Organic Ways to Fight the Coffee Borer Beetle
An old pest is back and posing a major threat to Brazil’s coffee crop. According to Reuters the coffee borer beetle is causing major damage to coffee crops in the world’s leading producer.
Coffee growers in parts of Brazil are grappling with the worst beetle infestation in recent memory as a ban on a pesticide used for 40 years has helped the destructive insect flourish, threatening bean quality and yields.
The damage from the beetle – until 2013 controlled by the pesticide endosulfan – is compounding a smaller biennial production year for Brazil’s producers, who are already struggling with the impact of poor weather in some areas as well as plant fatigue after a big harvest. The government expected the annual crop to be down 11 percent on the year even before the beetle problem emerged.
The beetle known in Latin America as la broca is especially prevalent in Brazil’s largest growing area where 40% of its coffee is produced. Crop damage will be has high as 30% infestation of coffee beans. How did this happen?
It is not just the restriction of the pesticide endosulfan that has caused this infestation. Last year Brazil had a bumper crop of coffee which meant hiring more workers than usual and many unskilled coffee pickers left lots of bad beans on the ground. These beans became infected by the coffee borer beetle and became the seed that grew into this year’s major infestation. And heavy rains and high humidity contributed to the coffee borer beetle thriving.
Endosulfan
From India The Hindu calls endosulfan the spray of death. It is an off patent organochlorine insecticide and acaricide that is widely banned due to its toxic effects on humans and tendency to accumulate in the environment. It is effective in controlling the coffee borer beetle but only if sprayed before the beetle enters the coffee bean. And it can be carried over large distances on the wind and by water thus threatening adjacent organic coffee crops. How can the coffee borer beetle be controlled without the use of this dangerous chemical?
Organic Ways to Fight the Coffee Borer Beetle
Several years ago we wrote about the coffee borer beetle and how organic growers deal with it without resorting to chemicals like endosulfan.
The coffee borer beetle is a threat to coffee crops wherever it is found. In the Latin American regions where the pest is found it goes by the names barrenador del café, gorgojo del café and broca del café. Infestation is spread via the inadvertent transport of infected beans. The primary way to continue to produce healthy organic coffee when there is an infestation is to hand sort the bean and dry promptly after picking. Various organic approaches can be used to deter and destroy the pest while maintaining an organic crop and organic coffee certification.
Protecting habitat for birds is useful in fighting the coffee borer beetle.
When young beetles come out of a coffee bean, various birds such as the Yellow and Rufous-capped Warbler feast on these insects. In Costa Rica the presence of these birds by itself reduces infestation by half.
And you can fight bugs with bugs.
There are wasps native to Africa that are useful in controlling the coffee borer beetle. The wasp lays her eggs and the offspring eat the beetles. The downside is that the coffee plantation then has lots of stinging wasps flying around. Nevertheless this is a totally organic means of controlling a beetle than can destroy an entire crop. Another wasp found in Togo attacks adult beetles and tends to remain with the crop for a long time. It is widely used on the Arabica coffee plantations of Colombia.
Ants, nematodes, and fungi can be used to help control the coffee borer beetle. All of these approaches allow the grower to control the pest without using chemicals.
And cleaning up after the coffee harvest is important. Coffee farmers who leave a lot of unpicked beans on the ground are inviting an infestation of la broca.
Organic Coffee Versus Green Tea
Coffee is good for you and the health benefits of organic coffee come primarily from the antioxidants. But green tea also has antioxidants. How does coffee versus green tea stack up regarding antioxidants and health benefits?
Comparing Green Tea and Coffee
Medical Daily writes about the health benefits of coffee vs. tea.
Both coffee and tea have their benefits, though it’s always hard to pinpoint exactly what those are due to the large amount of contradictory studies. Researchers have focused on specific potential benefits of coffee, with some studies finding that coffee might have the ability to reduce the incidence of dementia or Alzheimer’s or even type 2 diabetes, for example. Coffee has a higher caffeine content than tea, meaning its levels of the stimulant might help people with asthma by relaxing the lung’s airways. Caffeine also helps in constricting blood vessels in the brain and reducing migraines, and often alleviates hangovers because of this. So if you’ve got a bad headache, taking some Advil with coffee and food (and water) might help you out.
