Could You Really Die from Death Wish Coffee?
A couple of years ago Death Wish coffee became a household name due to an ad run during the Superbowl. The name Death Wish has to do with its high caffeine content.
If you watched Super Bowl 50 you may have seen the commercial for Death Wish Coffee. Vikings rowing a long boat on a stormy sea that turns out to be Death Wish Coffee!
Death Wish coffee contains both Robusta and Arabica coffee beans. The increased caffeine content comes from the Robusta while Arabica provides the flavor, similar to Italian espressos. But could you really die from Death Wish Coffee? You could if the canned coffee contained botulism toxin! Eater reports a lethal botulism risk in one of the Death Wish coffees.
Death Wish Coffee, a brew that claims to be the “world’s strongest coffee,” has announced a wide recall of its cold brew coffee cans.
According to the FDA, all 11-ounce nitro cold brew cans of Death Wish were processed in a way that “could lead to the growth and production of the deadly toxin, botulin.”
Botulin, which grows in low oxygen and low acid environments, causes botulism in humans. The often fatal form of food poisoning can, according to the FDA, cause “general weakness, dizziness, double-vision and trouble with speaking or swallowing… [and] difficulty breathing.” Authorities advise anyone experiencing these symptoms seek medical care.
No deaths or illnesses have occurred from drinking Death Wish canned nitro cold brew but the process by which the coffee was made could allow a common spore that causes botulism to survive in the cans and create a lethal toxin. The company says that it has ceased production until manufacturing can be updated to preclude botulism as a contaminant of their coffee.
Botulism
Is botulism something that you can get from drinking coffee? A spore called clostridium botulinum is common in the soil and in water. When it grows in a low oxygen environment, such as in canned meats and vegetables or coffee, it secretes a lethal toxin. The botulinum toxin causes muscle paralysis which may be limited to weakness, blurred vision and trouble speaking but can in higher amounts cause respiratory paralysis and death. The reason that canned meats and vegetables are taken to a high temperature before being sealed in a can is to kill the botulism and other spores and germs. The acidity in canned fruits tends to inhibit the growth of the botulism germ and even kill it. Unfortunately coffee is not sufficiently acidic so canned coffee could contain botulism if not heated to a high enough temperature for long enough before being sealed in a can. Killing the spore requires heating in a pressure cooker environment to 120 degrees Celsius or 248 degrees Fahrenheit which is well above the boiling temperature unless in a high pressure container. Killing the toxin is accomplished by boiling at normal pressure for ten minutes. That is the part that Death Wish Coffee needs to add to its manufacturing routine.
Although there could be botulism spores in your coffee they won’t be producing toxin. The issue has to do with putting coffee, meats or vegetable in cans for storage, not with grinding coffee beans and making a cup of coffee.
When Starbucks Invades Italy
American GI’s learned about coffee house coffee when many were stationed in Europe after World War II. Many Americans back home learned about coffee house coffee from Starbucks. Now a clash of business cultures is looming as Starbucks invades Italy. Reuters writes about coffee rivals in Italy are gearing up for the Starbucks invasion.
Two of Italy’s biggest coffee houses are reinforcing their brands with flagship cafes in Milan near the spot where U.S. rival Starbucks (SBUX.O) is set to begin an invasion next year.
Lavazza opens its first flagship cafe in the coffee-obsessed city on Tuesday, not far from the renovated 19th century palazzo where Starbucks will open its first Italian store, a ‘Reserve Roasteries’ outlet offering speciality blends and fine food.
Another top Italian brand, illycaffe, opened its own luxury cafe close to the Starbucks site in May, in a cosy courtyard in Milan’s most fashionable street. Lavazza, which is opening near the city’s famous La Scala opera house, and illycaffe both deny their moves are a response to a global rival’s impending arrival, a first step in what may become a 200-store expansion.
Starbucks has grown to a global presence by recognizing what many Europeans already knew. People will pay a premium for good coffee, good service and convenience. In fact Starbucks chief executive calls Italy the home of perfect espresso and the inspiration for the Starbucks brand. The game plan is to start with a store in Milan to be followed by 200 more around the country as indicated by success with first efforts. How is the Starbucks invasion going to work out?
Price Is Important
Starbucks makes money on premium coffees by charging what the market will bear. However, in Italy an espresso typically sells for one euro or a dollar twenty US. Starbucks charges $1.75 for a basic espresso. Will Starbucks compete on price or on name, location and range of offerings?
