Coffee... is "organic" meaningful and worthwhile?


(Brian) #1

I know some don’t drink coffee. Fair enough. But I do. And I’m not planning to quit.

But I have been wondering about the source and how coffee beans are grown in commercial production. I know how some other things are grown (peanuts) and it caused me to start growing my own. But coffee plants don’t grow that well in Tennessee so I’m not likely to be growing it even for my own use.

So I have been wondering, is buying an labeled “organic” coffee, perhaps single origin or “small farmer sourced” (there are numerous buzz phrases) actually worthwhile in trying to at least get as “clean” of coffee as might be reasonable?

I suspect some of you may have already gone down this rabbit trail and may have some insights. I’m not into spending more money just for the sake of spending more money.

I did try a bag of Stumptown coffee a few weeks ago, and though I’m not certain whether they use the organic label, I liked their advertising, and I also liked their coffee. Had a clean, smooth taste to it. A bit expensive, but not so terrible that I wouldn’t buy it. (It was a gift.) Looking at their website, they also sell a decaf that uses the Swiss water process, I’ve heard that’s a good thing. And I’m sure there are other brands out there that might be worth exploring.

So I wanted to see what thoughts might be out there. Is it worth spending a little more to get better quality? Does spending more get you better quality? Is the “organic” label worth anything?

Yeah, I’m not gonna quit so don’t wanna go there at this point. Doing a little better about quality, reducing possible toxins a bit, I am interested in that.

Interested in your thoughts if you’d care to share.

Thanks!


(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #2

Coffee has to be grown in mountainous regions. It will not grow in the lowlands. Which is why the old marketing slogan, “Mountain-grown,” was a lot like, “Buy our bottled water–it’s wet!”

One of the problems with the “organic” specification in the U.S. is that it does not mean pesticide-free. Many restoratve/regenerative farmers do not bother to seek the organic certification for this reason. If you are an American, Aussie, or Kiwi, you are not likely to find coffee as a domestic product except as a specialty item (Kona coffee from Hawai’i, for example), and who knows how imported coffee has been treated? The best course might be to import your own beans, wash them thoroughly, and roast them yourself. That way you could be sure they were clean before roasting, at least.

One thing you might find helpful, even if you don’t want to go that far, is to grind your own beans. My understanding is that exposure to cockroach parts in pre-ground coffee can cause one to develop an allergic reaction. Entomologists who work with those species are particularly susceptible to such allergies, and they are essentially forced to drink only coffee that was purchased as beans.


(Bob M) #3

I’ve wanted to do that for a long time, because the coffee is supposed to be way better. The problem is that it takes knowledge (air popper) or money (a nice roaster is expensive).


(Brian) #4

That is one thing I’ve done for quite a few years now. I buy whole beans. (I always did wonder what else got hidden in ground coffee, after all, I wouldn’t be able to pick out ground up bug parts, leaves and sticks, sawdust, or even sand with the naked eye.) I usually grind right before putting it into the percolator. It’s definitely easy to do, doesn’t take but a minute.

When I started out, I was using a Mr. Coffee drip maker (just a cheap $20 coffee maker), and I still do have one of those. But I don’t like it being both plastic and hot. So I ended up getting a stainless steel percolator which I do feel a lot better about using. It’s my go-to, and I’m told I make pretty good coffee. :slight_smile:

I’ve not imported beans nor tried (washing or) roasting them myself. It’s not off the table. But even then, I’d have to figure out how to source the beans and have an assurance of knowing what I’m getting.