Organic Green Coffee
Coffee! And that too, green? And now if I start telling you about Organic Green Coffee all of a sudden, then it will be an overdose for those who have seen and tasted only the packed and powdered brown/black coffee (instant or otherwise) and can hardly believe that coffee can be green too. Green Coffee is hardly seen in India and in the Indian Subcontinent. You do neither usually find the information regarding Organic Green Coffee in the ordinary books. But Green Coffee exists, and so does Organic Green Coffee and both have millions of fans. The next few paragraphs will be interesting to those who will be acquainted with this thing for the first time here. Here we go!
• Organic Green Coffee: Green Coffee is obtained from raw coffee beans which are not roasted. And since it is not roasted, it has a different taste and flavour than normal roasted coffee. In case of any coffee, be it green or roasted, it has to pass certain stages invariably. First of all, the fully ripe coffee cherries or berries are picked and sorted. Then the flesh of these berries surrounding the seeds (better known as coffee beans) is removed mechanically or manually. Thereafter, these whole seeds are made to ferment and washed vigorously and repeatedly with fresh water to remove the thin skin on these seeds. Then, these beans are dried in strong sun (in plenty in tropical countries where coffee grows) or using driers. These dried beans are either roasted to produce common brown/black coffee or used before roasting to give what we call Green Coffee. So, that was the Green Coffee story. Now coming to Organic Green Coffee. Organic Green Coffee is the Green Coffee that is obtained from coffee plants grown organically. No artificial (synthetic) chemical fertilizers or pesticides are used on them. Neither any chemical is used in their processing (fermentation/washing etc.). Organic Green Coffee is thus, free from toxic chemical residues.
• The Cup of Health: Organic Green Coffee has a number of health benefits. Here are a few of them.
• Anti Oxidant Neutralizer: Green Coffee itself is a rich source of anti oxidants and some studies say that it is richer than Green Tea. Organic Green Coffee is far richer in anti oxidants than the normal Green Tea because it has no free radicals from the residual chemicals. Organic Green Coffee contains Chlorogenic Acid, which is believed to be far more effective in neutralizing free radicals than the anti oxidants in green tea.
• Metabolism Booster: The Chlorogenic Acid present in Organic Green Coffee increases the rate of metabolism, thereby helping burning down fat & calories and reducing weight.
• Energizer: The Caffeic Acid present in Green Coffee acts as a stimulant and gives a burst of energy and thus helping get over fatigue.
• Cordial & Hepatic: Organic Green Coffee does not contain Cafestol and Kahweol, two Diterpenes which are supposed to raise the level of Low Density Lipoproteins (Bad Cholesterol). These Diterpenes also interfere with the secretion of enzymes from liver. So, Organic Green Coffee is good for liver too.
• Non-Toxic: Since this Green Coffee is organic, it does not contain residues of toxic chemicals and therefore has no toxic effects on the body. You are also saved from the free radicals that originate from these residues. Further, you are saved from the allergenic and carcinogenic effects of these residues.
• Picking up the Best Organic Green Coffee: Most of you do not care to bother about where the Organic Green Coffee comes from, or what makes it organic or any other technical issues related with it. The only thing you seem to care for is how you can get the best Organic Green Coffee and from where. I also feel that instead of going into technical details, I should give you some bases of judging your coffee that may prove helpful for you to get the best deal. Here they are!
• Soil Type & Climate: The taste and flavour of your Organic Green Coffee depends a lot on the soil type and climate. The coffee that grows in plains will taste different from that grows in mountainous regions, which will again be different from that growing in coastal areas or tropical forests. Similarly, the coffee raised on volcanic soil will be different from that raised on normal soil. What’s more! The shade grown coffee differs from the coffee grown in open fields. Although taste is a very personal issue, still, some of the best tastes are offered by the coffee grown on volcanic soil and/or in shade.
• Altitude & Time of Maturity: The taste and flavour of coffee also depends upon the altitude at which it is grown and the time it takes to attain maturity. The higher the altitude, the slower is the maturation and stronger is the flavour. If you like this type then you should go for Strictly Hard Beans, which are grown in very high altitudes and mature very slowly.
• Proper Processing: Only the beans which are processed properly will taste the best. If you are picking up Organic Green Coffee, it is advisable to pick up the transparent packets so that you can see the colour of the contents, which is very important. Otherwise, you can go for loose beans. In any case, the colour of the Organic Green Coffee beans matters much. Here are some shades you should avoid.• Discoloured Beans: This faded or discoloured green is a result of over drying or high moisture content. Coffee tastes best when it has the accurate moisture content.