Basic Coffee House Coffee and More
Basic coffee house coffee includes these items and they all start with espresso.
Americano
Americano is a coffee house coffee made from espresso and diluted with water. This goes back to the World War II era and after when GI’s who were used to Mom’s home perked or boiled coffee asked the barista to add water to their espresso to make it less strong. Think “weak espresso.”
Breve and Latte
Both of these are made with espresso and foam. Latte is made with steamed milk and breve is made with half and half. For latte think “coffee with milk” or café au lait and for breve think “coffee with milk and cream.”
Cappuccino
Cappuccino is made with espresso plus hot milk plus lots of steamed foam.
Mocha
Mocha is for coffee and chocolate lovers. It is made with espresso plus chocolate syrup plus milk.
How do these compare with the Starbucks menu of coffees and other drinks? Listed on the Starbucks web site there are 30 espresso-based coffee house coffees starting with Americano, latte, mocha and cappuccino. Then the list goes on to caramel macchiato, cinnamon dolce latter, plain espresso, espresso con panna, espresso macchiato and flat white. Then the basics come as iced coffee plus iced pumpkin spice chai latte, iced salted caramel mocha and more until it ends with vanilla latte and white chocolate mocha. If the Starbucks invasion of Italy succeeds it will be based on variety, service and convenience of locations not to mention adding tasty foods to the coffee menu. It will not work just based on price.
Organic Coffee for Flavia
Organic coffee lovers support sustainable coffee production as well. There are several agencies whose certification tells you that sustainable agriculture was used to make you coffee. One of the brands that offers sustainably produced organic coffee is Alterra. They make a single serve, Flavia Alterra, which can be had as organic. These folks have been in the coffee business for more than 20 years and started out as Colectivo Coffee Roasters. You can get their coffee though their chain of coffee shops or directly from the company and of course you can find this coffee on Amazon.com. Their coffee is certified by Rainforest Alliance.
An alternative to organic coffee certification is for a grower to be Rainforest Alliance certified. The Rainforest Alliance is a non-governmental organization that works to conserve biodiversity. It does so for agricultural products by influencing consumers to buy what is good for the environment and good for small farmers. Rainforest Alliance certified means that the coffee that you buy was produced using good land use practices. Rainforest Alliance certified coffee is part of a broader sustainable agriculture program of tropical crops, including coffee, bananas, cocoa, oranges, cut flowers, ferns, and tea. Certified coffee farms meet a strict set of environmental standards that include preservation of the ecosystem and reduction in use of synthetic chemicals of all sorts.
The advantage for growers who are Rainforest Alliance certified as opposed to USDA certified is that Rainforest Alliance works to help growers sell their coffee at a price consistent with the work done to produce organic coffee.
Alterra Coffees
Coffee Distributing Company has a page of Flavia Alterra Sustainability and an excellent listing of their coffees.
The Rainforest Alliance is an independent non-profit which works to conserve biodiversity and promote sustainable lifestyles by transforming business and land-use practices, as well as consumer behavior. Nine ALTERRA Coffee Roasters™ coffees and three The Bright Tea Company™ teas carry the Rainforest Alliance seal, sourcing over 30% of packet contents from certified sustainably-managed farms. Barista’s Blend contains 100% Rainforest Alliance certified coffee.
This company is now owned by Mars, the candy people. Their sustainability brochure provides specifics about their coffees and how much content comes from sustainable coffee production.
We’re on a path to creating a sustainable business and, because you also care about your business, we want to support you to be sustainable too. We’re supporting you by making our products as responsible as possible. We have made some great progress so far on our sustainability journey and we want to continue this with our 5 milestones.
A big part of their sustainability plan to a goal to eventually make sure that zero percent of their products including packaging end up in landfills. This especially important for single serve coffee.
Last year we questioned if organic coffee in a K-cup made sense.
Billions of K cups go into landfills each year. If part of the reason you drink organic coffee is that you want to protect the environment then even organic coffee in a Keurig K cup is a problem. But there was a solution. Keurig also made refillable K cups under the brand, My K Cup. You could also refill these with any coffee of your choice, which would commonly be cheaper than the coffee from Keurig.
Thanks to Mars and Alterra for aiming at zero land fill content in their product.
