Coffee, Tea and Chocolate
Coffee
Next to oil, coffee is the 2nd largest import to the US! How coffee is grown can make a big difference on our environment. Coffee that is grown in the rain forest and in the shade doesn't need to use chemical fertilizers or pesticides because the rainforest provides that naturally! How cool is that?
Sun-grown coffee is a whole other ball game! The rainforest is razed, destroying the ecology of the area and then pesticides and chemical fertilizers are used to get what the rainforest would have provided all on her own! A sun grower can yield up to 30% more than shade BUT they actually make less than their shade-growing counterparts. Coffee farmers can earn as little as .50 (yes 50 cents) a pound! This all depends on the how much coffee is in demand. And coffee farms have been compared to "sweatshops in the field".
I met an organic coffee grower in Colombia, South America. He explained how coffee is grown in the sun and how he grows his and shows you all the steps in how the coffee goes from the seed to the roaster. When I go back it will be a video blog for sure! And now that I enjoy coffee a little more, I can better appreciate it!
Here is what to look for when you are buying coffee:

- Fair Trade Certified - indicates that the coffee is grown by adults, not children, who were paid a premium for their beans, and that the farmers used the extra money to invest in health care, education, and other benefits for the workers and their families and communities.
- Certified Organic - grown free of pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides.
- Shade grown - coffee was grown under the shade of the rain forest canopy. One that says Bird Friendly® is grown in the shade and ecologically sound for migratory birds.
- Rainforest Alliance Certified - shade grown using low or no pesticides, farmers are required to maintain a variety of animals and trees on the land that characterizes biodiversity. Workers must be paid fairly and must be provided good living conditions.
I know you can get these kinds of coffees at Whole Foods and Earthfare. Here who is not selling fair trade coffee: Folgers, Maxwell House, Nestle, and Hills Bros. Coffee.
Here is a local roaster! They have a shade grown coffee plantation in Zimbabwe Africa and roast right here in Travelers Rest!
http://www.leopardforestcoffee.com/
What about Decaf- No! You can't grow less caffeinated beans - this is a chemical process. The coffee guy in Colombia said to make coffee with a French Press and let the coffee sit for about 20 minutes and then the coffee will be lighter at the top and darker at the bottom. This will have less caffeine. Of course at the time, since I didn't drink coffee and I don't speak Spanish (Paola was translating for me!), I didn't think to ask if the coffee would already be cold!
Also if you can, use reusable coffee filters. If you don't want that at least use unbleached filters and I just saw that Publix has a filter now made from Bamboo which is a renewable resource.
If you can remember to, bring your own mug to your favorite coffee shop and save a cup! Sometimes you even get a discount.
Now onto one of my favorite things - Chocolate and Cocoa! YUMMY!
(On a side note, make a yummy coffee with half hot chocolate and half coffee and sprinkle in some cinnamon - a Mexican Mocha in some places - delicious! If you can get Mexican Cinnamon it really does taste better - you can even pick it up at Wal-Mart for .88 and it fills almost 2 small McCormick size spice jars. I paid over $2 I think just for 1 jar of McCormick's, I want to say it was almost $3.Anyhow back to chocolate...)
Again we are looking for fair trade chocolate - the main point I want to hit in this section is where most of the chocolate you consume is coming from - The Ivory Coast. The majority is imported to the US and Europe like Nestle, Archer Daniels Midland, and Cargill and are manufactured by the likes of M&M/Mars and Hershey's.
Cocoa represents about $1.4 billion, or 35%, of what the Ivory Coast exports. You say that is great - poor country and this is a boost to the economy right? Well not really - hundreds of thousands of children are enslaved on the cocoa farms and since the military coup in 1999, there is tremendous upheaval and war - the production of cocoa is funding the war on both sides.
Hershey's and M&M/Mars control 2/3 of the $13 billion chocolate industry in the US. But since they don't "own" the farms their response is that it is not their problem. Now I am from PA and I have done the "Hershey" stuff but if the large companies took a stand then perhaps they could make a difference. Since that is not happening we as individuals have to take a stand, so do what you must but if you can, try to purchase chocolate from fair trade sources. In 2006, due to lack of consumer awareness, less than 13 million pounds of fair trade cocoa was sold and 187 million pounds were unloaded at a severe financial loss.
It's Tea Time!
After water, tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world. The challenges with tea do not seem to be a severe as with coffee and cocoa. Of course buying tea that was grown in an earth friendly environment is always the best and kudos to Lipton and PG Tips for working towards certification by Rainforest Alliance that helps set worker and environmental standards. Celestial Seasonings is another company working at reducing its waste and using environmentally friendly packaging.
Remember you can always make your own teas - so when you are planting your garden this year, be sure to plant mint, chamomile, lemongrass, rose hips - just to name a few. Just add 1Tbsp of fresh leaves or 1tsp of dried leaves to hot water (not boiling). Steep and then add sugar, agave nectar or whatever else you like. Alejandro (my boyfriend) also suggested boiling water and add those Mexican cinnamon sticks we were talking about, let them steep for a while in the water and then drink as a tea on those cold winter days (thankfully we are done with those - but FYI for the fall!) My Arab friends also make tea with Lipton and then add sage to it. Of course, they use a lot of sugar but it is yummy. |