Dunkin Donuts Organic Coffee – Intro
People love their coffee. Some people can’t go through an entire day without it, and some people can’t go through half a day without it. Coffee provides an instant burst of energy for those who need it, and caffeine is a stimulant of the body and the mind.
Two of the most popular brands in the nation are Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts. In bigger cities, you can’t go a few blocks without seeing one of the two and there are branches of each present in both towns as well. Some people swear by Starbucks and some people swear by Dunkin Donuts. Let’s look at some of the pros and cons of each in order to determine whose is better.
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Facts about Organic Coffee
What are the facts about organic coffee? What does certification mean? Just how much coffee that is sold as organic? Where do they grow organic coffee? How big is the world market for organic coffee? What organic coffee products are available to the consumer? Healthy organic coffee is a great way to start the day. It is grown, harvested, roasted, transported, and stored in such a way that it does not contain many of the impurities normally found in regular coffee.
The production related facts about organic coffee are that growing organic coffee has a low environmental impact. Sustainable agricultural techniques used in growing organic coffee preserve organic coffee antioxidants which are responsible for so many of the healthy aspects of organic coffee. At the same time the return to sustainable agricultural techniques reduces the use of synthetic herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers to a bare minimum. Organic coffee certification by responsible third parties guarantees that the coffee you drink has been grown, processed, stored, and transported according to organic coffee industry standards. Certification is according to US Department of Agriculture standards for organic production. These standards include having organic plots separated from standard coffee production plots by sufficient space so that sprays, runoff, and other means of cross contamination do not pass from regular coffee production areas to those used for organic coffee production.
Organic coffee is a healthy product. Recent research shows, for example, that more organic coffee can lead to less diabetes, a reduction in colon cancer risk, and less frequent incidence of lethal prostate cancer. These are documented effects of coffee consumption as reported in the medical literature. In this regard the numbers for coffee consumption are interesting. Sales of organic coffee rose at roughly 29% a year between 2000 and 2008, the last years for which comprehensive data is available. In the same period roughly 85% of global sales were to the USA. Regarding the potential for organic coffee consumption to reduce the risk of diabetes, there are more than 20 people in the USA with Type II diabetes, the more prevalent type of the disease. The research data indicate that drinking four cups of coffee a day in associated with just less than half the usual risk of Type II diabetes than currently seen. This would be a reduction of 10 million cases if organic coffee consumption were general at the required amount throughout the population. These facts about organic coffee are compelling and documented.
The facts about organic coffee include its wide spread production. Forty nations contribute to worldwide organic coffee production. The leading organic coffee producers in the world are Brazil, Ethiopia, Mexico, and Peru. However, the list includes Bolivia, Burundi, Cameroon, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lao PDR, Madagascar, Malawi, Nepal, Nicaragua, Panama, the Philippines, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timore-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Tanzania, the United States in Hawaii, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Zambia. There are many easy to find organic coffee brands with caffeinated, decaf, and instant being available. In addition the coffee aficionado can find organic coffee ice cream, sodas, hard candies, and organic chocolate covered organic coffee beans! These are some of the facts about organic coffee.
Starbucks Organic Coffee – Intro
The sight of a bustling Starbucks in the morning, drive-through lines ten cars deep, people inside tapping their toes impatiently as the espresso machines whir, is enough to overwhelm even the most advanced coffee drinker. When it’s finally your turn at the counter, you freeze; there are just too many options, and the lady behind you is getting pushy! Ordering coffee at Starbucks can be challenging, however, knowing the lingo and understanding your basic options will make you more comfortable when that barista finally takes your order.
First, we must break down the Starbucks menu into groups to help categorize available drinks. To first separate the beverages, we should look at what coffee drinkers really care about…is there caffeine in it, or not? While most of us know that any coffee drink can be ordered with decaf coffee or espresso, some people fail to realize that Starbucks offers drinks that actually have no coffee or coffee products in them. While this is good for children or people who do not like coffee, a Starbucks novice who really wants a coffee drink may order a Vanilla Bean Frappuccino not realizing that it’s just vanilla beans and cream mixed with ice! Coffee products are: brewed coffees, iced and hot espresso drinks such as cappuccinos, mochas, lattes, and macchiatos, and frappuccino light or regular blended coffees. Tea products will also have caffeine, including chai tea which is commonly made into a chai tea latte. Products offering no coffee are: flavored hot chocolate drinks, any crème drink such as the vanilla crème or pumpkin spice crème, frappuccino juice blends, and frappuccino crème drinks as well. Now, many of these names sound similar, so be sure to read the menu carefully if you are confused about a pumpkin spice crème versus a pumpkin spice latte (the latte is the one with the espresso!).