Fresh Ground Coffee for Backpacking
What if you are an outdoors enthusiast and also a lover of healthy organic coffee? The last time you went backpacking in the Rocky Mountains, walked the Pacific Crest Trail or walked around the high country almost anywhere how was your coffee? The odds are that you brought instant coffee and tried to forget how good it would have been to drink freshly ground organic coffee from Colombia. There are several problems with getting good coffee on the trail at high altitude and the first has to do with weight. Backpackers know that every ounce they pack in they either need to consume or pack out. And where can you plug in your coffee grinder on 12,000 foot Bears Ears Pass in the Wind River Range of Wyoming? Here are a couple of solutions starting with a light weight portable electric coffee grinder.
Grinding Beans on the Trail
Digital Trends has an article about how not to camp with bad coffee again.
For campers, it is all about that morning ritual after spending the night in a tent. Upon waking up to the early morning sun, nothing cuts through the brisk air better than a fresh cup of coffee. Rather than using stale grounds or instant coffee, the portable Lume coffee grinder provides the freshest grounds for a better morning. At just 22 ounces, Lume is the lightest auto-grinder available on the market. It’s roughly the size of a water bottle.
This portable coffee grinder comes with LED lights and a battery capable of providing twenty hours of light at night or ground coffee for 50 cups. While there are plenty of manual grinders for the trail this high tech machine is said to provide a more even grind. The early bird price is $59 but be prepared to pay $119 later on. Joyride Coffee provides a review of manual coffee grinders for backpack brew. They have two suggestions for manual grinders.
If you just have to have a hand grinder out on the trail, there are two that fit the bill. The first is the Porlex JP-30 Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder, which actually boasts a ceramic conical burr and yields a surprisingly consistent grind. Another option, marketed specifically as a camping grinder, is the GSI Outdoors JavaGRIND Coffee Grinder. While I have not used it myself, it has a worryingly low Amazon rating, due to poor build quality and consistency.
Both of these grinders weigh 11.2 oz.
That is half the weight of the battery driven device and you will still have power on an extended trip in the high country. A drawback to coffee grinders on the trail is that you don’t want to get them wet.
Iodinated Organic Coffee
If you are hiking into Cirque of the Towers to climb Texas Tower be aware that the entire valley has giardia lamblia in the water so you need to treat the water you are drinking. To save fuel you will probably treat with iodine and put up with the taste. Because you probably don’t want to taste iodine in your freshly ground Colombian Arabica coffee just boil your water for coffee for three minutes and that will kill any giardia even if you are camping at 10,000 feet and the boiling point of water is 193 degrees Fahrenheit. The Spruce has a table of boiling points by altitude.
Coffee That Tastes Like Starbucks
If you are a lover of coffee house coffee you know all about Starbucks. These folks have been in the coffee house business since 1971 and have nearly twenty-four thousand locations all across the globe. If you enjoy their products and want more coffee that tastes like Starbucks what do you do? First of all what is unique about Starbucks coffee? Starbucks is a second wave coffee business. This means that they sell a dark roast coffee and work to provide reliable taste, quality and customer service that brings customers back for more. Second wave coffee has now been passed by third wave coffee.
This is third wave coffee where baristas can tell their clients which farm in which coffee growing area their coffee came from, if it is regular or healthy organic coffee and provide classes in coffee roasting, tasting and sourcing. But is third wave coffee really better and if it is does it justify the price?
Whereas third wave coffee requires a personal touch only possible with a small local establishment second wave coffee such as Starbucks is scalable as proven by the fact that Starbucks sells from nearly twenty-four thousand locations.
What Kind of Coffee Does Starbucks Buy?
Starbucks buys high quality Arabica coffee, both regular and organic.
There are two basic species of coffee, Arabica and Robusta. Arabica coffee is generally believed to be the first type of coffee to be cultivated. So, if you buy Arabica organic coffee you are buying into a tradition stretching back over a thousand years. The so called coffee shrub of Africa is believed to have originated in the mountains of Yemen although there is also evidence that the species originated in the highlands of Ethiopia and the Sudan. When you buy Arabica organic coffee you are choosing the species of coffee with superior taste according to many experts. Café Arabica also contains less caffeine than Robusta. Although wild Arabica coffee plants can reach 12 meters in height coffee growers typically prune the plant to no more than 5 meters and often as short as 2 meters high to make the coffee easier to pick. Arabica coffee grows best at just under a mile in altitude although it is grown at sea level and as high as 7,500 feet.
If you want coffee that tastes like Starbucks buy high quality Arabica coffee. To get the most reliable quality we suggestion coffee from Colombia.
