Organic Coffee House Coffee
If you do not mind going out for a good cup of coffee your best bet is probably organic coffee house coffee. If you are confused about the variety of coffee house coffee types here is a little primer. But be sure to specify healthy organic coffee when you order. First of all, all organic coffee house coffee starts with organic green coffee beans, roasted and ground and made into espresso.
Organic Espresso
Organic espresso starts with organic coffee beans. The brew is very concentrated. It contains suspended solids as well as dissolved solid material from the roasted organic coffee bean. The coffee house makes organic espresso by forcing steam through finely ground organic coffee. The pressurized steam causes the suspension of solids and foam in the coffee and results in a thicker “feel” to the coffee. Organic espresso is served in a small cup, usually just an ounce. The coffee contains anywhere from forty to seventy-five milligrams of caffeine. This four times a strong, per ounce, as regular coffee. Along with more caffeine, organic espresso contains four times the concentration of organic coffee antioxidants as well. Once the person making the coffee, called the barista, makes espresso he or she is usually not done.
Americano, Breve, Cappucino and more
Organic espresso coffee is good, but using espresso as a base, the barista can make several delicious variations. They are as follows:
- Americano
- Breve
- Cappucino
- Latte
- Mocha
Americano is espresso cut to half strength with water. When American GI’s discovered espresso in Europe in the aftermath of WWII they preferred coffee like mom made back home. The request to dilute the espresso was so common that coffee houses came to refer to diluted espresso as café Americano. Make sure to ask for organic coffee house coffee when you order your Americano.
Breve and latte are espresso made with steamed milk in the case of latte and half and half in the case of breve. Café au lait will pass for latte and breve is strong coffee with a lot of milk and cream. Both breve and latte can be made with organic coffee house coffee.
Cappuccino is espresso and hot milk when is then steamed to make foam. Typically cappuccino comes with a dollop of whipped cream on the top.
Mocha is the coffee for chocolate lovers. Order it made with organic coffee house coffee, organic chocolate syrup, and organic milk for triple treat.
Organic coffee house coffee retains full bodied organic coffee aroma and taste without the up to one hundred and fifty impurities commonly found in regular coffee. Although many if not most coffee houses carry certified organic coffee you often need to ask. In addition, the same coffee house may or may not carry organic dairy products, sugar, or chocolate to go with your organic coffee. Be sure to ask and if they do not carry organic products ask them to consider doing so. Organic coffee grown by sustainable agricultural practices not only tastes good but is good for the environment as well.
Organic Food Certification
There are varying rules that apply to organic food certification depending upon the business that is seeking certification. Obviously the same rules wouldn’t apply to organic seed suppliers as would apply to organic restaurants. But there is an organic certification process for each and every stage of food production – from seed to table.
Basically, any business directly involved in food production can be certified organic as long as they meet the requirements of certification. Each country, including the United States, has rules, standards, and procedures for certifying food production businesses. The rules, regulations, standards, and oversight vary from country to country. The standards in the United States are the highest and most stringent in the world. The standards in many other countries are far below those in America.
In the United States, the regulations for being deemed “certified organic” are basically that no chemical fertilizers, toxic pesticides, or drugs of any kind are used or have been used for a period of time in the production, processing, packaging, or serving of food. Of course, as with all governmental regulations, the requirements are stated over many pages using a great many words, but that is the gist of the certification requirements.
Today only between 2 and 3 percent of farm and ranch land is deemed “certified organic” worldwide. There are only a few seed companies that sell “certified organic” seeds. Not many processed foods are deemed “certified organic” or even “100% organic.” There are more restaurants today than there once was that are deemed “certified organic” – thankfully, that number is growing, but it is still miniscule in comparison to the number of restaurants there are in the world.
In order to eat as nearly organically as possible, it is important to look for the “certified organic” seal.
Organic Coffee Complexity
Coffee lovers enjoy a full body and interesting or complex taste and aroma in their coffee. Organic coffee antioxidants are the primary source of organic coffee complexity. These chemicals are present in green coffee beans and in roasted coffee. Not only do antioxidants provide organic coffee complexity, they give us many health benefits as well. Here are a few thoughts about antioxidants and organic coffee complexity.
