Coffee

Buying coffee can be challenging. Why? There are so many coffee brands. If you know good tips on how to shop for coffee, you will be able to find a brand that you truly enjoy. I’d like to share with you some suggestions on what to look for when getting the most out of your next coffee purchase.

But first, let me explain how I learned about buying coffee. When I first tried an inexpensive brand of coffee, I almost spit it out. I thought, “How can people drink this stuff and enjoy it?” Since I was not after the caffeine effect, it was a long time before I’d try another cup of coffee. But I worked in a retail shop that was close to a gourmet coffee shop. I bought many flavored beverages from the shop. One day, I decided to try a flavored coffee. Luckily, I really enjoyed it. If I hadn’t, I don’t know if I would have ever tried coffee again. But drinking a regular cup of coffee didn’t appeal much to me. I became kind of a “fun coffee” kind of person, trying different flavors whenever I felt like a change. It also helped that I was married to a ‘coffee lover’ and learned valuable insight from him. He told me that I shouldn’t have to flavor coffee to get a good taste that I enjoy. My husband is a bit of a coffee snob but he has sort of earned that right. He grew up traveling to Guatemala with his parents to visit relatives. His grandfather immigrated to America from Guatemala and became a citizen of this great country. Because of this connection, my husband would visit the Guatemalan relatives on the family coffee farm as a boy and as an adult. Personally, I have visited Guatemala twice, to meet family, visit the family farm, and learn about coffee production. As you can imagine, coffee drinking is big in his family.

Nevertheless, here are the tips I have learned when looking for a good coffee:

1) Smell the coffee in the bag if you are able. Make sure it has a desirable aroma.
2) Check out the source of the coffee. Where is it from? Is it Estate Grown coffee of a high quality or is it a blend of “leftovers”?
3) How was it processed before it got to the roaster? Was it sun dried for a higher quality?
4) Buy whole bean for the ability to see the beans before your grind. If the beans are broken, have wholes in them or are all inconsistent sizes, don’t buy.
5) What kind of roast is it? Vienna, French or Espresso? Be sure to buy the correct roast for your taste buds or you may get a false impression of the coffee. Vienna is a lighter roast, French is a little darker and Espresso is a very dark roast.

Once you figure out which coffee you like, make sure the brewing is done correctly so that you ensure a smooth delicious flavor. Now you can sit back and really enjoy that coffee taste. Enjoy.

Article written by Michelle Falla, Coffee Distributor for Serenity Cup Coffees. Visit http://www.serenitycup.com for more details.

Author: Michelle Falla
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Solar panel, solar power

Organically grown coffee is said to taste better, that is grown organically has not been subjected to chemicals of any kind. No artificial fertilizers have been used, and no toxic bug sprays have been applied. For those who are concerned about our environment, OGC is the only reasonable choice.

When coffee is grown organically, it is just so much better for the coffee farm land as well as for all of the land that surrounds the farm. Water quality is improved for the entire area where coffee farms operate.

Of course, buying OC can be a real challenge for producing companies. Most coffee farms grow their coffee beans with the help of fertilizers and pesticides. Coffee farms are small and usually family operated or are cooperatively owned farms where income as well as tools, mills, mulches, and organic methods of raising beans are shared. The idea of OGC beans is to produce higher quality coffee beans that simply produce a better tasting cup of coffee.

OGC beans are raised in the shade. A lot of shade over the trees produced by larger trees that actually make a canopy above the coffee trees means that the sun can’t bleach out the nutrients that are naturally in the coffee beans. It also helps to prevent pests and prevents the depletion of the topsoil.

Those who are not very concerned about the environment still look for coffee that has been made from coffee beans for one very simple reason. The entire organic process means that the beans will simply produce a better tasting cup of coffee, and a better tasting cup of coffee is a universal pursuit of happiness.

CoFFee provides detailed information on Coffee, Coffee Makers, Gourmet Coffee, Coffee Shops, Coffee Beans, Coffee Cup and more.
For more information visit as on http://coffee.explore-me.com

Author: Miodrag Trajkovic
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
iPad games

Traditionally, almost all coffee was shade grown. The coffee plant in its natural state isn’t very tolerant of direct sunlight; thus most coffee plants grow best under the shade of a canopy of trees. In an ideal setting, the leaves from the overhanging trees would decompose and compost into the soil, creating a rich, moist soil in which the coffee plants thrive. Furthermore, the trees overhead provide a home to native birds that eat many insects which would otherwise threaten the coffee plants. Coffee grown in this type of environment would need little to no fertilizers or pesticides to grow; rather, it would grow quite well on its own.

In 1972, scientists developed a new hybrid type of coffee plant. This new plant boasted a much larger crop of beans than traditional coffee plants, and in addition, the crop was easier to harvest because the plant remains small in size. Soon, coffee farms around the world were converting to the new hybrid plant. In turn, coffee farms cut down their native forests to provide direct sunlight for the hybrid coffee plants. Out of the some 6 million acres of coffee-producing land around the world, it is estimated that 60% of that land has been deforested since 1972 as a result of hybrid sun coffee plants.

The loss of forest on coffee plantations has created numerous problems. First, the migratory birds that lived in these trees no longer have a habitat. It is estimated that the population of migratory birds has declined 20% over the last ten years, mostly due to loss of habitat. The lack of trees not only interrupts the bird population. It has a direct impact on the entire ecosystem of an area. A study conducted by the University of Michigan found that shade coffee plantations support a significant number of other species of animals and insects. For example, the study noted that one tree on a shade coffee farm in Costa Rica was home to 27 different species of ants and 126 species of beetles. When the shade trees disappear, so do other animals and insects, upsetting the fragile balance of the natural ecosystem.

