Ground Coffee or Whole Coffee Beans
Which is better to buy, ground coffee or whole coffee beans? If you buy ground coffee you do not have to get out the coffee grinder before brewing coffee. On the other hand ground coffee has a shorter shelf life than whole bean coffee. Colombian organic coffee brands, Panama Mountain Grown Organic Coffee, and coffee from Costa Rica are commonly shipped to the USA for roasting. This is because coffee starts to lose its flavor as soon as the roasting process is completed. So it is best to roast coffee close to the market where coffee will be sold. If the coffee is ground and packed by the roaster it is doubly important that roasting takes place close to where you live and that you purchase recently roasted and ground coffee. The issue of ground coffee or whole coffee beans also applies to the health aspects of drinking coffee.
Regular and Healthy Organic Coffee as Ground Coffee or Whole Coffee Beans
There are two reasons for drinking organic coffee and the issue (of ground coffee or whole coffee beans) only applies to one of them. People drink organic coffee to avoid the many impurities that can be found in regular coffee. The level of impurities does not change when you grind the coffee. The other issue is that organic coffee antioxidants are good for you. There are antioxidants in all coffee. However, the more aromatic Arabica coffees that are more carefully grown and processed by organic growers may well have a higher content of antioxidants and therefore be better for you. The fact is that when you grind coffee the aroma starts to go away and so does the potency of antioxidants. If you drink ground coffee or coffee from whole coffee beans that you have just ground you make be making a decision that will affect your health.
Ground Coffee or Whole Coffee Beans and Health
Here is some data on the health aspects of coffee drinking. Our opinion is that regarding ground coffee or whole coffee beans whole beans ground just before brewing is better for health because of a higher antioxidant content.
Drinking Organic Coffee Reduces Prostate Cancer Risk
Recently released research says that that drinking organic coffee reduces prostate cancer risk. In a just published study 47,911 men were followed from 1986 to 2006. During that time 5,035 developed prostate cancer including 642 cases of lethal prostate cancer, fatal or metastatic…
More Organic Coffee Can Lead to Less Colon Cancer
It turns out that one of the antioxidants obtained during the process of roasting organic coffee may well reduce the risk of getting colon cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death in the USA…
More Organic Coffee Can Lead to Less Diabetes
Drinking organic coffee reduces the incidence of Type II diabetes, the type that affects 95% of people with the disease. There is a protein, sex hormone-binding globulin which regulates sex hormone activity in the human body. Researchers believe that this hormone has an effect on the development of Type II diabetes. Drinking coffee increases the body’s levels of sex hormone-binding globulin. Drinking 4 or more cups of coffee a day, with caffeine, reduces Type II diabetes incidence by 56%, more than half…
Wholesale Organic Green Coffee Beans
Scientific research tells us that coffee is good for us. It also tells us that healthy organic coffee is a better choice than regular coffee. We also know that green coffee beans have a two year shelf life. That is, the regular or organic coffee antioxidants in the coffee bean retain their properties for a couple of years. In comparison roasted coffee beans are good for six months or so and roasted and ground coffee starts to lose its potency the moment that it has been ground. This having been said the best choice for buying coffee is to get wholesale organic green coffee beans. Wholesale organic green coffee beans can be stored for later roasting and wholesale organic green coffee beans can be made into a coffee bean extract that helps with weight loss. So, where can you find wholesale organic green coffee beans?
Buy Your Coffee Wholesale
Wholesale coffee is most commonly purchased directly from coffee growers and cooperatives while standard coffee commonly enters a worldwide supply chain and ends up where price, supply, and demand dictate. A prime example for the purchase of organic wholesale coffee is Starbucks. This worldwide chain of coffee houses purchases in multiyear contracts from organic growers in the four corners of the coffee producing world. But what if you want to buy wholesale organic green coffee beans? Where do you go? Who do you deal with and what are the problems you need to overcome? The short route, buy the way is to contact us at BuyOrganicCoffee.org.
The Commodity Supply Chain for Coffee
Large coffee producers typically export their own coffee beans. Smaller coffee growers sell to an exporter, the middle man. He sells to coffee importers who sell to roasters who sell to retailers. Much of the cost of a good cup of coffee full goes to paying all of those folks who connect the coffee farmer to you the customer. Because coffee roasters commonly have the largest profit margin in the supply chain you can save money when you buy wholesale organic green coffee beans.