Organic Coffee vs Regular Coffee
Healthy organic coffee is free of the up to 150 impurities that can be found in regular coffee. Some of those impurities are dangerous to health and some interfere with the taste and aroma of coffee, its organic coffee complexity. Organic coffee is grown and certified as grown under strict conditions assuring the consumer of sustainable farming practices, preservation of habitat, and a superior product. When organic coffee is certified the certification process guarantees that the organic coffee was grow, picked, processed, stored, and roasted separate from any contaminating influences, including that or regular coffee grown in adjacent fields. For example, certification of organic coffee concerns itself with whether or not spraying of adjacent fields carries over onto organic coffee areas. Organic coffee certification guarantees that organic coffee is free from the use of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides.
Roasting Brings out the Flavor and More Antioxidants
There are naturally occurring antioxidants in organic coffee. When coffee is roasted a number of these are broken down, chemically, into other chemicals, also antioxidants. Methylpyridium is one of the organic coffee antioxidants and is created during the roasting process of organic coffee. An antioxidant is a molecule that retards the cell damage and cell death in human cells. These chemicals slow the oxidative breakdown of other molecules in the cell which is a factor in aging. Organic coffee antioxidants are in the same class of molecules that help reduce oxidation.
Antioxidants enhance the flavor of coffee. The organic coffee complexity that they provide also has health benefits. For example, trigonelline is an antioxidant found in green coffee beans. Roasting causes a partial breakdown of trigonelline to methylpyridium. This chemical increases the activity of what are called phase II enzymes. Physicians believe that increased activity of phase II enzymes helps protect against colon cancer. Thus it is believed that more organic coffee can lead to less colon cancer as well as a fuller bodied, tastier coffee.
Nearly a thousand aromatic compounds in roasted coffee contribute its organic coffee complexity. We taste coffee with our tongues but when an aromatic compound touches the olfactory epithelium, the part of the nose where we sense smells, the aroma of the coffee combines with the taste to enhance organic coffee complexity. The amino acids, phenols, hydroxyl-acids, phenolic acids, alicyclic compounds, 70 pyrazines, heterocyclic compounds, sugars, and lipids in coffee contribute to organic coffee complexity and results in a pleasing taste and aroma of organic coffee. Healthy and tasty organic coffee is not only good tasting but good for you and good for the environment as well.
Organic Food Basics
Have you ever heard someone say, “Oh, that’s food for thought”? They mean that whatever has just been said bears giving additional consideration to. Organic food is not only “food for thought,” but “thoughtful food” as well.
Some people take the attitude that food is just…well…food. An apple is an apple is an apple. They know that there are different varieties, but that’s where they stop making comparisons.
There are a great many differences between organically produced foods and traditionally produced foods. In traditional food production, many chemicals are used. Before seeds are planted, the soil is made more fertile with the use of chemical fertilizers. Then, as the plants grow, and in order to keep pests from eating them, the farmer sprays them with toxic pesticide.
When the plant bears fruit, that fruit (whatever it is – whether it is an apple or a squash or an onion) has some of the chemicals from the fertilizer in it and some of the toxins in the pesticides on it. You can wash them as many times as you want but there are still toxins there and when you eat those fruits and vegetables, you are also eating some of the chemicals that were used to produce them.
The same thing is true of meat production, except that the animals are fed antibiotics to reduce the incidence of disease and growth hormones to make them grow faster. You get some of those chemicals when you eat meat that is produced using traditional methods.
The plants and animals used for organic food production are never exposed to synthetic, toxic chemicals or drugs so there are no synthetic, toxic chemicals or drugs on them or in them. Doesn’t that make choosing between traditionally produced food and organically produced foods an easy choice?