Is coffee from Colombia really some of the best in the world? If you pass through the Eldorado terminal at the international airport in Bogota, Colombia, stop by the Juan Valdez coffee shop for pan de bono and either regular or Juan Valdez organic coffee. You will be glad that you did and you will be on your way to believing that coffee from Colombia is some of the best in the world.
If you would like coffee that tastes like Starbucks or even better contact us today for more information.
Organic Coffee with Reishi
You may have heard about organic coffee with reishi. What is this concoction and is it good for you or something to avoid completely? Red reishi is a mushroom found in China. Its scientific name is ganoderma lucidum and it has been used as a folk medicine in China for centuries. There is some evidence that this mushroom contains substances that can help the immune system, lower blood pressure and fight tumors. But combine reishi with organic coffee?
Health Benefits of Coffee
It seems that every month another scientific study is published showing more health benefits of coffee. Most recently it has been revealed that not only is coffee good for you but the health benefits of drinking coffee improve with age.
Research has shown that if you drink coffee you live longer. That is to say that over a given period of time coffee drinkers are less likely to die than folks who don’t drink coffee.
Now those results have been replicated in a Spanish study and in to addition the fact that folks who drink coffee are less likely to die in the next ten years the protective effect of coffee is stronger in people over the age of 45.
The most recent study looked at coffee consumption and the likelihood of death in the over the next seven years. Coffee drinkers over 45 were less likely to die by 20% for each cup of coffee consumed per day up to three cups. Drinking more did not seem to help. Coffee reduces the risk of Type II diabetes, various cancers, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. But if you want to improve upon the benefits of coffee what can you do?
Health Benefits of Reishi
Various web sites sing the praises of the Reishi mushroom. One is Health Clover where they suggest coffee with reishi mushroom extract.
According to these folks reishi mushrooms reduce blood sugar, stimulate the liver and bile production and are a source of antioxidants, like coffee. According to the Mayo Clinic, “studies suggest Reishi reduces inflammatory cytokine IL6 & boosts Interleukin 10, among other +effects, so should help immunity.” In their nutrition and healthy eating section they say this.
This fungus is the only food source of vitamin D – besides animal products. No other plants provide vitamin D.
The vitamin B-12 found naturally in mushrooms is the same form found in meat.
Mushrooms contain a variety of bio active compounds that are antioxidants, which offer protection from cancer and heart disease, and moderate blood sugar levels.
And this part applies to all mushrooms. Regarding reishi the scientific opinion is that consuming reishi mushroom may help your immune response and may inhibit cancers. However, the sort of long term studies that have been done on coffee have not been done on this mushroom. Nevertheless the reishi mushroom has been used as a folk medicine for centuries and if there were really bad problems it would have been put aside and forgotten about.
What Makes a Coffee Organic?
The world consumes more than two billion cups of coffee a day. In the USA more than 50% of the population drinks coffee. Statistics are hard to come by but organic coffee makes up only a small percentage of total coffee output or consumption. What makes a coffee organic and why would you want to drink healthy organic coffee and not regular java?
Healthy organic coffee has been around for a long, long time. Unfortunately in the modern era the use of pesticides and herbicides has entered the picture in growing many crops, including otherwise healthy organic coffee. Although non-organic contaminants do not necessarily reduce the beneficial health effects of a healthy cup of organic coffee the non-organic contaminants cause problems of their own.
A study by the Australian Food Standards Authority revealed that as many as 133 contaminants may be in a cup of commercially available coffee. These contaminants include metals such as aluminum and zinc, pesticide residues, ochratoxin A, acrylamide, furan, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are found to cause cancer. Furans have been associated with skin disorders, liver problems, certain kinds of cancers, impairment to the reproductive, endocrine, and immune system, as well as effects on embryonic development.
Drinking organic coffee probably does not increase the health effects of drinking coffee that come from antioxidants and caffeine. But organic coffee does not contain residues of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or synthetic fertilizers. What makes coffee organic is that is grown in uncontaminated soil, processed and stored separately from regular coffee. The end result of organic coffee farming is preservation of the soil and the water table by a process referred to as sustainable agriculture. But, how do you know your coffee is organic?
Organic Coffee Certification
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) certifies organically produced food including organic coffee. Because the only coffee grown in the USA is grown in Hawaii the USDA uses other certifying agencies who work on the USDA’s behalf. In Latin America where the majority of the world’s organic coffee is produces Bio Latina is a certifying agency for the USDA.
