We have all heard the saying “You only get out what you put in” before right? Well this is as true with coffee as it is with anything else. I often get asked why can’t I get my coffee tasting good, generally my first response is, what coffee are you using and when was it roasted?
Hopefully if you are reading this, you have a passion for good coffee and are supporting quality local roasters instead of big players that sell bulk roasted, stale, low quality coffee in supermarkets and chain cafes or similar. If you are buying the latter, no stress, this post should help you understand the difference between both, and why you will enjoy consuming the former so much more.
The majority of coffee’s that you find in supermarkets, big coffee chains or really low end shops where coffee is not their focus, are going to taste really bad. Unfortunately as this is what’s flooded to the masses, people have began to believe this is what coffee tastes like and the only way to fix this is add huge volumes of sugar, sweetener, milk and/or cream.
In my opinion, the main reasons for this, is these roasters are not here for passion about there products and customers, they are here for one thing only, that’s $$$$$$$$$. While there is nothing wrong with making money from your business, when profits become your primary focus, sacrifices begin to be made to achieve this. Batch sizes increase to huge commercial levels where quality can’t be checked as closely, QC is sacrificed for efficiency and quality green beans are replaced with low grade arabica and/or robusta. On top of these issues, storage and shelf life of roasted coffee is a factor that will define the quality of your final cup, these primarily profit focused businesses will advise people that coffee stays at its best extremely longer than what is actually true.
Honestly while all of the above is very important and relevant to us, it is not the main reason why you should look deeper into your roaster and make an informed decision on whom you support. Good specialty coffee roasters will be transparent in their coffee sourcing, using fair trade and ethically sourced green beans. This creates mutually beneficial relationships between growers, their communities, the environment and consumers / roasters around the world. This is something we should all be trying to support, I firmly believe that us enjoying a luxury like coffee, should not have a negative impact on the environment, growers or their community.
Unfortunately the coffee industry has a history of using forced or underpaid labour as well as child labour in the growing, harvesting and processing of coffee. Coffee is the second most tradable commodity in the world, only being beaten by oil. With such a huge demand for the product globally, farms and growers are pushed to grow the product as quickly as possible to keep up with demand. Forcing some to abandon traditional shade grown techniques, where coffee is grown under the canopy of forests in favour of full sun growing plantations. Shade grown coffee supports its natural habitat, works harmoniously with indigenous flora and fauna, adds to the ecosystem and reduces soil erosion. Coffee cherries take longer to grow and mature in shade grown environments, adding more complexity’s and flavour to the bean, all while minimising the need for pesticides and fertilisers. On the other hand, full sun gown farms may be faster and more commercially viable, however require deforestation and clearing of natural land, increased use of fertiliser and pesticides, removes habitats and destroys fragile ecosystems and increases soil erosion and degradation.
Sourcing your beans from an ethical roaster with transparency of their product means you are supporting businesses trying to make a difference, putting money back into communities at origin and helping them upgrade their infrastructure, communities and environment, cementing a viable future for people and nature. It’s not surprising that these coffee’s are generally of high quality with unique and amazing taste profiles, growers that take this kind of care have a passion and usually generations of experience resulting in a quality end product, the same goes for the roasters using these green beans.
Next time you are buying coffee, whether it be a cup of coffee from a cafe or whole beans from a cafe or roaster, ask questions. Where do your beans come from, are they ethically sourced, fair trade, shade grown or rain forest alliance? If they can’t answer these questions for you, or give you more information on the origin and farms, I would think twice about supporting such businesses. We are very lucky to live where we do and have the opportunity to drink great coffee, with these privileges comes the responsibility to do our little bit to help those that bring us this great product and ensure it is here for generations after us. Shifting the demand away from unethical businesses and moving it towards the right roasters sends a message, that us as consumers do not support these practices and hopefully shift more of the industry in the right direction.
For those whom made it right to the end of this post, I thank you for taking the time to read this. Hopefully I have shedded some light on a subject that people aren’t always informed about and can convince some of you to try a better product for both you and the world. Talk with your barista at your local cafe, chances are if you are in a good coffee shop, they will be passionate about this too, and will appreciate their customers support. The best baristas don’t just make you a coffee but love talking and educating people about it too.
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