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Organic Coffee Creamer
Healthy organic coffee is a great way to start your day. But, if you like a little of the white stuff in your coffee shouldn’t there be organic coffee creamer too? It is possible to use organic cream derived from organic milk. Organic milk comes from cows that have been fed organic feed, have not been given synthetic hormones, and have not received any of a specified list of proscribed medications. The cows are also housed in pens with sufficient space. Organic coffee creamer, on the other hand, is derived from vegetable oils. In this case the specific vegetable oils must pass certification as organic. Organic soybeans, for example, are grown without using synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. In the USA roughly a hundred thousand acres are planted each year, half in the states of Minnesota, Iowa, and Michigan. There are a large number of vegetable oils available and used for production of coffee creamer. In each case the product must be certified to have been grown, harvested, processed, and stored in such a way as to avoid contamination with non organic crops of the same type.
Disease control on crops used to produce the constituents for organic coffee creamer must be by natural means and not include artificial chemicals. Examples, for soy beans, include planting rows wider apart. This reduces crop yield but allows plants to dry faster so that white mold infection does not occur. Likewise fertilizers may not be synthetic. So called green manure is used. This is a previous crop that has been tilled back into the soil to decompose. Composts are common as well. Livestock manures are useful and excellent nitrogen sources. Other sources of minerals include limestone, rock phosphates, and gypsum. The coffee drinker interested in organic coffee antioxidants is not especially interested the farming details required for producing organic coffee creamer. Thus he will rely upon certification. A certified organic product will have been grown or raised in accordance with a set of standards that guarantees the consumer a product free of many of the contaminants found in non organic foods.
We typically drink organic coffee because of its taste, freedom from impurities, and the sustainable practices used in raising organic coffee. However, there are a number of health benefits such as the fact more organic coffee can lead to less diabetes, a reduction in colon cancer risk, and fewer cases of advanced prostate cancer in coffee drinkers. These effects are largely because of the antioxidants in coffee. The coffee drinker interested in these benefits should be aware that the calcium in dairy products has been shown to bind to and render inactive numerous antioxidants. Thus the use of organic coffee creamer derived from vegetable fats has the advantage of not containing calcium and not negating some of the health effects of healthy organic coffee. Organic coffee creamers are available where organic coffee is sold. These products are commonly available in Kosher, vegan, and gluten free varieties. Using organic coffee creamer the consumer retains the benefits of organic coffee while adding a little so-called cream.
Organic Coffee Certification
Just what is organic coffee certification and how does organic coffee certification insure the bona fid cup of organic coffee? Organic coffee differs from regular coffee in several aspects. 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.
Organic coffee certification guarantees that the consumer is drinking organic coffee, coffee uncontaminated by unwanted substances. Organic coffee certification also drives up the cost of a cup of coffee. The problem for a small coffee grower is that some organic practices can be more costly than conventional practices. For example, the labor cost of composting may be more than the cost of buying conventional, albeit prohibited, fertilizers. If the coffee farmer cannot obtain a sufficiently high price for his crop his is unable to continue the sustainable farming practices necessary to produce organic coffee. Thus the ability of the consumer to obtain organic coffee antioxidants and other healthy ingredients depends upon the willingness of the consumer to pay for the higher quality coffee available through organic growing practices and organic coffee certification.