Tea, on the other hand, is filled with antioxidants and potential cancer-fighting properties. According to the National Cancer Institute at the NIH, tea contains polyphenol compounds, which are antioxidants that might aid in cancer prevention. Though not enough has been studied to conclude whether tea does in fact reduce the risk of cancer, tea has often been considered a therapeutic or medicinal drink that has both soothing and rejuvenating qualities. All types of tea are made from the leaves of the plant Camellia sinensis, which wilt and oxidize after harvesting; oxidation results in the breaking down of chemicals. The amount of oxidation that occurs in the leaves is what defines different types of teas, from black tea to white tea, and of course green tea. Polyphenols in particular are a group of plant chemicals that are believed to be involved in health benefits – especially in green tea. Teas with the highest levels of polyphenols are usually brewed hot teas rather than cold (and sugary) bottled teas. Polyphenols in green tea, and theaflavins and thearubigins in black tea, contain free radicals that might protect cells from DNA damage.
It turns out that both coffee and green tea are rich in the sort of antioxidants that prevent disease. The article is three years old so several of the newly discovered health benefits are drinking coffee are not included. Although they mention that caffeine in coffee helps asthma (by stimulating adrenaline secretion) the theobromine in tea also helps dilate airways and thus help relieve asthma.
Better Drink Organic
Whether you choose tea or coffee as your beverage of choice we suggest that you go organic. Certified organic coffee is free of the more than 100 impurities that can show up in a regular cup of coffee. Drink organic and avoid residues of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, fungicides and more in your favorite drink. And when you drink only organic you are supporting sustainable agriculture which protects the land on which the coffee is grown and the water table beneath it. When you drink shade grown organic coffee you also protect habitat for wildlife.
Organic Coffee with Butter
A new craze in the coffee world is to add butter to your cup of java. What is the point of organic coffee with butter? Is this something you should try or are there drawbacks? Natural Living Ideas writes that there are 7 good reasons to start adding butter to your coffee.
Although coffee alone possesses a number of scientifically backed benefits, adding butter is said to lend a creamy texture and some important nutrients to your morning brew.
In fact, despite the recent publicity, the practice of adding butter and other fats to coffee for its health benefits is not a new one! This drink has been enjoyed for centuries by people from the Himalayas, Ethiopia, Nepal, Vietnam, and Singapore, while yak-butter tea drinks are consumed in Tibet by mountain trekking locals.
The reasons they cite for adding butter to your coffee are these:
Butter is a better idea than whipped cream and sugar
- Grass fed butter contains omega 3 fatty acids which are good for you
- Butter contains vitamin K, the “forgotten vitamin”
- Butter contains conjugated linoleic acid which has been touted as helping in weight loss
- Butter, unlike, sugar lasts in your systems and makes you feel full longer
- Butter lines the stomach and reduces the irritant effects of coffee
- Butter provides a longer lasting energy boost than sugar
But what are the drawbacks? If you have a problem with your cholesterol you should probably ask your doctor before adding more dairy fats to your diet. And if you have a milk/dairy allergy or are lactose intolerant avoiding dairy products in your coffee is important.
Why Grass Fed?
Those who promote putting butter in your coffee say that it should be grass fed butter. Apparently butter from cows that only eat grass and not grains contains higher amounts of linoleic acid.
How Do You Make Organic Coffee with Butter?
There are all sorts of variations on the theme but basically you make a cup of organic coffee and add one or two tablespoonsful of butter. The health benefits of coffee come from the antioxidants and the caffeine and both are preserved in this concoction.
Are There Any Side Effects?
It turns out that butter coffee is an acquired taste. Some folks get nausea when they first drink butter coffee and some experience diarrhea. Make sure that if you have lactose intolerance that you avoid butter in your coffee unless it is also lactose free. If this drink makes you nauseous it is best to avoid it. That having been said many drink and enjoy organic coffee with butter. Whether it results in weight loss is questionable as the best way to lose weight is to reduce calories and increase physical activity.
Which Organic Coffee?
Our first and best choice for organic coffee is coffee from Colombia. If you would like your coffee sent directly from the Colombian eje Cafetero (coffee growing axis) contact us and we can arrange for small batches or shipping containers full of Colombian coffee for you.
Coffee and Marijuana in Your K Cup
Now there is a new product that you can make with your single serve coffee maker from Keurig. A California company named Brewbuds is putting marijuana and coffee in k cups and selling them in Nevada where recreational pot is legal. Business Insider discusses the marijuana-infused coffee pod.