Organic versus Regular Coffee
Organic coffee accounts for about one percent of world production (67,000 tons versus 69,000,000 tons). Because organic coffee sells at a premium to regular coffee so do wholesale organic green coffee beans with a premium of up to forty percent. Well known and trusted producers commonly command a higher premium than unknowns. This presents a problem for unknowns who pay for Bio Latina organic coffee certification or certification by other reputable certification agencies. Certification does not guarantee sales or profits! For the individual who would like to buy, roast, package, and sell organic coffee in the USA or Europe how does he go about finding an organic grower with product to sell? Again, think of us at BuyOrganicCoffee.org.
Buying Wholesale Organic Green Coffee Beans from the Grower
There are a couple of approaches to obtaining a reliable supply of high quality organic wholesale coffee. One is to contact the various certifying agencies around the world and request a list of the growers and processors whom they certify. Then one needs to contact these folks, typically in their native language, and negotiate price. The other approach is to contact someone on the ground in the area in which one is interested. If you are interested in Colombian organic coffee brands, Panama mountain grown organic coffee, or organic coffee from Costa Rica let us know at BuyOrganicCoffee.org.
Why Drink Organic Coffee
Why drink organic coffee instead of the regular stuff? After all organic coffee is more expensive. Coffee is made using boiling water so any germs should have been taken care of with either organic or regular coffee. So, why drink organic coffee? Here are a few facts as well as a few thoughts on the subject. First let us look at organic versus other coffee and then at coffee in general and versus other beverages.
How Many Unwanted Ingredients Are Too Many?
Several years ago health authorities in Australia analyzed coffee for impurities and came up with as many as 133 contaminants in a single 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. One bad ingredient in your cup of coffee is too many. But, 133? Give me a break. Why drink organic coffee? Drink organic coffee to avoid drinking the 133 things that you do not want along with your cup of java. Stick with healthy organic coffee and avoid the impurities.
Science Says That Coffee Is Good for You
There are a lot of great health effects of drinking coffee . Medical research has shown a reduced risk of Type II diabetes, a lower cancer risk, less depression, a reduced risk of suicide; fewer gall stones, and even a lower incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. Drinking four cups of coffee a day appears to reduce the chances of getting Type II Diabetes by about a half. Research has shown that drinking coffee increases levels of sex hormone-binding globulin which in turn appears to reduce the incidence of diabetes . Regular and organic coffee antioxidants are molecules that inhibit the cell damage and cell death in human cells caused by oxidative breakdown of other molecules in the cell. These chemicals are related to a reduced incidence of several cancers. Because coffee is a great source of antioxidants it helps reduce the incidence of cancers of various sorts. Want to avoid Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, feeling so bad that you want to commit suicide? All of these unwanted outcomes in life occur in lower numbers when you drink coffee. Why drink organic coffee? Because you get all the good aspects of coffee and avoid any unwanted additives along the way.
What Is Good for You Is Good for the World Too
Organic coffee certification requires that the soil must have been verified as free from prohibited substances for at least three years. Organic coffee production requires sustainable farming practices include crop rotation or interspersing crops among other plants such as plantain and native trees. These practices are good for the environment besides helping produce a great product for you. Organic farming preserves top soil and protects the water table. Growing coffee in the shade of native trees preserves the forest for birds and other creatures that are otherwise displaced in farming operations. Why drink organic coffee? Drink organic coffee because it is good for the environment.
History of Organic Coffee
Healthy organic coffee has been around ever since coffee was discovered growing wild and ever since it was first grown. However, the history of organic coffee of the certified variety starts in 1990. The Organic Foods Production Act was passed in 1990. It –
requires the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances which identifies synthetic substances that may be used, and the nonsynthetic substances that cannot be used, in organic production and handling operations.
The reason that organic coffee certification as well as certification of other foods came into being is that farmers learned that they could increase production by using synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides. Because there was no clear way to differentiate between products grown by an organic method and those grown by more modern methods a need arose to certify food as organic. The law states that for coffee to be certified as organic the soil in which it is grown must be free from prohibited substances for at least three years and have been verified as such. There have to be clear boundaries between land on which organic coffee is grown and land where pesticides, herbicides, and prohibited chemical fertilizers are used. This is so that drift of substances from adjacent land will not contaminate the organic plot. Organic coffee certification requires 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. Procedures must be in place to insure that there is no contamination of healthy organic coffee with regular coffee produced on soil exposed to contaminants.
