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Posts Tagged ‘Organic’

When talking about the difference between espresso and regular coffee, it’s important to point out that espresso is coffee. Espresso is made from coffee beans, but it is prepared in a particular way. That being said, in many countries around the world, espresso is simply called coffee; and, in fact, what we call coffee here is known there as “American coffee,” and it may or may not even be available for purchase.
In America and Canada, on the other hand, the tables are turned. Espresso refers to coffee that is made by forcing a high pressure shot of hot water through very finely ground coffee. Regular coffee (regular according to North Americans, anyhow) utilizes drip coffee makers. Instead of water being forced through the coffee grinds, drip coffee makers use gravity. Hot water pours through the grinds more casually, creating a much lighter coffee.
Contrastingly, espresso is heavy and intense. Espresso is thicker, stronger, and darker than regular coffee. In spite of this, regular coffee has a higher concentration of caffeine. But perhaps the biggest difference between the two is that espresso is used in a number of specialty coffee drinks.
Espresso is used as an ingredient in drinks such as the Americano, latte, cappuccino, mocha, and macchiato. When making a latte, for instance, a shot of espresso has steamed milk poured over it. A cappuccino is made almost the same way, except that a cappuccino has all of the foam from the steamed milk added (and a latte only adds a bit of the foam, at the end of pouring). The reason espresso is used for so many specialty drinks is because of its concentration; very little espresso is required to flavour a drink.
Making an espresso requires a bit more work than making regular coffee. The coffee grinds need to be tightly, neatly, and evenly packed into a metal filter. And, unlike with drip coffee, the filter is not disposable and it must be cleaned afterward. Also, unfortunately, espresso machines are much more expensive than drip coffee makers; they generally cost a few hundred dollars, if not more.
Drip coffee makers are much cheaper. Additionally, regular coffee can be made in other ways. For example, instant coffee, which replicates the taste of drip coffee, requires only hot water and a spoonful of instant coffee mix (however, instant coffee is not actual coffee, and regular coffee drinkers will taste the difference). Another alternative is single-serve coffee pods. Individual coffee pods consist of ground coffee inside of a filter; they look very much like a teabag. Coffee pod makers are relatively cheap, and they can make real coffee in under a minute, with minimal mess.
And on the subject of coffee pods, it should be mentioned that espresso coffee pods can also be bought. A more recent invention, they do require a machine built for espresso pods specifically-but they’re still one of the more affordable, and easy, ways to make espresso at home.
Besides being available in pod form, another thing espresso and regular coffee have in common is that they can be made from any type of bean; both light and dark roasts are suitable for espresso. Despite this, there is an “espresso roast” that is sometimes sold in America-generally, it’s a dark roast. In reality, these beans can be used for drip coffee as well. That’s another thing these two coffees have in common: How you drink one is just a matter of preference.

What is organic coffee? Organic coffee is grown using methods and materials that have a low impact on the environment. Organic production systems reload and preserve soil fertility, reduce the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers, and construct biologically diverse agriculture. Third-party certification organizations verify that organic farmers use only techniques and substances allowed in organic production.
What does it mean to be certified organic? In order for coffee to be certified and sold as organic in the United States, it must be created in accordance with U.S. standards for organic manufacture and certified by an agency accredited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. U.S. prerequisites for organic coffee production include:
1. It must have been developed on land without fake pesticides or other prohibited substances for three years.
2. There must have been a sufficient barrier between the organic coffee and the nearest conventional crop.
3. The farmer must have a prolong crop rotation plan to avoid erosion, the exhaustion of soil nutrients, and control for pests.
What is the size of the U.S. organic coffee market? Organic Trade Association data shows that organic coffee sales in the United States totaled approximately $89 million in 2005, up 40.4 percent from the previous year. Data collected by AC Nielsen during 2005 demonstrated organic coffee sales grew 54 percent through Nov. 6, contrasted to the same period in 2004, while non-organic coffee sales swelled only 8.5 percent. According to the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), at least 56 percent of U.S. forte coffee firms sell certified organic coffee.
Given the existing popularity of Starbucks and other specialty coffees, it may be surprising that U.S. per capita coffee use is only half of what it was in the mid-1940s. Man, was I surprised when I found this out. You would think with all the Starbucks and their competitors on every corner that coffee consumption had gone through the roof. ERS’s food availability data, a alternative for consumption, show a rise and fall in coffee consumption over the past century. Per capita availability of coffee in the United States peaked in 1946 at 46.4 gallons per person, compared with 24.2 gallons in 2005.
Data on per capita coffee accessibility are starting to mirror the mounting popularity of specialty coffees. Declining supermarket sales of coffee have been offset by increases in coffee use away from home. Private market research data show sales at coffeehouses increased by 97 percent between 1998 and 2003. Per capita coffee availability has risen almost 20 percent since its recent low in 1995. Fashionable coffee shops appear to have hit the mark for prosperous coffee drinkers desire for a cafe atmosphere that serves diverse, eminence coffee and coffee beverages, such as lattes, cappuccino, espresso, and frozen coffees.
So why would I want to consume organic coffee? I guess the bottom-line is that it is liberated of chemicals. Lord knows I put enough chemicals in my body from eating processed foods. I am your typical American, overweight, and enjoy eating foods that are preserved with preservatives that I can’t even articulate. My daddy would tell me of the times when he lived on a farm and how they used what they had to preserve their foods. Anyway, ingestion of coffee that is organic seems like a good idea. I guess I will have to go out and purchase some so I can experience the joys of drinking organic coffee. At least I am not one of the people who are contributing to the fewer consumption of coffee in the United States.

