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What is in your morning coffee? Hopefully there are some delicious tastes and aromas from the coffee beans. But what else is in that cup? Are there pesticide residues or other chemicals? Are there genetically modified organisms (GMOs)? How do you know?
If you’re curious about these issues, you might consider switching to organic coffee. That way, you know it’s free from lots of substances. Alex’s Low-Acid Organic Coffee is a low acid organic coffee. Here’s what makes a coffee organic, and why you might want to switch to organic low acid coffee.
Chemicals in Conventional Coffee
Conventional coffee beans are grown using conventional methods. In other words, growers may use many types of chemicals on them. These are some groups of chemicals that have been used to grow coffee beans on conventional farms, as well as their possible effects.
Chemicals used to fight the coffee cherry borer. Cypermethrin, endosulfan, and chlorpyrifos. These may be toxic to humans, with effects on the liver, kidneys, or central nervous system. They may even cause cancer in high enough amounts taken regularly enough. They may also be toxic to birds or fish and, by design, are toxic to insects.
Fungicides. A variety of synthetic compounds are used to fight mold. One example is triadimefon (Bayleton), which has high amounts of copper. It can build up in soil and may cause reproductive risks in people.
Chemicals used to fight leaf miner. Pesticides used against leaf miner include methyl parathion, which is an organophosphate. It’s so toxic that if it’s used in the US, people cannot safely enter the sprayed zone for at least 48 hours.
There are other effects of these and other chemicals used in conventional coffee bean farming and production. They can be bad for the environment. They can build up in soils and affect ecosystems for unknown periods of time. They can kill or harm various links in the food chain that, in turn, harm related links.
Coffee and the National Organic Program
Certified organic coffee meets strict standards set by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) sets the standards for foods to be certified organic. These are some of the standards for achieving and maintaining organic status.
- No synthetic chemicals, whether pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides.
- No synthetic additives. You know that everything in your coffee is a real substance.
- No irradiation used.
- No genetically modified seeds.
- Soil that hasn’t had synthetic chemicals on it for at least 3 years.
- Maintaining records of production and sales.
- Allowing for regular audits on-site.
These standards apply from growing the coffee beans to packaging them. You can know that Alex’s Low-Acid Organic Coffee has been regulated all the way until you receive the beans.
You can see that organic low acid coffee is held to strict standards that regular coffee isn’t. That may be a reason to switch. It’s nice knowing that an organization such as the USDA is paying extra attention to organic coffee beans in the NOP.
How can you get coffee to grow without using harmful synthetic chemicals or genetically modified organisms (GMO)? Often, the answer is simple. It can relate to changing farming practices slightly.
For example, let’s look at the coffee cherry borer, or the coffee borer beetle. This beetle can destroy entire crops of coffee beans if left unchecked. Coffee cherry borers enter the coffee beans and reproduce. The males never leave. So what can be done?
One approach is to use pesticides as listed above. But there are other strategies, such as these.
- Attract certain birds that eat these beetles and control their population.
- Use traps to catch the coffee borer beetles and keep them away from the coffee beans.
- Pick all of the beans at the end of the harvest, whether or not they’ll be used for sale, to prevent them from becoming food for coffee borer beetles.
With safe strategies like this, it’s possible to get away from synthetic pesticides and other chemicals, and still produce high-quality and abundant coffee beans.
Benefits of Organic Coffee
Compared to conventional coffee, organic coffee may have several benefits. The benefits are a natural result of lack of chemical or artificial inputs to the soil or beans. It’s also helpful that there’s so much oversight of organic coffee.
Health: Guess what. The synthetic chemicals that may be used in conventionally grown coffee aren’t there. Neither are any GM seeds, synthetic fertilizers, or antibiotics. That means there’s a zero health risk from these types of substances or other components when you choose organic coffee.
If you’re interested in the many health benefits of drinking coffee, ranging from heart and brain health to improved blood sugar control, you might be interested in a low acid organic coffee. With a low acid organic coffee, such as Alex’s Low-Acid Organic Coffee, you can drink more without getting as much acid.
Taste: How do pesticides and fungicides taste? Maybe not so good! A reason to switch to organic coffee is that organic coffee doesn’t have any of these compounds. You can be sure that you’re tasting the coffee beans, not synthetic chemicals.
A low acid organic coffee, such as Alex’s Low-Acid Organic Coffee, can allow the natural flavors of the coffee beans to shine through even more. That’s because acid tastes like, well, acid. A reduction in acid content means that the acid taste won’t be overpowering the different notes in the coffee. Alex’s Low-Acid Organic Coffee has a blend of beans that have notes of nuts, chocolate, vanilla, and fruit.
Peace of mind: There’s a lot of oversight of low acid organic coffee. The USDA NOP requires periodic audits and strict record keeping. You can be sure that Alex’s Low-Acid Organic Coffee is a low acid organic coffee that’s been monitored from before the beans were planted until the time they were packaged up for you.
Is All Coffee Organic?
With all these reasons to choose organic coffee, it may seem surprising that not all coffee is organically produced. Coffee from some of the biggest brands, such as Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts, isn’t organic. Other brands, such as Peet’s, have some varieties that are organic - but you need to check! All of Alex’s Low-Acid Organic Coffee is organic.
The Best Low Acid Organic Coffee
With so many options, how can you choose an organic low acid coffee brand? There are many reasons to choose Alex’s Low-Acid Organic Coffee as your go-to low acid coffee brand.
- Lower acid content than the average of many national brands, including Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts.
- Delicious taste, with beans from Nicaragua, Mexico, and Honduras.
- Perfectly fresh and in a resealable package.
- Comes in regular and decaf versions, so you can have coffee at any time.
A low-acid organic coffee can be a logical choice if you have acid reflux or have been told by a doctor to limit your acid consumption.
Organic coffee has many potential benefits over conventionally grown coffee. You might make the switch to avoid synthetic chemicals, such as some pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides. There’s the potential for health and taste benefits, and the environmental sustainability of organic coffee is better. Alex’s Low-Acid Organic Coffee is a low acid organic coffee that tastes great and can be suitable if you have acid reflux, heartburn, or other conditions that keep you from consuming acidic foods.