Sustainable practices commonly include crop rotation. However, many crops are not amenable to planting on the steep hillsides commonly used to grow coffee. Thus it is common to plant ground cover between rows of coffee also to plant trees like plantain to secure the soil and prevent erosion. Organic coffee certification requires that the coffee planter use such practices to preserve and reconstitute the soil. Because it is typically not possible to plant other crops in rotation with coffee, there is the problem of soil depletion. Thus organic coffee certification allows that certain commercial fertilizers may be used. However, these fertilizers must come from an approved list. Then they must be used as specified. Certification usually requires that the planter follow a written plan and document procedures and results along the way. Pest control for organic coffee growing is commonly through the introduction of predators and parasites that are natural enemies of the pests that attack coffee plants. As with fertilizers there are non-synthetic substances that may be allowed for pest control but they must come from an approved list and their use must be documented. In end of the production chain handling must be according to approved standards or the grower loses his organic coffee certification. This includes having containers and machinery that is not contaminated. When all is said and done more organic coffee can lead to less diabetes, a reduced risk of colon cancer, and a reduction in prostate cancer risk, all with fewer impurities than with regular coffee.
Easy to Find Organic Coffee Brands
There are many easy to find organic coffee brands. These excellent coffees are also commonly shade grown and fair trade coffees. A healthy organic coffee is grown without pesticides, herbicides, or artificial fertilizers. These coffees are grown with sustainable agricultural practices having a lighter touch on the environment than the practices of a regular coffee plantation. The benefits of many easy to find organic coffee brands are that the coffee does not contain many of the pollutants found in regular coffee. Many believe that the taste of organic coffees is superior. And, recent scientific evidence points to a number of surprising health benefits derived from drinking organic coffee. These benefits include reductions in the incidence of diabetes, colon cancer, and prostate cancer. So, where are these easy to find organic coffee brands?
Two easy to find organic coffee brands are at Whole Foods and at Sam’s Club or Wal-Mart. Marques de Paiva Organic Whole Bean Coffee is grown in Brazil. This coffee comes in foil bags of 10 and 40 ounces. It even is available as a decaffeinated organic coffee. This is an easy to find and very good organic coffee. Whole Foods has an organic whole bean coffee as well as Allegro Coffee Company organic coffee. The company provides customers with a Fair Trade Guarantee specifying that producers are better paid for their product than for regular coffee. Other easy to find organic coffee brands include Caffe Ibis, Café de Chiapas, Elan Organic Coffees, Equator, Golden Valley Farms Coffee Roasters, Green Mountain Coffee, S&D coffee, and Sun Coffee Roasters. These later brands are easy to find organic coffee brands on the internet and, typically, in smaller coffee conscious stores. In general organic coffees are considered healthier than regular coffee because of the care given to avoid artificial and often dangerous contaminants such as pesticides and herbicides. In addition organic coffee antioxidants give the drinker of organic coffee several health benefits.
All of the above listed easy to find organic coffee brands contain the antioxidants so beneficial to health. A primary antioxidant in coffee is trigonelline. This antioxidant breaks down partially into another antioxidant, methylpyridium, during the organic coffee roasting process. Methylpyridium in turn raises the levels of phase II enzymes in the human body and phase II enzymes are believed to help prevent the development of colon cancer. Trigonelline is found is other foods, such as blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, raspberries and strawberries as well as artichokes, ground cloves, pecans, and walnuts. However, the amounts are substantially less that the amount found in coffee. And, it is the roasting process of organic coffee that leads to the production of methylpyridium, the antioxidant credited with raising the levels of phase II enzymes. Also Americans drink a lot of organic coffee. Thus it is the coffee that appears to be responsible for providing protection against the development of colon cancer. It appears that more organic coffee can lead to less colon cancer when drinking easy to find organic coffee brands.
Organic Coffee for Your Health and Organic Coffee for the Environment
When buying coffee think of organic coffee for your health and organic coffee for the environment. Organic coffee is the green solution to a good cup of java. In order for coffee to be sold as organic coffee it needs to be certified as organic coffee. It is grown without using herbicides, pesticides, or artificial fertilizers. Organic coffee is grown using time honored farming techniques which sadly went by the way side in the modern era. With an increasing interest in and concern for our health and the health of the environment the producers of many crops, including coffee, are returning to organic means or producing their crops. Organic coffee planters typically use sustainable techniques such as composting to produce natural fertilizers. When organic coffee is also shade grown, another certification, the coffee plantation does less to disrupt the natural habitat and causes less erosion. Organic, shade grown, and what is referred to as Fair Trade coffees are considered socially responsible products. By growing healthy organic coffee with sustainable and environmentally friendly practices the coffee planter preserves soil health and reduces environmental pollution to a bare minimum.