If your organic coffee originated in Latin America it is likely that it was subject to Bio Latina organic coffee certification. Bio Latina is located in Lima, Peru. The company certifies farms, ranches, and forests for sustainable practices on behalf of organizations throughout the world. Bio Latina certifies in Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Nicaragua and Venezuela as well as in Panamá, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador Ecuador and Mexico. The label on a bag of healthy organic coffee from Latin America may say that it is USDA certified. However, it may be Bio Latina organic coffee certification on behalf of the USDA that guarantees a pure cup of organic coffee.
Whether your organic coffee is certified by Bio Latina or another agency on behalf of the USDA you should see a USDA Certified sticker on the bag. Other certifications such as UTZ or Rainforest Alliance let you know that coffee was grown under sustainable agricultural conditions although the coffee might not meet the strict definition of organic coffee.
Benefits of Drinking Coffee Improve with Age
Research has shown that if you drink coffee you live longer. That is to say that over a given period of time coffee drinkers are less likely to die than folks who don’t drink coffee.
Another scientific study has come out with the ultimate health benefit of drinking coffee, drink coffee and live longer. The results of the study showed that people who drank between one and five cups of coffee a day had a lower risk of dying that those who did not drink any coffee.
Now those results have been replicated in a Spanish study. In addition for the fact that folks who drink coffee are less likely to die in the next ten years, the protective effect of coffee is stronger in people over the age of 45. Time reports the story about how coffee’s benefits may be strongest for people over 45.
Adults who drank four cups of coffee a day had a 64% lower risk of dying during a new 10-year Spanish study, compared to those who rarely or never drank the beverage. The link between coffee and reduced mortality risk was strongest for people over 45, the authors say, suggesting that the drink’s protective elements are even more important in older age.
The researchers say that for every two cups of coffee a person drinks per day they receive the benefit of a 22% lower risk of death in the next ten years. However, when the data is parsed out by age groups it turns out that for those over the age of 45 experienced at 30% reduction in ten year mortality. And when the older people were subtracted from the study there was little change in predicted mortality for the younger members of the study.
The researchers note that coffee contains antioxidants which fight inflammation. And many age related diseases are adversely affected by inflammation.
Antioxidants help prevent the damage caused by excessive oxidation and to a degree inhibit the aging process. When an oxidative reaction brought on by disease gets going it produces free radicals that start chain reactions which in turn cause cell and tissue damage. The human body has or uses antioxidants to control this situation. Natural means of controlling oxidation include vitamins C and E as well as glutathione. It is low levels of antioxidants that can lead to a condition referred to as oxidative stress and resultant damage to cells in the body. Organic coffee antioxidants are in the same class of molecules that help reduce oxidation.
The study was presented to the European Society of Cardiology. Higher Coffee Consumption Associated with Lower Risk of Death is the title and it can be found on the society’s web site.
Higher coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk of death, according to research presented today at ESC Congress.1 The observational study in nearly 20 000 participants suggests that coffee can be part of a healthy diet in healthy people.
Dr Navarro said: “In the SUN project we found an inverse association between drinking coffee and the risk of all-cause mortality, particularly in people aged 45 years and above. This may be due to a stronger protective association among older participants.”
She concluded: “Our findings suggest that drinking four cups of coffee each day can be part of a healthy diet in healthy people.”
That having been said, enjoy your java and preferably drink healthy organic coffee.
Does Drinking Coffee Weaken Your Bones?
When you drink coffee you pass more calcium in your urine. Does this result in a loss of calcium from your body? Does drinking coffee weaken your bones? The issue for people over 50 years of age is that they should take calcium supplements, 1,000 milligrams a day for women and 1,000 milligrams a day for men. What happens if you don’t take supplements and you drink coffee?
The Evidence
The New York Times published an article asking, is coffee bad for your bones?
Drinking a lot of coffee has been linked to an increased risk of fractures in some observational studies. However, other studies have found no such link.
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” said Dr. Robert R. Recker, the director of the Osteoporosis Research Center at Creighton University in Omaha. Huge, national studies in different countries have found “no evidence of an increase of fractures due to coffee,” said Dr. Recker, an endocrinologist.
For instance, a population-based Swedish study, which included more than 61,000 women followed for roughly 20 years, found in 2013 that drinking four cups of coffee or more daily was associated with a tiny reduction of bone density, but it was not linked to an increased risk of fracture.
