For the Love of Coffee

I love coffee. I love everything about it, from the smell to the taste. I love the smell of coffee grounds, and I love the smell of brewing coffee. I’ve always loved dark roast coffee, because I like it rich and full and strong. The best coffee to me was always Caribou, a chain popular in the Midwest. There are 8-10 Caribous in my town, and I can only think of 1 or 2 Starbucks. Starbucks coffee has always been way too bitter for me, even with sweeteners. That’s another thing: I love my coffee sweet and smooth. Caribou is strong and it still tastes good with sweeteners.

A couple of years ago, there was an ad on a podcast I listen to for shade grown coffee. The ad no longer plays so I won’t mention that, but in the ad they would explain why shade grown coffee is better. For one thing, it’s how coffee is meant to be grown and how it originally grew. But as commercial coffee “standards” became set, the natural forests coffee grew in were deforested in favor of a more “convenient” way to grow and cultivate coffee. Removing the trees causes a lot of problems, however. It removes sustainability for the land and for the farmers. The soil erodes much faster, and after 30 years the soil no longer has the proper minerals to grow the coffee. It increases the acidity of coffee. A lot of people say that coffee creates acidic reflux problems for them, and the acidity is what makes it bitter, increasing the need for sweeteners (while coffee isn’t bad for you and is actually good for you and low in calories with no fat or carbs, sweeteners are very bad). Removing the trees is also a negative for the local wildlife and birds. Keeping the taller trees that coffee trees grow under is beneficial for the environment and local eco system. You can do your own research on this matter, and you can start here if you wish.

I never tried the coffee that was advertised, but I always kept it in the back of my mind as I was buying the bitter coffee from the convenience stores and adding sugar and hazelnut creamer with a touch of French vanilla for my morning fix. One day a while ago, I happened to see this bright red bag in the coffee aisle at Target with a yellow peace sign on it. It caught my eye and I read the label. It said that it was fair traded, organic, and shade grown. I was so excited, but then I saw the price. $10.99 for 12oz. I was super disappointed, because that seemed like a lot after quickly looking at the prices of the other coffees. I never buy coffee to make at home, so I wasn’t familiar with this. The other coffees were way cheaper. Then I did a little more research in the aisle, and discovered that NONE of the other coffees were shade grown. Having no other reference, I bought the little bag and decided to try it. (You can learn more about Peace Coffee here, or buy some of your own to try. I learned that it’s a local Minnesota company, which is really cool that Target picked it up. Of course, Target is a Minnesota company too, but it’s nice to see a corporation support a local brand with a good message. I’ve looked at Walmart, and they have NO shade grown coffee from any brand, and I’m sure most grocery stores are like this.)

I used to make my dad’s coffee for him when I was a kid, and he liked his to have a teaspoon per cup of coffee. I like my coffee as strong as my dad’s, so this is what I did with the first batch I brewed. It was too weak. It was good, but too weak. I ended up having to put a bit more than that in for my preferred strength, but once I found it, it was perfect. I tried drinking it black, and the bitterness and acidity were so greatly reduced I instantly fell in love. It was amazing!! I had no idea that coffee didn’t have to be bitter. However, drinking it black was a little too off the rails for me and I couldn’t handle so much change at once. I’m happy adding just a little bit of hazelnut creamer, but definitely no sugar. To give you an idea as to how sweet I like my coffee, I would add three or four packets of sugar to one cup of coffee at a restaurant, and two or three creamers. The taste is soft enough with this shade grown coffee that I didn’t need that (Hazelnut creamer does have some sugar in it, I think 7gms per serving). Since it’s summer I’m all about iced coffee, so I will pre-brew the coffee and leave it in the fridge overnight to get cold (I should actually just cold-press it instead! But I haven’t tried that yet) and add ice and a little creamer in the morning.

A friend of mine recently recommended a website where he gets his coffee, and I have to say, they do a really great job in their descriptions of where the coffee comes from, and gives as many details as possible. Some of the coffees have such things as how they’re cultivated and history of the area that the coffee is grown in. It’s very impressive that they’ve put that much effort and care into their website and it’s clear they have a true love of coffee. After perusing their organic section, reading the descriptions and reviews, I have 11 different kinds of coffees in my wishlist. You get free shipping if you purchase $35 or more in coffee. The prices in my wishlist range from $9.95/12oz to $10.95, so very comparable to Peace Coffee. Not all of them say they are shade grown specifically, but if they say low acidity, it’s an educated guess that it is shade grown. You can shop for yourself here at Fresh Roasted Coffee.

If you are still with me, I can only hope that you love coffee as much as I do, and it doesn’t have to be a bad or dreaded or unhealthy habit. Your coffee can taste so much better if you buy shade grown. It’s more expensive, but it’s also helping farmers and wildlife maintain a standard of living. If sustainability and being more conscious of your shopping choices are important to you, this should be too. I need to choose which ones to get first, and I’m so excited to get the first shipment! Once I do I will probably write some reviews once I try them.

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