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