This week, Brewbudz debuted a line of coffees and teas spiked with marijuana flower and encased in single-serve, fully compostable containers. Each pod costs about $7 and is available at select dispensaries in Nevada.
Kevin Love, director of product for Brewbudz parent company Cannabiniers, said the company wanted to crack the marijuana edibles market with a low-calorie product that uses a socially accepted delivery mechanism. When they read the stats on coffee consumption, Cannabiniers (whose name combines “cannabinoids” – chemical compounds found in marijuana – and “pioneers”) knew they found a match. Nearly two-thirds of Americans drink coffee every day.
These folks are not the first to come up with a pot and coffee k cup but what makes them unique is their totally biodegradable packaging.
The pods are made from bio-based mesh, skins of roasted coffee beans, and other organic materials. When disposed of correctly, the pod breaks down in as little as five weeks, according to the website. By comparison, Keurig generates billions of pieces of plastics every year.
Perhaps other k cup makers, of just coffee, will follow this example and come up with totally biodegradable packaging. Perhaps that would forestall the death of the k cup.
We wrote recently about k cups in our article, Does Organic Coffee in a K Cup Make Sense? There is a basic contradiction in the equation of selling organic coffee in plastic containers that will fill up landfills and not decompose for thousands of years! However, the more likely case is that single serving coffee is a fad and fads run their course. So, is this the death of the k cup or simply a retrenchment into a smaller market?
Where Do K Cups Make Sense?
This writer loves it when he travels and there is a coffee maker in his hotel room. Here is a case where k cups make sense although we would like to see biodegradable cups. Single adults do not make large or need large quantities of coffee so biodegradable k cups make sense there also. For the family that makes coffee for several people at once give me a pot of boiling water, a cloth filter and freshly ground healthy organic coffee in the right quantity.
But how do marijuana and coffee work together? Live Science says this.
The combination of the two will likely make the user feel wired and tired at the same time, he said. But taking caffeine with marijuana would not cancel out the high induced by the drug, he noted. And it would be a mistake to think that someone could get high and then sober up, thanks to the caffeine, Krakower said.
The best approach to this product is to consider it a way to take marijuana and not a way to enhance your healthy organic coffee experience.
Organic Coffee versus Regular
Why do we choose organic coffee versus regular? After all regular coffee is cheaper, has caffeine and is easy to find at the grocery store. There are two good reasons for drinking organic coffee versus regular, your health and the environment.
Coffee, Organic and Health
Coffee is good for you. There are lots and lots of studies showing that coffee consumption reduces your risk of getting various types of cancer.
Prostate cancer, endometrial cancer, and colon cancer may all occur less often in long term coffee drinkers. To avoid cancer by drinking coffee it appears as though one needs to drink as much as four cups a day although some research studies show benefits in individuals with lower levels of coffee consumption. In general the benefits of coffee in the case of reducing the incidence of cancer have to do with chemicals called antioxidants found in roasted coffee.
In addition coffee improves athletic performance and even your sex life. Coffee drinkers are less depressed and less likely to come down with diseases of aging like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. But how does organic coffee differ from regular coffee in regards to health?
Coffee Impurities and Certification
The way to know that you are buying organic coffee is to look for proof of organic coffee certification on the bag.
The soil in which organic coffee is grown must have been verified as free from prohibited substances for at least three years. In addition there must be distinct boundaries between land on which organic coffee is grown and land where pesticides, herbicides, and prohibited chemical fertilizers are used. This guarantees that drift of substances sprayed or otherwise applied on adjacent land will not contaminate the organic plot of land. Organic coffee certification includes the adherence to a specific and verifiable plan for all practices and procedures from planting to crop maintenance, to harvest, de-husking, bagging, transport, roasting, packaging, and final transport. Along the way procedures must be in place at every step to insure that there is no contamination of the healthy organic coffee produced in pristine soil with regular coffee produced on soil exposed to herbicides, pesticides, and organic fertilizers.
The Australian health authority tested regular coffee some years back and found up to 130 unwanted impurities. Why you want to drink organic coffee versus regular is to avoid unwanted herbicides, pesticides, fungicides and residue of synthetic fertilizers in your cup of Java.
Organic Coffee and the Environment
Organic coffee is grown using sustainable agricultural techniques. The soil and the water table are protected and their quality preserved. When coffee farmers grow coffee in the shade they also preserve habitat for songbirds. In fact there is a certification specifically for coffee for the birds. The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center has a Bird Friendly Coffee certification. Other certifications to look for are Rainforest Alliance, UTZ and the gold standard, USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). Drink organic coffee and support coffee farmers who work to preserve the environment for future generations as well as produce a high quality and healthy organic coffee.