The twin issues of organic coffee for our health and organic coffee for the environment are tied up with the issues of production, processing, transportation, marketing, and sales. Countries like Peru, for example, produce more coffee than they ever consume. The small hillside coffee grower can roast his own coffee but then he will sell to a coffee buyer as he does not have any connections with buyers and customers throughout the world. By producing organic coffee the grower can sell a product that commands a higher price and at the same time, typically, is less costly to produce. The organic coffee antioxidants in his product can make their way to the coffee consumers of the world, free of many of the impurities found in regular coffee.
Organic coffee is obviously good for the environment and better for the coffee grower as well. The story of organic coffee for your health and organic coffee for the environment continues. Medical researchers discovered a few years ago that more organic coffee leads to less colon cancer. It turns out that an antioxidant created during the roasting process of coffee raises the level of a beneficial enzyme in the human body. Phase II enzyme, the one in question, is known to inhibit the development of colon cancer. Thus your steaming hot and aromatic cup of environmentally safe organic coffee may just be keeping you healthy as well. In addition drinking organic coffee can reduce the risk of Type II diabetes. A recent medical study reported that women drinking four or more cups of coffee a day experienced half the incidence of the most common type of this devastating disease. So, as you enjoy you morning, midday, or evening coffee, remember, organic coffee for your health and organic coffee for the environment, and buy organic coffee.
Drinking Organic Coffee Reduces Prostate Cancer Risk
Recently released research reveals that drinking organic coffee reduces prostate cancer risk. In a just published study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute shows that 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. Researchers compared men who drank six or more cups of coffee a day to those who did not drink coffee. The incidence of total prostate cancers per 100,000 person-years was 425 for the six a day coffee drinkers and 519 for those who did not drink coffee. The comparison for lethal cancers per 100,000 person years was 34 to 79. This study noted that the data applies to all coffee, including decaf. Thus drinking organic coffee reduces prostate cancer. Those drinking six or more cups a day had a nearly twenty percent reduction in risk of getting any form of prostate cancer. The same coffee drinkers had a 57% reduction in their risk of developing a lethal prostate cancer! Prior to seeing the results researchers believed that drinking coffee in general and drinking organic coffee reduces prostate cancer risk. This assumption was based on the fact that coffee contains caffeine as well as phenolic acids, the scientific term for organic coffee antioxidants.
The antioxidants in healthy organic coffee include trigonelline which produces methylpyridium during the roasting process. This antioxidant raises body levels of phase II enzymes which in turn are known to protect the body against developing colon cancer. Other health advantages of drinking organic coffee include the purity of organic coffee. Organic coffee growers use sustainable practices in growing coffee and must refrain from the use of herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides in caring for their coffee crop. This diligence results the pure cup of steaming, aromatic organic coffee on your breakfast table.
As you add you add a touch of organic sugar to your organic coffee the thought may cross your mind that sugar might not be good for you and could be related to diabetes. However, you can then remind yourself that organic coffee is known to reduce the risk of Type II diabetes. The details are that in a scientific study, women who drank four or more cups of coffee a day had roughly half the incidence of type II diabetes when followed over several years. Considering that the incidence of Type II diabetes in the USA is over 20 million people that is a good argument for organic coffee, even before the aroma. Thus, more organic coffee can lead to less diabetes.
So, organic coffee can help reduce your risk of diabetes and more organic coffee can lead to less colon cancer. Why else should I drink organic coffee? Organic coffee is not only good for you it is good for the environment. Many of the impurities that are avoided in growing organic coffee not only end up in regular coffee but end up in the soil and in the water table. Some of these compounds last a long time and can be dangerous to future generations. By insisting on organic coffee you will use a product that has many health benefits for you and is safer for generations to come. Drinking organic coffee reduces prostate cancer risk and much more.
