Does It Benefit the Earth to Buy Organic Coffee? – Guest Post

image by tonx

If you are a regular coffee drinker, like so many Americans, you may be wondering if it benefits Mother Earth to buy organic coffee. Yes, we are all aware that organic coffee may be slightly more expensive, but it actually works to minimize our impact on the environment in growing healthier coffee crops.

For a coffee to be certified as organic, it must be grown without pesticides for three years minimum. In this case, it will be certified as organic by the USDA, where it will be clearly labeled on the packaging. For this reason, make sure that you are only purchasing organic coffee that is USDA certified, or else it is not truly organic. This ensures that the coffee cultivation is regulated to make sure that it does not use chemicals or pesticides that could negatively impact the environment. On top of that, it is so much safer for you to drink organic coffee since it does not contain harmful chemicals that could negatively affect your health.

To take it a step even further, when you are purchasing organic coffee, you may also want to purchase shade grown coffee. Unfortunately, these two terms are not mutually exclusive, so if a coffee is shade grown, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is organic. However, many organic coffees are shade grown since it is a method that uses natural shade covering for the coffee crops so that they can grow slowly to help the flavors develop more deeply. This shade growing process also provides a natural habitat for birds, which often serve as an automatic insect repellent. Win-win!

The bottom line is that if you are hoping to protect the environment and your own health, organic coffee is an absolute must. Many more retailers are providing premium organic choices, which can easily be found online. Just make sure that they are certified as USDA organic!

Author Bio: For a great selection of all things coffee, check out Bethany North’s website, The Coffee Bump.