Another problem with sun grown coffee is the enormous amount of synthetic chemicals required to grow it. Because there aren’t as many native birds present to eat the insects, pesticides are required to keep the insect population down. Sun coffee plants are also treated with chemical fertilizers, because there is no canopy of trees present to provide organic matter that would naturally enrich the soil. Furthermore, plantations growing sun coffee must also rely on the use of herbicides to keep down the weeds that grow in the increased sunlight (shade coffee plantations don’t have as many problems with weeds, because the weeds don’t grow well in the shady conditions that the coffee plants favor).

All these chemicals that are required to farm the hybrid sun coffee plants create an enormous amount of runoff, which poisons downstream waterways due to runoff and threatens the health of workers on the coffee plantations. The lack of trees has also created serious soil erosion problems. It has become clear that this type of coffee farming is not sustainable.

Traditional shade growing, however, is a self-sufficient and sustainable farming method. It promotes increased biodiversity and requires little to no fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. The Smithsonian Institute’s Migratory Bird Center (SMBC) is working to raise awareness and promote shade grown coffee through a certification process. Look for coffees that feature the SMBC’s “Bird Friendly” seal of approval, or if you cannot find such coffees, simply look for those that specify shade grown conditions.

The only way to address this problem is through consumer demand. Every purchase of shade grown coffee helps restore natural shade grown coffee farming methods. Coffee drinkers and bird lovers unite, and buy only shade grown coffee!

All gourmet roasted coffee and flavored coffee beans sold at Home Products ‘n’ More are shade grown, and include free shipping and handling.

Author: Ellen Bell
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Digital TV, HDTV, Satellite TV

Dear Coffee Drinker,

“Fair Trade” is a certification that is given primarily to a company that can prove, together with a specific coffee farm, that fair prices are being given to the independent farm. These are certifications that are primarily being marketed in the USA by a firm in California. For example, StarBucks may promote a certain type of coffee that is being sold as Fair Trade coffee. Not all their coffee can be sold as such because this only applies to a very few farms that hold these certifications together with the buyer. This needs to be proven to the agencies in the United States that govern this certification. Even though StarBucks sells one type of coffee that is certified Fair Trade this does not mean that all their coffee is certified. This would be an impossible task. The biggest problem is most US companies only pay the farmer or roaster Fair Trade and then they have to trust that the roaster is passing this extra money to the laborers. So the farmer gets a fair price but the laborers, many times children work for pennies a day.AND FAIR TRADE – However does not ensure that children are not used to pick coffee or that the children are given a fair price. Neither does it ensure that the migrate farm laborers are paid fair prices. Fair Trade has been great in elevating people’s awareness of the coffee industry and has ensured that the coffee farmer and or roaster is getting a fair price and to a lesser extend some farmers but it has not always helped the people actually picking the coffee and completing the other coffee labor. Worse it has allowed the bigger farmers to make more money buying up the smaller farmers and making more money while the labor pool suffers. The going rate for labor has not increased in five years while Fair Trade Coffee prices have doubled. So whats fair about the owner making more while the laborers still suffer.

Worse Fair Trade has become so popular that it elevated many “bad or poor” coffees into popoluar brands – not because they taste good but because they have become Fair Trade – as that has any correlation to taste. Sadlty Fair Trade only means the large land owner gets more money.

Costa Rica on the other hand has a different system than most coffee producing countries. The coffee you purchased is from one of the best regions of coffee in the world, known as Tarrazu Costa Rica. There is a cooperative in Tarrazu known as CoopeTarrazu. StarBucks is a large buyer of CoopeTarrazu’s coffee. CoopeTarrazu owns 25% of our company. CoopeTarrazu in turn is owned by approximately 1500 small to medium sized independent farms. The function of CoopeTarrazu is to get the best price for the coffees that these 1500 plus farms turn into this processing plant as a group. The profits are then divided and paid to each farmer based on his percentage interest or the amount of product supplied to CoopeTarrazu by him. The entire process is governed by the Government of Costa Rica. The overseeing body is known as ICAFE. It regulates all coffee that is processed and exported from Costa Rica. ICAFE’s watchful eye makes sure that the independent farms are receiving fair market prices for the coffee they turn into CoopeTarrazu. Not only does Costa Rica have some of the best coffee in the world it also is some of the most expensive coffee in the world. The reason for this is directly linked to ICAFE’s involvement in the coffee industry within Costa Rica. It makes sure that the farmers are receiving fair prices for their coffee. Our plant is registered with ICAFE for this reason. This proves that we are part of the system that makes sure our coffee is truly Fair Trade coffee even though we are not certified by the USA body known as Fair Trade. We are also owned by 3 other cooperatives in Costa Rica – CoopeVictoria, CoopePalmares, and CoopeSabalito. In other words we work with more than 8000 small farmers. Each cooperative has a significant % share in our roasting plant and these are the sources from which we draw upon for our raw product, our green bean.

There are some other functions of ICAFE, which works very closely with the Minister of Health, the Minister of Children, and the Minister of Labor. For example, ICAFE also makes sure that the Indians that come in from the jungles of Panama and Nicaragua to pick coffee during the harvest season are paid fair wages, given health insurance, and proper housing accommodations during the harvest season. They also work closely to make sure there is no exploitation of children and adult workers. Costa Rica is very much into protecting the less fortunate and overseeing their rights. This is another reason why we are proud members of ICAFE.

So if you want to make a statement and buy a coffee really making a difference – buy a Costa Rica coffee.

Sincerely,

George Boake Moore
CEO
Mission Grounds
http://www.missiongrounds.com

Author: Boake Moore
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Canada duty