Coffee

Researchers have shown that coffee plants are sprayed with more pesticides than any other commercial agriculture crop.  These days, many consumers are demanding that the food they consume is organic.  Yet many people don’t realize that the coffee they are drinking contains many harmful substances.  Conventional coffee is routinely doused with pesticides, herbicides, and synthetic fertilizers.  These chemicals work their way into the beans themselves and, ultimately into your body.

Luckily, these days the consumer has a choice between buying the conventional, pesticide-ridden coffee, or an organic alternative.  Organic certifying organizations do a terrific job of ensuring that farmers meet strict guidelines when they grow coffee on their farms.  

Consumers can buy a wide range of organic coffee products, including beans from over 40 different countries in the world to decaffeinated coffee, to flavored and instant coffees.  Products that carry the USDA Organic seal need to contain at least 95% organic ingredients.  Most of them are in fact 100%, since coffee is a complete, natural product.  If you are purchasing an organic bottled coffee drink, everything in it must be certified organic, including the sugar, dairy products, etc.   

Organic coffee is already thriving in the world.  It is estimated that North America alone consumes 85% of the coffee produced throughout the world.  In 2008, 81 million pounds of organic coffee was imported into the United States and Canada.  This may sound like a lot, but it only accounts for 3% of the total coffee consumed in North America.  The trend is on the rise though, as organic coffee is one of the fastest growing segments in the beverage industry.  It has a phenomenal 35% growth rate, which far outpaces that of conventional coffee.  This impressive growth has definitely caught the attention of coffee shops and supermarkets, where organic coffee is steadily pushing conventional coffee off the shelves.

Is organic coffee worth the extra cost?  

The answer is definitely yes.  Coffee prices are so deflated these days that it only costs a few pennies to make a cup of coffee at home.  You can buy a pack of quality organic coffee for only one or two bucks more than regular coffee these days and that works out to about a cent increase per cup.  Everybody wins when you purchase organic coffee.  You get better coffee without the pesticides.  The farmer gets a little more income to support his family, and the ground the coffee is grown on isn’t sprayed with toxic chemicals.  Now that is definitely worth a penny more per cup.

Electric coffee machines are great for making organic coffee. Use a single serve coffee maker for making a perfect cup of organic coffee.

Author: Chad Damon
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The superior flavor that Arabica coffee beans produce in a cup of coffee is well known. Robusta and Arabica coffee beans are the two principal classifications of java that are offered for sale. Coffee connoisseurs travel to their favorite coffee shops to get a mug of tasty Arabica coffee, however, what is found in a typical office building break room that has been sitting on the burner for hours in probably a pot of bitter Robusta coffee.

You can experience the great taste of Arabica coffee beans at home instead of having to trudge down to your local coffee hour and cafe. These kinds of beans are raised in an organic fashion meaning that they are not sprayed with synthetic fertilizers or pesticides which gives them quite a superior taste.

Chic coffee shops that retail coffee beans, espresso machines, and perhaps a mug of cafe latte will only sell Arabica beans. On the other hand, the major commercial coffee labels sell ground Robusta beans mixed with other tasteless filler or at best a mix of both Arabica and Robusta. The reason why this is the case is it makes the coffee that they sell considerably cheaper for the wholesaler and eventually for you the consumer. This is where the common church potluck cups of coffee come from. Arabica coffee beans are known for their well-defined savory flavor that many coffee lovers prefer but these kinds of beans actually have a lower caffeine content than Robusta beans.

Most people think that all the beans are grown in Columbia, but actually there are more than 80 countries around the world where coffee is grown for commercial purposes. The tropical climates around the equator are the best places to grow coffee and the beans have a richer flavor in high elevations compared to the low elevations where they can also be grown.

Back twenty years ago, in order to buy wholesale coffee beans, you would have to use mail-order catalogs. Now, there are numerous sites all over the World Wide Web where you are able to purchase Arabica coffee beans. You can also buy them in bulk at some retail shops but be prepared to pay a lot more because their prices will be considerably higher than what you might find online.

By purchasing your beans wholesale you are getting coffee beans that are much fresher because they have not been kept for as long. The best way to guarantee the freshness of your coffee is to buy green coffee beans.

In closing, the next time you are wanting to buy some gourmet beans to make a cup of coffee be sure to pick up some Arabica beans.

Steve writes about coffee beans and buying coffee online.

Author: Steve Turley
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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