The bottom line is that even in people over 50 who don’t take calcium supplements and do drink coffee the risk of bone fractures is very slightly higher than normal. If these folks have a diet that contains calcium either in supplement form for as natural foods like milk or cheese there is no increased risk of bone fractures. In short drinking coffee does not weaken your bones in later years if you have a regular source of calcium in your diet.
Are There Other Issues with Calcium?
If you are a 50+ coffee drinker make sure there is enough calcium in your diet just to be sure. But what else should you be aware of? If you take corticosteroids for diseases like asthma, if you put a lot of salt on your food, if you take protein supplements and if you eat too much spinach all of these can cause a loss of calcium. Other reasons to lose calcium are too much phosphorus from sodas, too much insoluble fiber, too much alcohol and smoking. What does a person do? First of all avoid anything in excess, especially smoking and alcohol but what people need is sufficient calcium in their diet whether they are concerned about coffee or about other reasons to lose calcium.
Hip Fractures
Calcium loss with age increases the risk of hip fractures to where 1% of women aged 80 experiences this. The answer is more calcium and not less coffee. After all your odds of making it to age 80 are better if you drink coffee because if you drink coffee you live longer!
Another scientific study has come out with the ultimate health benefit of drinking coffee, drink coffee and live longer. The journal Circulation published an article, Association of Coffee Consumption with total and Cause-Specific Mortality in Three Large Prospective Cohorts. This long and complicated title simply means that a lot of people were studied for cause of death. For decades the Harvard School of Public Health has enrolled and followed up on graduates in the health professions.
- Nurses’ Health Study: 74,890 (women)
- Nurses’ Health Study II: 93,054 (women)
- Health Professionals Follow-up Study: 40557 (men)
Over the years people enrolled in this study reported how much coffee they drank and when someone died the cause of death was recorded in the study. Over 4,690,072 person years (# of people x # of years) 19,524 women and 12,432 men died. The results of the study showed that people who drank between one and five cups of coffee a day had a lower risk of dying that those who did not drink any coffee.
Is Organic Coffee Acid Free?
A reader recently asked this question. Is organic coffee acid free? The short answer is no but there is more to the story. What makes coffee acidic? First of all the average acidity of black coffee is a pH of 5 where water is neutral at 7, cow’s milk is 6 and lemon juice is 2. The things that make coffee acidic are the things that give it taste and the antioxidants that provide many of the health benefits. But not all coffees are the same in this regard. Higher Grounds wrote about coffee acidity.
Coffee enthusiasts and aficionados identify acidity as the dry, bright, and sparkling sensation that sets a high-quality, high-grown coffee apart from a mundane, lower-grown coffee. Admittedly, this is the rather snooty way of looking at the issue, though it is true that many highly-prized coffees are grown at high elevation and are characterized by their bright, nuanced qualities.
If you are looking for a less acidic coffee you want something grown at lower altitude such as a Colombian Caturra.
Caturra evolved from the Bourbon cultivar near the town of Caturra, Brazil in the early 20th century. Caturra has a higher yield than the bourbon variety. It matures quickly providing coffee beans two years after planting. The caturra plant is short and more disease resistant than older Arabica-based varieties.
In the Colombian coffee growing axis, the Eje Cafetero, growers plant Caturra at around three to four thousand feet on much gentler slopes than where more traditional Arabica varieties are grown. The plant does well in nearly full sun although it is commonly planted interspersed with plantain. In the photo Caturra is planted in the foreground at around 3,500 feet and larger traditional Arabica varieties are planted on the higher slopes in the background.
Full Roast
You can also dark roast the heck out of your green coffee beans which degrades most of the natural acids in the coffee and typically removes flavor as well. If you go the dark roast route pick a coffee with an earthier natural flavor which may survive excessive roasting.
Latte Anyone?
Several coffee house coffees add milk or creamer to the original Java. This may be for flavor but it also serves to buffer the acidity.
Breve and Latte
Both of these are made with espresso and foam. Latte is made with steamed milk and breve is made with half and half. For latte think “coffee with milk” or café au lait and for breve think “coffee with milk and cream.”
Cappuccino
Cappuccino is made with espresso plus hot milk plus lots of steamed foam.
Mocha
Mocha is for coffee and chocolate lovers. It is made with espresso plus chocolate syrup plus milk.
Coffees Advertised As Low Acid
And you can simply look at the label to see if the coffee is advertised as low acid. If it is then it is probably a low altitude coffee. Just make sure that it is also certified organic coffee as well.