More Organic Coffee Can Lead to Less Colon Cancer
More organic coffee can lead to less colon cancer according to recent scientific research. Organic coffee antioxidants are one of the benefits of drinking organic coffee. 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. Methylpyridium is produced as a breakdown product of the antioxidant trigonelline during the roasting process for organic coffee. It is trigonelline, by the way, that gives coffee its aroma and slightly bitter taste. Trigonelline is not exclusively found in coffee. Other sources are blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, raspberries and strawberries as well as artichokes, ground cloves, pecans, and walnuts. The concentration of trigonelline is significantly higher in these secondary sources. Because the amount we drink lots of coffee it is coffee, preferably organic coffee that is what provides the vast majority of Americans with the antioxidant effects of trigonelline and its byproduct by way of roasting, methylpyridium. Also it is the roasting process that produces methylpyridium. So how are trigonelline and methylpyridium connected to how more organic coffee can lead to less colon cancer?
Healthy organic coffee is grown using sustainable practices that avoid the use of herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides. Thus organic coffee arrives at the breakfast table or dinner table free of many of the impurities of regular coffee. However, organic coffee also brings a set of previously unknown benefits to the table, so to speak. For many years medical researchers have known that a set of enzymes in the human body, phase II enzymes have a protective effect. They help us avoid getting colon cancer. The higher the level of phase two enzymes you have the lower your risk is of getting colon cancer. Here is where a good cup of organic coffee comes in. The methylpyridium produced as a natural byproduct of roasting organic coffee raises phase II enzyme levels. In fact more coffee means more methylpyridium which means higher levels of phase II enzymes. Medical studies are underway to determine the precise amount of methylpyridium that would be recommended.
As you sip your delicious organic coffee at the breakfast table remember that the organic coffee you drink provides more than just flavor. Besides the possibility of reducing the risk of colon cancer organic coffee the tannins in organic coffee inhibit dental caries and even plaque formation. It even turns out that more organic coffee can lead to less diabetes! The incidence of Type II diabetes is reduced in half in women who drink four or more cups of coffee a day, when compared to non coffee drinkers according to recent research. Organic coffee contains calcium as well. By using sustainable growing practices the growers of organic coffee bring you the many benefits of coffee without the herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides too often present in non-organic coffee. Now we have even found out it is possible that more organic coffee can lead to less colon cancer
Organic Coffee Antioxidants
With your morning cup of organic coffee antioxidants are included. Healthy organic coffee is not only free of many of the impurities found in regular coffee but contains things that are beneficial to your health. These things in organic coffee include antioxidants. So, just what are antioxidants and why should we want to have more of them? Scientifically an antioxidant is a molecule that inhibits the cell damage and cell death in human cells caused by oxidative breakdown of other molecule 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. 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.
Methylpyridium is one of the organic coffee antioxidants and is created during the roasting process of organic coffee. This breakdown product of trigonelline has been found to increase activity of phase II enzymes. Doctors believe that these enzymes protect against colon cancer, which is the second leading cause of death from cancer in the USA. Recent research shows that organic coffee antioxidants include chlorogenic acid lactones and lipophilic antioxidants. Chlorogenic acid lactones and lipophilic antioxidants are capable of protecting nerve cells when challenged with hydrogen peroxide. When considering organic coffee vs regular coffee remember that while regular coffee offers some of the same benefits regular coffee may have impurities that effectively cancel out the health effects of a good cup of organic coffee.
For the person who is simply interested in a good, pure cup of coffee in the morning the details of organic coffee antioxidants may be a little boring. What is heartening is that coffee, natural organic coffee, contains ingredients that can help keep us healthy. It is a nice thought that your steaming cup of organic coffee might actually help reduce your rate of aging, your risk of cancer, and cell death from disease. And there is more good news about healthy organic coffee. Recent research even shows that more organic coffee can lead to less diabetes. Researchers at UCLA recently demonstrated that a group of women who drank four or more cups of coffee a day had half the expected risk of getting type II diabetes, a condition that affects over 20 million Americans. Now when you fill that cup with rich, tasty organic coffee you can also enjoy the thought that this is one enjoyable thing in your life that may just be good for your health too with organic coffee antioxidants!