Who Does the Checking?
Once there was a set of regulations in place to certify organic coffee the problem was that aside from Hawaii no one grows organic coffee in the USA. And the USDA does not run around Latin America where three fourths of the organic coffee in the world is grown. Thus there are certifying authorities who act on behalf of the USDA. One of these is Bio Latina . These folks office in Lima, Peru but they tramp all over Latin America certifying various organic foods including coffee. One issue for small producers is that the $500 a year certifying fee is too steep a price unless they can get connected to a buyer who will pay the organic rate instead of the regular coffee rate.
Just As Good As Organic Certification
There are two organizations that provide much the same assurance of quality as USDA certification. These are UTZ and Rain Forest Alliance . This history of organic coffee as regards these organizations is this: There is more to organic coffee than good taste and a lack of impurities. When a grower goes organic he practices sustainable agriculture. That is good for his land and good for the land and eco-system in general. Growing shade grown organic coffee under the canopy of an undisturbed forest is good for the birds and the watershed. Working with UTZ and Rain Forest Alliance growers abide by good child labor practices and good business and farming practices. The history of organic coffee continues as these organizations help growers prosper, find buyers, and lead better lives.
Health Effects of Drinking Coffee
Every month of so there seem to be more positive health effects of drinking coffee. We have always known that drinking healthy organic coffee is good for you because of its lack of impurities and high quality. But in recent years medical research has demonstrated that health effects of drinking coffee include a reduced risk of Type II diabetes, lower cancer risk, less depression, a reduced risk of suicide, fewer gall stones, and even a lower incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. What follows is a short list of the health effects of drinking coffee.
Drink Coffee and Get Less Cancer
The primary reason that coffee consumption seems to reduce the risk of various cancers is that coffee contains antioxidants. Regular and organic coffee antioxidants are molecules that inhibits the cell damage and cell death in human cells caused by oxidative breakdown of other molecules in the cell. Oxidation is a factor in sickness and aging. 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.
Here is a list of cancers that appear to have a lower incidence on coffee drinkers:
Diabetes Incidences Is Reduced in Coffee Drinkers
Drinking four cups of coffee a day appears to reduce the chances of getting Type II Diabetes by about a half. Research has shown that drinking coffee increases levels of sex hormone-binding globulin which in turn appears to reduce the incidence of diabetes
Depression and the Incidence of Suicide Are Both Helped by Drinking Coffee
Everyone knows that a morning cup of coffee is a good way to wake up and that a good mid-day pick-me-up is coffee. Now research shows that one of the health effects of drinking coffee is that it reduces the risk of depression b y about a fifth. Another of the health effects of drinking coffee is a reduced reduced risk of suicide in steady coffee drinkers. Drinking from two to four cups of coffee a day is associated with a fifty percent lower risk of suicide when compared to those who were not coffee drinkers.
Degenerative Brain Diseases Avoided by Drinking Coffee
For those who are concerned about the debilitating neurologic disease, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, help is not only on the way but help has always been there in the form a few cups of coffee each day. Researchers have discovered a reduced incidence of Parkinson’s disease and hope for those prone to Alzheimer’s in drinking coffee. Research has shown than drinking a cup of coffee a day is related to a lower incidence of Alzheimer’s than with non-coffee drinkers. More recent work shows that the reduction in the incidence of Alzheimer’s goes up with the number of cups of coffee that a person drinks each day.
Good Reasons to Drink Organic Coffee
There are lots of good reasons to drink coffee. It wakes you up in the morning, smells good, and has a good taste. And there are numerous health benefits. Our five good reasons to drink organic coffee include the fact that drinking coffee is good for you. And our five good reasons to drink organic coffee have to do with the benefits that come from drinking healthy organic coffee instead of regular coffee.
Coffee Is Good for You
The first of our five good reasons to drink organic coffee overlap with the reasons to drink regular coffee.
