Always choose organic Coffee

[tarik2.0]

:coffee-bean:Coffee:coffee-bean: is a crop that is heavily sprayed with pesticides, therefore, you should select only coffee beans that are certified organic. Whenever possible, purchase sustainable "shade-grown" coffee to help prevent the continued destruction of the tropical rain forests and the birds that inhabit them.

 

[topher]

I am sorry but I do not agree with this statement. I have been to a bunch of plantations and I have never seen heavy spraying of pesticides. It is too expensive. Why do they not get certified organic...because it's to expensive.

 

[ensoluna]

I guess that our fascination on Organic Coffee never dies.

As a coffee grower, roaster, retailer and AS A GREEN COFFEE EXPORTER, I strongly recommend not to buy Organic coffee from Guatemala. (Yes, I work in Guatemala coffee industry). I can not say this for other coffee origin countries, but at least, in Guatemala, I know exactly what is going on from the farms that produce organic coffee, Fair trade, Rainforest, Utz certification...etc.

A couple of real my experiences on this matter.

ORGANIC COFFEE : farmers get few cents more if their coffee is organic certified. But they can get a lot more if their coffee is very good (basically, mid harvest season and clean processing & specially good varietals) and buyers rate them at higher score. So in many cases, good coffee varietals are being sold at higher pricing without organic certification. Good varietals means, Geisha, Pacamara, Maragogype, Mundo novo...etc high quality single origin varietals. And farmers do not raise them with organic because if farmers use organic fertilizers, they will lose between 25% to 35% of production. So, most of organic coffees are just average tasting coffee or even below. You will hardly find very expensive coffee (Geisha, Pacamara, JBM..etc) with Organic certification.

RainForest Certificate : This is a real story that I heard last year when I was in Huehuetenango visiting farmers.
RainForest association came up with new regulation. Installing a separate shower and bathroom for the workers who just used chemical sprays to prevent coffee diseases. Instead of showering in a regular bathroom that everyone uses in that farm, they (Association) is making them to build a separate shower/bathroom for the workers that just used chemical spray. So, this what farmers are complaining. Who will pay for the extra shower and bathroom? Association says, of course, the farm owner.
and how can they (assoc.) can monitor whether the workers are really using this separate shower? will they install "CCTV"? of course, NOT. (even with the extra shower/bathroom, there is no plan how to monitor)

So, basically, Rainforest is asking the poor farmers to build a separate shower/bathroom that they can not even monitor, nor control.
And one of the rainforest association personal said to them that they are enforcing this because that is what they were told to do from the main HQ of rainforest association.

I will just leave it to you guys to think over and decide on these matters........

 

[topher]

That's crazy.
When we were certified organic years ago the inspector did his walk through. I had all my ducks in a row and it should have been smooth sailing. It was going great until he got to the roaster. He said "walk me through the cleaning of the drum between batches" I explained that these were 120 kilo and 60 kilo roasters and that it would be impossible to pull the drums to clean them between batches. He said you can't be certified then. I said what we do is heat the roaster up to 450 degrees for 5 minutes and it burns off anything left behind. He looked at me blankly and said, "you're the expert...where is my check"

 

[ensoluna]

"most" of all types of coffee organizations (FairTrade, Rainforest, organic, Utz..etc) became too commercialized and almost everyone is just looking for their own pockets!
what a shame! and meanwhile, the farmers and workers are the ones getting hurt.

 

[JumpinJakJava]

Alex and Topher nailed it down for you Tarik2.0. I noticed two from Boca Raton. I have heard stories that the "certifiers" could be like the Gestapo,
but obviously in the end it is about $$$. I would only hope Tarik2.0, that if you maintain this philosophy about coffee, you would never eat nor drink
anything non-organic. As for me and my house, no such conviction.

 

[expat]

What happens when they fumigate the container of organic coffee at the port. Is it still organic?

And don't even get me or a whole lot of other members of this forum -- although you already have -- going on the unfairness of Fairtrade (and UTZ and Rain Forest, et al.). Window dressing so Nestle, Sara Lee, Starbucks, etc., can charge a few more shekels per bag. This trickles to the stock holders, not the farmers.

 

[shadow745]

Yeah my take on the organic coffee thing is that it's right inline with all the whining about organic food/milk, gluten, etc. LAME, as regardless of what we consume/breathe you will never get away from all the contaminants that exist in modern life. There is NO WAY possible that one can claim an illness has been caused by X factor as there simply is no way of ever knowing, only assuming. Just like most things in life, organic is just another excuse for increased profit for those with their hands in the cookie jar.

Also, I have seen and have to laugh at the "doctor recommended" low acid coffees for those with an intolerance to what most of us have no problem consuming. Again, just another lame marketing strategy to entice those that don't know any better. If you want less acid make better choices in coffee variety and roast level.