Organic Coffee without Caffeine
If you like your cup of Java, but not the jitters, how about organic coffee without caffeine? The health benefits of coffee are largely from the antioxidants so what’s to lose? How do they make decaf organic coffee? And how do you know the entire process is certified?
Indirect versus Direct Methods of Decaffeination
There are two methods for removing caffeine that use solvents. The direct solvent method soaks coffee beans in the solvent and the indirect solvent method beans are soaked in water and the caffeine rich water is treated with a solvent. When you purchase regular decaffeinated coffee it may have made this way. But there is no organic certification for either of these processes.
CO2 Method of Decaffeination
This is a new high tech approach to making decaf coffee. Coffee beans are placed in a very strong stainless steel tank where liquid CO2 (carbon dioxide) is introduced until the pressure in the tank is 1,000 pounds per square inch. The carbon dioxide selectively dissolves caffeine and leaves the other constituents behind. The CO2 is drawn off and allowed to return to a gas form releasing the caffeine which allows the re-liquefied CO2 to be used again and again.
This is a very pricey way to decaffeinate coffee unless done on a huge scale. Thus it gets used for processing of large quantities of ordinary decaf coffee for grocery stores. None of this is certified organic.
Finally, Certified Organic Decaf Coffee
The Swiss water method does not use solvents to decaffeinate coffee. It was invented 80 years ago but required decades for technical improvements to make it cost effective. The company that does this is in Vancouver, B.C. and their process for making decaf organic coffee is certified.
To remove caffeine, coffee beans are soaked in hot water. The water passes through a large-pore activated charcoal filter with pore size such that larger caffeine molecules are trapped and smaller molecules (oils, antioxidants) pass through. The remaining water contains flavor elements but not caffeine. Then the first batch of caffeine-free beans is discarded.
Now new beans are soaked in the new flavorful but caffeine free water. Osmosis causes caffeine to leech out of the beans because of the difference in coffee concentration between bean and water. The flavor elements, antioxidants, etc. remain in the bean because there is not concentration difference between bean and water.
All batches are tested to guarantee that their coffee is 99.5% caffeine free. And decaf coffee made this way is always labeled as Swiss Water decaf.
There are lots of great organic coffees and there are decaf organic coffees made without processes as well. The question is if you are going to the trouble and expense of buying decaf organic coffee shouldn’t you be looking for a certified organic process for the last step. Remember that organic certification should include every step from the coffee farmer to you. If a coffee roaster or decaf maker uses the same equipment for both regular and decaf or stores in the same bins without cleaning in between you have broken the organic coffee certification chain. Our advice is to look for the Swiss water label if you are looking for organic coffee without caffeine.
Climate Change Drives Coffee Farmers to Higher Elevations
In the coffee growing region of Colombia they grow varieties like Caturra at lower altitudes around 3,000 to 5,000 while Arabica grows best in the 5,000 feet and above range. Part of this is because of coffee leaf rust which thrives at lower altitudes. As temperatures have risen on the mountainsides of Colombia, Arabica is being planted higher and higher while left rust resistant Caturra replaces it in the low and middle altitudes. This problem is not limited to Colombia as climate change drives coffee farmers to higher elevations.
At the Source of Coffee
Ethiopia is the region where coffee first grew wild is a major coffee producer. It ranks number five after Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia and Indonesia. Ethiopia has the same problem as Colombia with its Arabica coffee which makes up a fourth of its production. Modern Farmer discusses how coffee is among the first crops to be affected by climate change.
Coffee among the First Crops to Feel the Effect of Climate Change
It’s pretty alarming that this new study projects that between 39 and 59 percent of Ethiopia’s coffee-growing land will be unsuitable for coffee shrubs by the end of the century. And there are signs to indicate the country is well on its way to that disastrous future; huge droughts have swept through Ethiopia in the past few years, putting the entire country’s ability to feed itself at risk.
The problem when it heats up is that it also can get very dry and the combination of heat and drought in an area like Ethiopia which has an arid climate anyway can be devastating. Coffee farmers will keep moving up the slopes so long as there is room to plant and the necessary water. But eventually coffee farmers may need to move north or south instead of up. We mentioned that when we wrote about climate change resistant coffee.