One: Coffee reduces the incidence of depression and the incidence of suicide with long term consumption of two or more cups a day. It also appears to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease .
Two: Regular consumption of four cups of coffee a day over the years leads to a substantially reduced incidence of Type II Diabetes . Drinking 4 or more cups of coffee a day, with caffeine, reduces Type II diabetes incidence by 56%, more than half. Considering that the incidence of this disease in the USA is over twenty million drinking coffee can have a major public health effect!
Three: Drinking coffee every day has the effect of reducing various forms of cancer including cancer of the prostate , colon , and endometrium . The common factor in all of these cases appears to be the antioxidants found in coffee. Although there are antioxidants in regular coffee as well as organic coffee antioxidants we prefer organic which leads us to four and five or our five good reasons to drink (organic) coffee.
Four: Less is better when it comes to impurities and pollution. There as many as 150 different impurities that one can find in regular coffee. These same substances are not found in organic coffee or are found only in vanishingly small amounts. Drink organic coffee and you can be assured that the ground on which the coffee was grown has not been subjected to application of synthetic fertilizers, insecticides, or herbicides for at least three years. In all likelihood shade grown organic coffee comes from areas that have never been subjected to these substances.
Five: Organic coffee is not only better for you. It is better for the coffee grower and it is better for the environment. Organic coffee certification tells you that the soil in which the 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. When you consider our five good reasons to drink organic coffee think about organic coffee from Colombia or Panama and give us a call.
Brazil Buys Coffee to Shore Up Prices
Coffee prices Friday bounced off four-year lows on expectations Brazil, the world’s biggest grower, is preparing to buy beans. Coffee prices are at a ten year low due to high stockpiles. In a move similar to the US agricultural policy of providing price supports, Brazil buys coffee to shore up prices. The coffee will be stored and, for now, effectively taken off the market. A couple of years ago prices of Arabica coffee were up. El Niño ravaged the coffee growing regions of Brazil and Colombia greatly reducing harvests. Coffee leaf rust was devastating plantations from Central America down to Colombia. This year Brazil expects to see a harvest surpassing last year’s record. Colombia has gotten a handle on the leaf rust issue and prices for Arabica coffee are falling in response to oversupply. A government response appears as Brazil buys coffee to shore up prices. They have done this before; buying directly from growers to reduce market supply and as a result holding prices up. Arabica coffee as wholesale coffee is selling for only a third of its price from two years ago and just this year prices are down by a fifth.
Here is a snapshot of coffee futures at the beginning of August, 2013.
| NYMEX Coffee Futures as of August 3, 2013
Delivery Date and US Dollars per Pound of Green Coffee |
|
| Sep-13 | 1.1825 |
| Dec-13 | 1.2105 |
| Mar-14 | 1.238 |
| May-14 | 1.2565 |
| Jul-14 | 1.2765 |
| Sep-14 | 1.295 |
| Dec-14 | 1.316 |
| Mar-15 | 1.337 |
| May-15 | 1.3525 |
| Jul-15 | 1.3675 |
The general consensus is that the price for September delivery is staying above $1 a pound because Brazil buys coffee to shore up price. As the table shows the expected price for later delivery goes up as stocks are expected to diminish and Brazil will not necessarily have another record harvest next year.
Exchange Rates and Coffee Sales
Coffee is priced on the world market in US dollars. People in Brazil buy things with the local currency, the Real. After a strong run the Real has been losing ground against the USA dollar for the last two years. Here is a snapshot of the relationship of the Brazilian Real to the US Dollar over the last two years.
| Date | Real | How Many Dollars |
| 8/11 | 1 | 0.64 |
| 8/12 | 1 | 0.49 |
| 8/13 | 1 | 0.43 |
In early 2011 coffee futures went for $3 a pound which as just under five Reals. Today coffee futures are about $1.20 a pound which is just under three Reals. While coffee priced in dollars is just over a third its value of three years ago coffee priced in Reals is down forty percent. As Brazil buys coffee to shore up prices, some Brazilian farmers are selling their wholesale coffee anyway at current prices because they need money and the strong dollar gives them a better return for the current international coffee price than they would get with a weaker dollar.
For more insights and useful information about coffee and especially healthy organic coffee follow our articles on http://www.BuyOrganicCoffee.org .