04:00

Dark Hollow Coffee is FRESH!
Each bag of Dark Hollow coffee has the actual roast date marked. Coffee is best when consumed 48 hours after roast, and up to three to four weeks after that. Even under the most stringent packaging conditions, including vacuum seal, nitrogen flush, freezer storage, etc, roasted coffee does not have an extended shelf life. Coffee is an agricultural product like corn, apples or carrots and is best enjoyed fresh – not frozen, not canned, not freeze dried, but as close to the roast as possible – and without additives to attempt to extend "freshness". Unfortunately, due to supply chain lengths and accepted industry practices, this means that nearly all coffee that is bought in stores or cafes is already stale. Drinkable though it may be, there is no comparison to freshly roasted coffee, just as there is no comparison to eating freshly harvested sweet corn as compared to frozen or canned. Marking coffee with the roast date is extremely rare because it exposes the supply chain weaknesses of large coffee companies and is proof to the consumer that the product is past best consumption date, or worse actually stale. This is why you will not see the actual roast date on 99% of all coffees sold. Just try to find a roast date on any coffee next time you go shopping. The industry is not required to use it and they don’t. The most you will encounter is a "best if consumed by" date (anywhere from six months to a year after roast) that, although possibly valid for actual health reasons, is ludicrous from a taste standpoint.
At Dark Hollow Micro Roasters we use only the finest beans selected especially by our roastmaster who unlocks the best flavor characteristics through a series of exhaustive test profiles until the best roast for each bean is obtained. Dark Hollow participates in fair trade practices, and offers shade grown, organic and bird friendly varieties.
We suggest that you order no more coffee than you can use during a three to four week period, thus insuring that the coffee you are drinking always has the most recent roast date possible.
So, ENJOY! Once you taste coffee this fresh, you will find it impossible to ever go back to mass marketed, "long supply chain" coffee.
At Dark Hollow we love coffee, we’re fanatical about freshness, and our mission is to bring that incredible freshness to you.
John

The "Cowboy Up!" story

2008-09-23T07:55:00.012-04:00

(most of it, anyway - more on this later)

The name of this blend is inspired by a fellow I used to work with. A Texan, he was a world champion bull-rider at the age of nineteen (and still wears the belt buckle to prove it!).
Growing up on a ranch in West (by Gawd) Texas, he began riding range with his father at an early age. When he was only seven, he went out with his father and the cowboy hands one day...a kind of "out on the range" initiation. At some point, things got a bit hairy, and the little fella fell from his mount...what's known in riding circles as "bitin' the dust" or "buyin' real estate". It was a pretty good fall and, being just a tike, he started to cry. His father looked down from his own horse and said, "Boy, you better Cowboy Up!", meaning, "Bite your lip and get back on your horse". That, my friend says, was a defining moment in his young life.
This blend may not wipe away any tears, but it'll sure put you back in the saddle!

We'll have a little more on this in a later post...

John

A word about Fair Trade coffee

2008-09-23T07:38:00.009-04:00

Fair Trade Certification empowers farmers and farm workers to lift themselves out of poverty by investing in their farms and communities, protecting the environment, and developing the business skills necessary to compete in the global marketplace.

Fair Trade principles include:

 Fair price:
Democratically organized farmer groups receive a guaranteed minimum floor price and an additional premium for certified organic products. Farmer organizations are also eligible for pre-harvest credit.
 Fair labor conditions:
Workers on Fair Trade farms enjoy freedom of association, safe working conditions, and living wages. Forced child labor is strictly prohibited.
 Direct trade:
With Fair Trade, importers purchase from Fair Trade producer groups as directly as possible, eliminating unnecessary middlemen and empowering farmers to develop the business capacity necessary to compete in the global marketplace.
 Democratic and transparent organizations:
Fair Trade farmers and farm workers decide democratically how to invest Fair Trade revenues.
 Community development:
Fair Trade farmers and farm workers invest Fair Trade premiums in social and business development projects like scholarship programs, quality improvement training, and organic certification.
 Environmental sustainability:
Harmful agrochemicals and GMOs are strictly prohibited in favor of environmentally sustainable farming methods that protect farmers’ health and preserve valuable ecosystems for future generations.

For more on Fair Trade visit the Transfair website: http://transfairusa.org/

Posted by John

A Word about USDA Organic Coffee

2008-09-23T06:46:00.008-04:00

Coffee that is certified organic has been inspected and certified by an independent third-party organization to have been grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Certification agencies also require responsible composting and processing that preserves water supplies and healthy soil. The farm must operate under organic guidelines for 3 years before certification is possible. Most agencies also consider the presence of shade trees. The birds they attract play a part in pest control and diversification of crops can contribute to a farmer's livelihood.

Benefits of Organic Coffee

Organic coffee beans are coffee beans that have been produced without the use of pesticides or herbicides. This is both beneficial to both the producer and the consumer. The definition of certified organic coffee can be extended to include an emphasis on recycling, composting, soil health, and protection of the environment. These are important aspects to sustainability that are both cost effective and socially responsible. That is why organic fair trade coffee and organic shade grown coffee often go hand in hand. Organic coffee is better for the farmer, better for the environment and better for you!

John