Organic Food and Weight Loss
We’ve become a weight-conscious nation. A great majority of American adults will embark on a weight loss program this year. Some will even be successful. We all know that organically produced food is better for our bodies than traditionally produced foods. We know that we aren’t being exposed to the chemicals and toxins that are present in traditionally produced foods when we eat organically produced food. But did you also know that eating organically produced food can help you lose those unwanted pounds?
It’s true. The liver – an organ in the human body – is responsible for many things, but one of its most important tasks is to remove toxins from the foods that we eat. The liver also is the organ responsible for burning the most fat that is consumed. The main point to remember is that TOXINS TAKE PRECEDENCE.
If the liver is busy removing toxic chemicals from the body, then it isn’t burning as much fat as it should. In order for the liver to work efficiently, it needs to be fed well. The liver needs for you to eat a diet that is high in fiber. Fiber provides fuel for the liver.
Fiber in the diet does many things. For example, an adequate amount of fiber in the diet helps the digestive system to dispose of waste easily and efficiently. A high-fiber diet helps to keep your digestive system operating smoothly. It will help the body to dispose of the waste that it needs to dispose of every day.
The body is wonderfully designed – it even comes with a “stand-by” system. That stand-by system is called “fat.” When you body is fed toxic chemicals, the liver is busy eliminating those toxins so it simply stores the fat to be dealt with later. The problem is, if you keep eating those toxins, the liver never gets around to dealing with the fat.
Organic Food and Green Living
“Green” and “eco-friendly” are the buzz words that you are seeing and hearing everywhere today. There’s a good reason. Our planet – the ground under our feet and the sky above us – is in trouble. Pollution is real, and pollution is everywhere.
The human race is using up the natural resources of the earth that are nonrenewable. There is a finite supply of oil, gas, and coal. When what is here is gone, there won’t be any more. We are polluting the soil that grows crops, the water that gives life, and the very air we breathe. The icecaps are melting. If we don’t blow ourselves up, we will surely poison ourselves unless we all wake up and start insisting that the world be treated in a kinder and gentler way.
Going organic in the food that we eat is a good first step. It might not seem like only one person or one family can make a difference, but they can. When enough individuals and families demand organically grown food, more food will be grown organically – less chemical fertilizer will be used, and less toxic pesticides will be used, and the world will get a little cleaner.
Eating organically produced food is not the only step that needs to be taken, though. We – all of us – need to insist on green cleaning products. Every year millions and millions of gallons of toxic cleaning products enter our streams and our rivers. The fish that we eat are exposed to these toxins and the animals that live in the wild are exposed to these toxins.
We can insist that the clothing that we wear is made from plants that aren’t treated with harsh chemicals and from animals that are not fed growth hormones. The earth isn’t going to heal itself; we all have to insist that our world be cared for and treated with the respect it deserves – and needs.
Organic Food – Is it Worth the Cost?
There really isn’t any question about it. Organically produced produce and meat does cost more than produce and meat produced using what are considered traditional methods. Traditional methods include the use of chemical fertilizers, toxic pesticides, and drugs. Organic food is raised using no artificial chemical products, toxic products, or drugs.
It is also true that not as much produce is produced per acre using organic production standards. Animals do not grow as large when no growth hormones are used, so there is less meat produced per animal. It doesn’t cost MORE to raise produce or meat using organic techniques, but there is simply less production, and so the cost is passed along to the consumer. The mathematics support higher prices for organic products.
The facts certainly substantiate the need for the producers to charge more for organically produced meat and vegetables, but are the higher costs worth it to the consumer? Personally, I believe that the added cost is worth it and that consumers reap health benefits personally, and the earth reaps rewards that benefit all of us.
The government has set “acceptable” levels of pesticide residue on the fruits and vegetables that are grown using what are called traditional methods. Currently, the levels of chemical IN the fruits and vegetables associated with the chemical fertilizers used are not regulated, and there are no tests currently being done to determine the levels. Meat that is produced using traditional methods is allowed to contain certain levels of antibiotics and growth hormones.
Organic Fish and Seafood
Fish and seafood is an area of organic food where the water is muddy (pun intended). You can’t really say that fish that are caught in the wild are more organically raised than those that are raised on fish farms.