• Amber Beans: The green colour of the Organic Green Coffee Beans sometimes turns amber due to deficiency of certain minerals. These again, do not taste good.
• Rotten Beans: These beans often get damaged or rotten due to over exposure to water or moisture or due to over fermentation and look brown or muddy in colour. These rotten beans taste and smell horrible.
• Similarity: If the pack you are purchasing contains similarly sized and similarly coloured beans throughout, then it shows that it is less likely to be adulterated with beans of different varieties or lower quality.• Variety: This is yet another aspect to consider when buying Organic Green Coffee beans. While some varieties are famous for their taste, some are for flavour. Then there are some which have both rich taste and flavour. But once again, it is a very personal issue. Some people prefer taste and cannot tolerate strong flavour and vice versa. Whatever it is, there are some varieties which will never let you down. Here are some of them.
• Blue Mountain
• Cenaproc
• Colonial Caranavi
• Peaberry
• Kenya AA
• Tarrazu
• Yirgacheffe
• Antigua
• Altura
• Santos
• Mandheling
• Supremo
• Poco Fundo
• Cauca
• Popayan
• Ocamonte
• Norte Caldas
• Sierra Nevada
• La Alianza
• San Mauricio Pipil
• Huehuetenango
• Ermera
• Mandheling
• Bourbon
• Cattura
• Species: The varieties discussed above again belong to certain species of coffee. The following are the two main cultivars coffee, grown in different regions.• Coffea Arabica: Most widely used species. Almost all the coffee beans that come from Arabia, Eastern Africa, Asia and Latin America belong to varieties that fall under this species. People have their own opinions, but Arabica is considered far superior quality than Robusta.
• Coffea Canephora (Robusta): Its varieties are spread over the Central and Western Africa.• Place to Buy: To buy the best Organic Green Coffee, you need to do a little bit of research. Your desired brand may not be available with the local grocer or coffee dealer. In that case, place an order with him to get you a bag. But before that, don’t forget to consult the internet because it is the best place to gather information regarding the best and most recognized brand of Organic Green Coffee and also regarding its certification, composition, place of origin, variety, species etc. Further, you can also place your order on internet if your local shop fails to cater to your needs.
• Ground or Whole: It has always been an issue that whether you should buy ground coffee or whole grains when you are going for Organic Green Coffee. Experts suggest that a true coffee lover should always go for the whole beans. The powdered coffee looses its flavour and taste soon due to evaporation of its volatile oils. They are preserved in whole grains. Further, there are very much chances of the powdered coffee being adulterated with other additives such as chicory or other inferior quality coffee. Whereas, in case of whole beans, you can see for yourself whether the colour, texture and size of the beans are to your satisfaction or not. So, go for the whole grains.
• Certification: Even a hard core coffee drinker or an expert cannot tell whether the coffee he is buying is organic or not. So, to buy the authentic Organic Green Coffee, one has to trust the certificate that comes with the packs. Just make sue that the certificate is issued by a recognized certifying agency functioning in your country.
• Market Share: The market share of Green Coffee is far less than that of roasted coffee and is lesser in case of Organic Green Coffee. The first factor is that people are more habituated to drink pre-roasted brown coffee. The second factor being its lesser availability. The third factor affecting its demand is that it needs a lot of time; patience and proficiency to process Green Coffee at home (roasting, grounding etc.) and so people tend to avoid it despite the fact that they love its taste. Still, the market share of Organic Green Coffee is not bad.
• Playing Your Part: If you are a real lover of Organic Green Coffee, then you should take care of a few things to enjoy it the organic way.
• Try to maintain its organic value. That is, while you process the Organic Green Coffee at home, do not mix anything synthetic into it. That will spoil the fun.
• Roasting green coffee at home needs some expertise. An overdone or underdone roasting can make it taste bad.
• Drawbacks: Organic Green Coffee has certain disadvantages as mentioned below.
• It is costlier than either of roasted or green coffee.
• More care needs to be taken to preserve Organic Green Coffee than normal roasted coffee.
• Its processing takes a lot of time and patience and is often not possible for very busy people.
I told you almost everything of your concern regarding Organic Green Coffee. Drinking it or not is a purely personal issue. But one thing is for sure; you won’t repent spending your money on it. And remember, you will be paying your part of duty to keep the environment cleaner and less polluted by promoting Organic Green Coffee.
This article was contributed by Aparup Mukherjee
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