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Organic Coffee Beans
Much has been said, studied, discussed and known about Organic Coffee Beans over the last few decades and the term “Organic Coffee” is no more a strange term for the common man. It is no more restricted to the health freaks and environment activists alone. Rather, it has made a place into the cup of every coffee lover in the world. What I am going to tell you about Organic Coffee Beans may not be anything new for you, but it may still serve some purpose supporting this noble movement to encourage Organic Products. Let us first start with the very definition of Organic Coffee Beans.
• Organic Coffee Beans: Only those coffee beans that follow the conditions given below can be called Organic Coffee Beans. These conditions are laid by governments of various nations and governing & certifying bodies who either function independently or under these governments. Here are those conditions.
• The coffee beans must be grown without using any synthetic chemical fertilizers or pesticides.
• The land on which they are grown must be left fallow (uncultivated) for at least three years (in some cases, it may differ to five to ten years) so that it detoxifies itself from the remains of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, weedicides etc. used earlier on it. Within this period, no synthetic substances or chemicals should be applied on the land.
• It must not be obtained fully or partly from or must not contain Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO).
• It must not be genetically manipulated or tailored.
• It must not be injected or administered with drugs to induce more and faster growth or to enhance quality of product.
• No chemicals or synthetic flavours, preservatives, colours must be used on the products during its processing.
• It must be packed in such packets that no chemical or metal salts disintegrate into the food packed in it.
Now that you know the guidelines, it is time to know who laid them. Given below are some agencies. They are the same agencies/bodies/programmes who certify these beans as Organic Coffee Beans. Here are some of them.
• USDA National Organic Program (NOP)
• European Organic Regulations (EU 2092/91)
• Export Certificates for Japan (JAS Equivalent)
• Indian National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP).
• Quebec Organic Reference Standard (CAAQ)
• Bio Suisse Standards
• IOFAM Basic Standards
• ECOCERT
• Types of Organic Coffee Beans: Any variety of coffee that has been grown organically will give you Organic Coffee Beans. So, it can be anything like Organic Kona Coffee, Organic Blue Mountain Coffee and so on. It can also be Organic Espresso Coffee, Organic Gourmet Coffee, Organic Espresso Coffee, and Organic Green Coffee etc. But I am going to tell you something different here. When you search for organic coffee, it is very likely that you will find any of the following names instead of the straight “Organic Coffee Beans” written on the bags.
• Organic Shade Grown Coffee Beans: It is just another (actually the original) way of cultivating coffee and a considerable portion of all the Organic Coffee Beans in the market are grown this way. In this, the coffee beans are grown in natural shade of dense forests or caves or artificial shades without using any artificial fertilizers or pesticides.
• Organic Bird Friendly Coffee Beans: This is almost synonymous to Organic Coffee Beans. All the coffee beans that are grown organically do not harm birds and other creatures and help maintain ecological balance because they do not use toxic artificial pesticides or fertilizers.
• How organic your coffee beans are? The above names just suggest that the coffee beans you are buying are Organic Coffee Beans, but they do not suggest to what extent they are organic. To know that, you will have to look for any of the following three tags on the pack along with a certification from any of the agencies listed above.
• Hundred Percent Organic Coffee Beans: This tag certifies that all the coffee beans contained in the pack are absolutely organic. If you do not want to make any compromises with your love for organic products, you should go for this.
• Organic Coffee Beans: This says that at least ninety five percent of the coffee beans are organic.
• Contains Organic Coffee Beans: This certifies that at least seventy five percent of the coffee beans contained in the pack are organic.
• Advantages: Buying Organic Coffee Beans is certainly advantageous over buying powdered coffee or coffee in any other form in the sense that you get nothing but pure coffee. Nothing can be adulterated when it comes to whole coffee grains. Then, there is one more advantage. Whenever you want some good coffee, you can grind some beans and enjoy freshly ground coffee. The flavour and the taste are best preserved in the beans. Then, there is a concern of quality. Let us suppose that the powdered coffee you were using is not adulterated, but still, there is chance that it is not made of the best of the beans. But if you wholesome beans, then you got to see the beans yourself. In this case, you can make sure that there is no discoloured, pale, rotten, under-grown, under or over roasted beans etc. in your pack.
• Disadvantages: There is only one disadvantage. Buying coffee beans calls for a considerable time and labour to be put in while making a cup of coffee. All the roasting (if the beans you bought are not roasted), grinding and them brewing needs a lot of time, patience, expertise and labour. But then, there is a price for every good thing.
• Availability: Since it is a fact that most of the companies prefer to sell pre-ground coffee as it fetches them more profit and the masses prefer it too to save time, Organic Coffee Beans are not a common site in the stores. You will find them only in some specific stores. The situation is worse in the Indian Subcontinent as very few stores sell wholesome coffee beans; forget about getting Organic Coffee Beans, quality of your choice, certification, your preferred roast, green beans etc. You can give a try in Southern India and if you are lucky enough, you can find coffee beans in some shop chains; but it is next to impossible that those are organic. You may have to compromise with the quality too. Organic Coffee Beans are best available in the Latin American nations and some countries of Europe. Actually, availability reflects demand and awareness. You can always order some on internet and get Organic Coffee Beans shipped right at your home, but that’s a bit costly affair.
• Market: Organic Coffee Beans constitute a very-very small portion of the total organic coffee sold in the world (as most of the organic coffee sold is powdered). Again, organic coffee contributes only around 0.5 percent of the total coffee market. The sales of Organic Coffee Beans are neither expected to show a dramatic rise in future, because despite all the growing awareness regarding organic products, life is getting busier and busier.
• What if? What if you are a die hard fan of coffee; concerned about your health and your environment and can curb out some handsome time for yourself daily? Then there is no doubt that you will go for those Organic Coffee Beans when you decide to buy some coffee. Organic Coffee Beans are the best choice when it comes to buying genuine organic coffee with the longest shelf life.
Go! Get your bag now!
This article was contributed by Aparup Mukherjee
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