Today more and more people are demanding that the food that they eat be raised using organic standards. They don’t want to eat fruits and vegetables that have been raised using chemical fertilizers or toxic pesticides. They want their chicken to be “free range” (not raised in crowded pens or fed anything other than organic food) and they want their beef to come from cows that have not been given antibiotics or growth hormones. People are getting more selective, and that’s a good thing; but the truth is determining which fish and/or seafood is organic and which is not organic is not an exact science.
The oceans of the world are polluted. There is no denying the fact. Raw sewage is dumped directly into the ocean in many parts of the world. Fish caught in these waters would certainly not be considered organic by any standards, even if they are caught in the wild.
On the other hand, runoff water is a major pollutant of our lakes and rivers. So freshwater fish that are caught in the wild are not necessarily unexposed to toxins of all kinds. Fish that are raised on fish farms might be fed an organic diet, but the water in which they live may provide far from what would be considered ecofriendly.
You will see fish and seafood advertised as “organic,” but the label at this point really doesn’t mean much. As of this writing, the eco-label of the Marine Stewardship Council for wild-caught species has the largest reach and meets the UN standards for eco-labeling. There are various certifications for farm-raised fish, but none of these labels tell the whole story.
Green Coffee Beans
If you want coffee with the best shelf life buy green coffee beans. Green coffee beans keep their freshness for up to two years providing that they have been properly cleaned, dried, and stored. Wholesale coffee is sold as green coffee beans. When coffee is picked, the fruit, or cherry, is red. The oldest means of processing coffee, called dry processing, involves cleaning the cherry and then sun drying. During the cleaning process overly ripe cherries, called stinkers, are removed as are twigs, leaves, and soil. Although a large sieve can be used to remove foreign material a person needs to check the cherries in order to remove stinkers which, as one might gather, lend both a bad smell and a bad taste to coffee. Sun drying reduces moisture content and increases the shelf life of the resulting green coffee beans. Workers rake the drying cherries in order to assure uniform drying. If the weather is too wet cherries are dried in large chambers with dry forced air. The air drying process typically takes about four weeks. Overly dry coffee becomes brittle causing beans to fracture during the hulling process. Moist coffee rots causing mold and bacteria to contaminate the lot.
Green Coffee Beans
When the coffee cherries have been properly dried they are sent to a mill where the hull of the cherry is removed, the green coffee beans are graded for quality, and bagged. Coffee is then shipped in hundred weight bags, a quintal. Healthy organic coffee is produced and processed much the same as ordinary coffee but lots must be segregated in order to maintain purity. Many of the beneficial health aspects of coffee are due to antioxidants found both in green coffee beans and produced in the roasting process. Once coffee is roasted the shelf life for flavor, aroma, and antioxidants is reduced from two years to six months, if roasted coffee is properly stored. Once roasted coffee beans are ground, the flavor, aroma, and antioxidant shelf life is reduced to days and even hours.
Wholesale Green Coffee Beans
Where can you buy green coffee beans? Of you are looking for Panama Mountain Grown Organic Coffee or many or the Colombian Organic Coffee Brands you will need to deal with an importer of coffee or a specialty roasting company. However, it is easy to get just-roasted coffee from places like Panama by contacting us at Buy Organic Coffee, placing an order and receiving freshly roasted coffee beans in the mail in a week to ten days.
Healthy Organic Coffee
If you are going to the trouble of finding green coffee beans to roast yourself consider the coffee with organic coffee antioxidants. Antioxidants provide most of the health benefits of coffee. Coffee drinkers experience a lower risk of Type II Diabetes, prostate cancer, colon cancer, and endometrial cancer. Drinkers of organic coffee don’t need to worry about the up to one hundred fifty impurities found in regular coffee. Coffee grown under sustainable conditions, free or pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides not only has the benefits of coffee but advantage of a pure product as well. Looking for green coffee beans? Consider organic coffee as well. For more information, contact www.BuyOrganicCoffee.org today.