What is organic coffee? Organic coffee is grown using methods and materials that have a low impact on the environment. Organic production systems reload and preserve soil fertility, reduce the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers, and construct biologically diverse agriculture. Third-party certification organizations verify that organic farmers use only techniques and substances allowed in organic production.
What does it mean to be certified organic? In order for coffee to be certified and sold as organic in the United States, it must be created in accordance with U.S. standards for organic manufacture and certified by an agency accredited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. U.S. prerequisites for organic coffee production include:
1. It must have been developed on land without fake pesticides or other prohibited substances for three years.
2. There must have been a sufficient barrier between the organic coffee and the nearest conventional crop.
3. The farmer must have a prolong crop rotation plan to avoid erosion, the exhaustion of soil nutrients, and control for pests.
What is the size of the U.S. organic coffee market? Organic Trade Association data shows that organic coffee sales in the United States totaled approximately $89 million in 2005, up 40.4 percent from the previous year. Data collected by AC Nielsen during 2005 demonstrated organic coffee sales grew 54 percent through Nov. 6, contrasted to the same period in 2004, while non-organic coffee sales swelled only 8.5 percent. According to the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), at least 56 percent of U.S. forte coffee firms sell certified organic coffee.
Given the existing popularity of Starbucks and other specialty coffees, it may be surprising that U.S. per capita coffee use is only half of what it was in the mid-1940s. Man, was I surprised when I found this out. You would think with all the Starbucks and their competitors on every corner that coffee consumption had gone through the roof. ERS’s food availability data, a alternative for consumption, show a rise and fall in coffee consumption over the past century. Per capita availability of coffee in the United States peaked in 1946 at 46.4 gallons per person, compared with 24.2 gallons in 2005.
Data on per capita coffee accessibility are starting to mirror the mounting popularity of specialty coffees. Declining supermarket sales of coffee have been offset by increases in coffee use away from home. Private market research data show sales at coffeehouses increased by 97 percent between 1998 and 2003. Per capita coffee availability has risen almost 20 percent since its recent low in 1995. Fashionable coffee shops appear to have hit the mark for prosperous coffee drinkers desire for a cafe atmosphere that serves diverse, eminence coffee and coffee beverages, such as lattes, cappuccino, espresso, and frozen coffees.
So why would I want to consume organic coffee? I guess the bottom-line is that it is liberated of chemicals. Lord knows I put enough chemicals in my body from eating processed foods. I am your typical American, overweight, and enjoy eating foods that are preserved with preservatives that I can’t even articulate. My daddy would tell me of the times when he lived on a farm and how they used what they had to preserve their foods. Anyway, ingestion of coffee that is organic seems like a good idea. I guess I will have to go out and purchase some so I can experience the joys of drinking organic coffee. At least I am not one of the people who are contributing to the fewer consumption of coffee in the United States.