| When you’re selecting your morning brew, | | | | farmers, each farmer would have to undergo the |
| you may wonder whether to choose the organic | | | | certification process, something quite time |
| coffee or opt for a slightly less expensive brand. | | | | consuming and expensive for their size. If the |
| Many differences in the way companies grow, | | | | bean is an Arabica bean from small cooperatives, |
| harvest and process the coffee make a huge | | | | they probably grow it organically. |
| difference in its taste. Coffee is also no different | | | | Before the bean becomes a bean, it’s a |
| from real estate in that it’s location, location, | | | | cherry on the tree until it’s dried and hulled. |
| location, which affects the flavor of the bean. | | | | Farmers that grow organically also use different |
| Organic coffee uses several techniques that make | | | | methods of harvest from non-organic coffee |
| a difference in how flavorful your cup of java | | | | growers. Instead of using large machines that |
| tastes. | | | | harvest the entire tree at one time, they hand |
| Location of the coffee plantation doesn’t | | | | pick the cherries. This makes a huge difference in |
| affect whether it’s organic or not. Normally | | | | the flavor. They pick each cherry at the optimal |
| the most flavorful coffee comes from Arabica | | | | moment rather than pluck them all at one time. If |
| coffee bean. It’s not as hardy as the Robusta | | | | the farmers pick the cherries too soon, before |
| variety and needs specific growing condition. This | | | | it’s ripe, it affects the flavor of the coffee. |
| coffee plant requires temperatures between 60 | | | | Cherries that are green, not the optimal bright |
| and 70 degrees and at least six inches of monthly | | | | red, are bitter. Those that are overripe taste |
| rain. Since there’s not that much real estate | | | | equally sharp and bitter. |
| fitting this description, coffee growers use other | | | | Most organically grown coffee is dried and hulled |
| lands to produce the Robusto coffee plant. These | | | | locally at the farm. This does two things for the |
| are far more burnt, bitter tasting beans but they | | | | farmers. The hulls go back into the soil as |
| are valuable in making Italian roasts and espresso. | | | | compost and it increases the price they receive. |
| The type of soil where the coffee plant grows | | | | Although wet washed fermentation of the beans |
| makes a difference in the flavor. This also varies | | | | normally has a more consistent flavor, the dry |
| by location. | | | | method of spreading the coffee cherries out in |
| Organic farmers don’t use pesticides or | | | | the sun and then removing the dried hulls is the |
| commercial fertilizer in the production of their | | | | traditional processing method. While the coffee if |
| coffee. Some people find that it tastes better | | | | delicious from this type of processing, it’s not |
| than regular coffee, but it might just be the | | | | easy to control the rate that the coffee cherries |
| growing conditions and the type of bean used. | | | | dry, so occasionally the flavor may be a bit iffy. |
| Even though pesticides and herbicides invade the | | | | Luckily, most places where they practice this type |
| bean, you often can’t taste the difference in | | | | of processing have stable predictable |
| flavor. What you do taste is the difference in | | | | temperatures and humidity. |
| farming practices. Since the Arabica coffee is | | | | Where Coffee Is Grown Makes A Difference In |
| grown at such high altitudes, there’s often | | | | Flavor |
| little need for pesticides, since most pests that | | | | Roasting methods, packaging methods, storage |
| thrive on vegetation don’t live at such | | | | and grinding affect the flavor too. Does organically |
| extremes. | | | | grown coffee taste different, better or worse? |
| Where Coffee Is Grown Makes A Difference In | | | | The fact that it’s organically grown |
| Flavor | | | | doesn’t guarantee a more flavorful product. It |
| Even though the label may not specify it’s | | | | just means you’ll be adding toxins to your |
| organically grown, it might be. Many of the | | | | body from one less source and that may be |
| organically grown Arabica coffees come from | | | | enough of a reason to pay a little extra for your |
| small family coffee farmers. The farmers sell | | | | coffee. |
| beans in a cooperative. In order to certify these | | | | |