Year after year meteorologists report that average global temperatures have hit another high for the modern era. Considering that what is today the frozen arctic once supported palm trees we have wondered if growing coffee on the arctic tundra will one day be possible. But what would extreme climate change do to coffee production? Last year we asked if climate change could destroy coffee production.
Higher temperatures, more chaotic weather patterns, droughts and floods we become the norm as the world climate change, according to experts. The Tech Times writes about the effect of climate change on agriculture.
Paleontologists have unearthed fossils of dinosaurs and palm trees in the extreme north and south. For the time being coffee farmers plant their Arabica higher and higher up the mountain and many make do with hardy but lower quality Robusta in the lower altitudes. To the degree that plan breeding helps countries like Colombia can develop Arabica hybrids that are more disease resistant but still flavorful. What is clear is that the production of coffee will become more difficult and quality may suffer as things heat up over the years.
Organic Gardening with Coffee Grounds
Summer is upon us and that means gardening. And whether you have a few pots of tomatoes on the patio or a large plot of ground, sustainable agriculture is the way to go. Organic gardening is fun and it is healthy. And organic gardening with coffee grounds is a great way to return mulch and antioxidants to the soil. Gardening Knowhow discusses composting with coffee grounds.
The benefit of using coffee grounds as a fertilizer is that it adds organic material to the soil, which improves drainage, water retention and aeration in the soil. The used coffee grounds will also help microorganisms beneficial to plant growth thrive as well as attract earthworms.
Many people feel that coffee grounds lower the pH (or raise the acid level) of soil, which is good for acid loving plants. But this is only true for unwashed coffee grounds. “Fresh coffee grounds are acidic. Used coffee grounds are neutral.” If you rinse your used coffee grounds, they will have a near neutral pH of 6.5 and will not affect the acid levels of the soil.
To use coffee grounds as fertilizer, work the coffee grounds into the soil around your plants. Leftover diluted coffee works well like this too.
Besides adding nitrogen to the soil, improving water retention and improving drainage there are more benefits to organic gardening with coffee grounds.
Keeping Pests Away
Some gardeners work used coffee grounds in to the soil around favorite plants to keep slugs and snails away and even deter cats from wandering through the garden and using it as a litter box. Coffee grounds in the soil also appear to attract earthworms which further improve the quality of your garden soil.
What Soil Nutrients Come with the Coffee Grounds?
According to Sunset coffee grounds, from Starbucks, contain phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and copper as well as nitrogen according to a coffee soil compost test.
Based on the overall chemistry and physical properties of the coffee grounds, they can be utilized at rates similar to other organic amendments when used in amending mineral soils. These data indicate that 25-35 percent by volume coffee grounds can be blended with mineral soils of any type to improve structure of those soils.
Only a small portion of the nitrogen in coffee grounds is readily available for the plants. Thus you won’t get a rapid increase in nitrogen availability but you will get a slow release over time.
Coffee: the Multipurpose Food
Organic coffee is healthy and good for you. The sustainable agriculture that produces organic coffee is good for the environment. Used coffee grounds find their way into beauty products and as we recently wrote organic coffee for hair is a good thing.
But now that gardening season is upon us it is time to return coffee grounds to the soil from whence they came. Organic gardening with coffee grounds works for a few patio plants and it works for a large garden. Till in to a depth of about six inches. Rinse with water beforehand if you want to avoid increasing soil acidity and forget rinsing if you want to acidify your soil. You can get a soil test by taking a few ounces of your garden soil to your country agricultural extension agent and then you will know which way to go.
Organic Coffee for Percolator
We have written about the best ways to make coffee including the use of a French press, adding coffee to water and boiling like Grandma did on the farm and pouring boiled water over coffee grounds like they do in the Eje Cafetero of Colombia. But what if you routinely need to make coffee for 50 or 100 people? And what if you still want great coffee? You will probably use a percolator with organic coffee. If you have not used one, what is a percolator and how does it work?
Coffee Percolator
A coffee percolator is a large container that heats water with a heating element at the bottom. Boiling water rises up a central metal tube and drips through ground coffee which is contained in a metal device with perforations like a strainer. The hot water extracts the coffee by circulating up the tube, through the coffee down to the container and then back up the tube to pass over the coffee. The heating element reduces temperature when the coffee is done. This happens by a thermostat that reads the temperate of the water higher in the container. A problem with percolators is that if the cycle runs too long it over extracts the coffee resulting in a bitter taste. Use about a tablespoonful of coffee for each cup of water which works out to about 2 ½ cups of ground coffee for forty cups of water.
