Ecologue.com

Coffee with a Conscience

By Maureen C. Petrosky

As the frenzy for better and sustainable foods continues to sweep our nation, consumers are asking whether their eats are arriving at the table via ethical practices.

Shoppers who care about sustainable agriculture are taking a hard look at where the origins of their cup of coffee. After petroleum, coffee is the second most consumed commodity in the world. This popularity carries tremendous social and political implications.

So how do you know if the beans that went into your morning cup of coffee were produced under eco–friendly and socially responsible conditions? For coffee to be considered Fair Trade, the participating coffee cooperative has to guarantee ecological farming and business practices. They also have to guarantee a competitive price is being paid to coffee farmers.

There are many fair trade–minded farms that don't participate in the fair trade program, small outfits that are producing magnificent beans. These little guys are teaming up with small–batch brewers around the globe to birth a new, environmentally and socially conscious coffee subculture.

Small coffee houses like Rojo's Roastery in Lambertville, N.J., Sweet Maria's in San Francisco and hipster hot spot Oslo in Brooklyn, N.Y., believe tracing the source of beans and having a direct relationship with your coffee bean sources is more important than filing the paperwork to get the Fair Trade stamp of approval. Not all the bags o' beans they're serving sport the Fair Trade sticker, but these roasters guarantee the products they're pouring come from reputable producers and, just as important, taste phenomenal.

A Matter of Taste

Artisan coffee houses continue to pop up and have surprising success in our Starbucks–saturated culture. While big boys like Caribou, Starbucks and Gevalia as well as unknown small batch roasters all promote organic and fair trade practices, it's the taste of their coffee that keeps customers coming back for another cup. Pound for pound, the customers' desire for delicious coffee trumps their concern over social justice. And a Fair Trade label on a bag don't mean the coffee inside tastes good.

David Waldman of Rojo's Roastery says a superior cup of coffee starts with the water you use to brew it. That's why he has his very own water–distilling plant on the premises of his New Jersey shop. "Our responsibility to achieve perfection at every step of the (coffee production) chain –– from procurement, to exporter/importer and right down to barista is huge."

Taking it a step further, Brooklyn's micro–roastery, Gorilla Coffee claims they are a 101% Fair Trade business. Like other artisan coffee houses they handroast small batches every day, and they stand behind the freshness by placing a roast date on their coffee bags. Gorilla Coffee customers say that the shop's deep, dark roasted coffees ultimately taste better than the coffee brewing at larger chain coffee stores.

Coffee Sommeliers

Stand in line at any one of these artisan coffee houses and you'll notice customers are ordering more exotic coffees than the run–of–the–mill cappuccinos and lattes. Rojo's has a tempting tasting menu that entices customers into trying exotic coffees like the Ethiopian Harrar Longberry, described as an "intense, rustic, medium to full–bodied blend complete with notes of chocolate, apricots and berries."

The ultimate goal of the small batch roaster is to unlock intrinsic flavors of the coffee beans without introducing flavors from the roasting process. It's a lot like what a wine maker strives to do with his grapes.

Small–batch coffee roasters even use the same lingo as wine makers. An ideal cup of Colombian coffee, Rojo's Waldman says, should be "nutty, semi– sweet with some chocolate aromas, slightly tangy but not lemony." He sounds like a sommelier.

By pouring their heart and soul into every cup of coffee, small batch roasters continue to stand out from the coffee conglomerates. Add a friendly barista behind the counter who knows the lineage of the beans he's grinding, and you've got a recipe for the perfect cup of coffee.

With so many coffees to choose from, ordering your coffee or buying your beans can be tricky. This chart will guide you through the coffee choices. It's organized by the region of the world a coffee is grown, and lists the traits for which that region's beans are known.

Central and South American
Includes Guatemala, Panama, Costa Rica, Brazil, Columbia

More floral
Delicate– to medium–bodied
Acidic (Citrusy)

Indonesia
Includes Sumatra, East Timor, Papa New Guinea

Full Body
Deep Aromas
Earthy

Africa
Includes Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda

Known as the most balanced coffees in the world
Abundant acidity

Pacifica– Yeoman

Exotic
Complexity
Layers of flavor, from floral to fruity (including spices like cardamom, currant and nutmeg)
Delicate to medium bodied

Eco Eats

Coffee with a Conscience

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