Organic Coffee for Percolator
The Café Altura organic coffee web site as a few suggestions about the best coffees for a percolator.
Coffee percolators were all the rage before automatic drip coffee makers took their place. Still, many coffee aficionados prefer percolators because they brew rich, full-bodied coffee that is full of flavor. People who want to have full control over how long the coffee percolates choose glass stovetop percolators, while those who want to automate the process use electronic percolators.
When you use a percolator, some coffee will taste better than others. Consider the roast and the country of origin in order to pick the best coffee for your percolator.
They suggest that a dark roast is more likely to come out bitter when over brewed in a percolator and light roasts end up tasting watery. Thus they suggest a Goldilocks approach of sticking with medium roasts.
Their suggested sources of organic coffee for a percolator are these:
Colombia
Indonesia
Ethiopia
Guatemala
Peru
But where, for example can you get organic coffee from Colombia?
Here is a short list of Colombian organic coffee brands as well as high grade Colombian coffees that are essentially same-as-organic but without official certification.
- Volcan
- Sostenible
- Linea Roja
- Origen
- Frailes
- Juan Valdez
- Oma
- La 14
- Aguila Roja
As we have often mentioned it can be difficult to get antioxidant rich organic coffee from Colombia out of Colombia. If you are interested in any of these products please contact us at Buy Organic Coffee for assistance.
We will be pleased to help you obtain smaller quantities of green coffee or roasted organic coffee for personal use. And if you are interested in wholesale coffee in shipping containers please contact us for a quote.
Lose Weight with Organic Coffee
There are lots of health benefits of organic coffee but how about weight loss? A few years ago there was a suggestion that you could lose weight with green coffee beans and green coffee extract.
A recent study reports that a group of overweight volunteers lost a significant amount of weight by taking a gram of green coffee bean extract daily for five months. Without any change to their diets or exercise regimen the volunteers were able to lose weight with green coffee beans as the only addition to their lives. Researchers reported that there were no unwanted side effects such as elevation of blood pressure or heart rate in the study volunteers. On the average each person lost ten pounds. Evidence of weight loss with green coffee beans is just one more fact added to the list of benefits of regular and healthy organic coffee.
This really sounded good until more information surfaced. Then we wrote about the bogus green coffee extract claim.
The Federal Trade Commission has levied a fine of $3.5 million on Applied Food Sciences, the company that sponsored the study claiming that green coffee extract resulted in weight loss. Here is a quote from the FTC.
The study’s lead investigator repeatedly altered the weights and other key measurements of the subjects, changed the length of the trial, and misstated which subjects were taking the placebo or GCA during the trial. When the lead investigator was unable to get the study published, the FTC says that AFS hired researchers Joe Vinson and Bryan Burnham at the University of Scranton to rewrite it. Despite receiving conflicting data, Vinson, Burnham, and AFS never verified the authenticity of the information used in the study, according to the complaint.
Despite the study’s flaws, AFS used it to falsely claim that GCA caused consumers to lose 17.7 pounds, 10.5 percent of body weight, and 16 percent of body fat with or without diet and exercise, in 22 weeks, the complaint alleges.
Its turns out that losing weight with green coffee extract claims were too good to be true. Or perhaps you can lose weight but the study was flawed and did not prove the claim. But, bad study and faulty claims aside, can you lose weight with organic coffee?
Coffee and Exercise
We have written about how coffee enhances athletic performance.
[D]rinking coffee increases adrenaline. Adrenaline increase heart rate and blood flow, increases blood flow specifically to the brain and helps improve short term speed and endurance. Scientifically, the caffeine in coffee is an ergogenic aid for sustaining a high degree of effort over the short term. And coffee only lasts just so long and then the body metabolizes and excretes it. Typically half of the caffeine that you ingest at 7 am is gone by 1 pm (a six hour half-life). If our hypothetical 154 pound runner drinks two cups of coffee and gets 400 milligrams into his system he will still have 200 milligrams six hours later. This is plenty of time for a slow marathon runner to complete the course or for someone to complete a soccer match.
The reason coffee enhances athletic performance is that it allows you to burn more calories faster giving you more energy. The key to losing weight is to burn calories as well. So, drink your organic coffee and go work out. It is a good way to lose weight!