Benefits and Effects of Organic Coffee_How to Use Organic Coffee_Introduction to Organic Coffee Features

This introduction to organic coffee explains what it actually means, why certification is so demanding, and what sets organic beans apart.

When you walk into a coffee shop to order, you may sometimes hit this situation: the barista asks whether you would like organic coffee.

The word "organic" sounds reassuring and healthy.

We often hear organic, inorganic, and genetically modified mentioned for grains and vegetables, so the question arises: what is organic coffee, and is it better than the coffee we normally drink?

Today, let's take a closer look at organic coffee beans.

What is Organic Coffee?

Many people believe coffee can be called organic as long as no synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers were used while it grew. In reality, only coffee certified by a third party - someone other than the producers and buyers - can be called organic coffee.

Organic Coffee, and Certified Organic Coffee, are authorized by third-party organizations. They are grown without chemical materials, pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, or artificial food additives during the tree's growth. From soil and water-quality testing through planting, cultivation, harvesting, and production, every step must meet organic conditions under strictly controlled processes. It is high-quality coffee produced in harmony with nature, with real benefits for both health and the environment.

The Challenge of Organic Certification

Only a very small portion of the world's coffee is truly certified organic, because the certification process takes quite a long time - roughly three years. On top of that, the practice can cut coffee production by as much as 50%. So when growers decide to pursue organic certification, they are beginning a time-consuming and costly investment.

Characteristics of Organic Coffee Beans

1. Organic coffee uses no pesticides or other chemical agents to handle pests, disease, or cultivation issues. Instead it relies on natural methods such as natural compost, building hedges, and pruning to keep the coffee trees growing well.

2. For pest control, purely natural biological methods are used, such as planting protective trees and applying various other natural farming techniques to keep the trees healthy. This is because organic producers actively care about the sustainability of the land, water sources, and the natural ecosystem.

3. High-quality organic coffee is the masterpiece of heaven, earth, and people - weather, soil, and care. A coffee tree needs to grow for five years before it can flower and bear fruit. One pound of coffee requires approximately 4,000 coffee beans, all harvested by hand. Each tree yields only enough cherries each year to produce one pound of roasted coffee beans, which is what makes it precious and rare.

FrontStreet Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee is a roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but a diverse range of beans, where you can find both famous and lesser-known origins.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For entry-level specialty coffee, FrontStreet Coffee has a considered pick for every origin. Ethiopia, Africa's largest coffee producer and the world's recognized birthplace of coffee, grows many varieties usually named after their region or cooperative, with Yirgacheffe and Sidamo the most famous. In the 1970s the government introduced washed processing to raise green-bean quality, and Yirgacheffe has leaned on washed methods since, now split into more cooperatives as the processing unit. FrontStreet Coffee's washed Gudingding Cooperative is a textbook Yirgacheffe representative, typically showing jasmine, lemon acidity, and berry notes. Sidamo, by contrast, is best known for naturals that push tropical fruit and fermented aromas, and FrontStreet's natural Huakui uses traditional natural processing with flavors of berry, floral, jackfruit, melon, and honey.

Brazil is the world's largest coffee producer. Even though commercial beans dominate, high-quality Brazilian coffee exists. Because Brazilian coffee is often grown in full sun, the cherries ripen quickly, so the beans are softer with gentle fruit acidity, good sweetness, and a delicate, smooth, balanced body. FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil daily-drinker is an entry-level single origin from the well-known Cerrado region, focused on being delicious without costing much, with typical cream, peanut, and cocoa flavors on extraction. FrontStreet's Queen Estate is grown at a higher altitude and is the rare Yellow Bourbon; beyond Brazil's signature compound nut aromas of butter, sunflower seed, macadamia, and almond, it carries a sugarcane-like sweetness, and whether you drink it alone or with milk you feel a thick, smooth body.

For Indonesia, besides the famous Kopi Luwak, there is Mandheling. FrontStreet's Mandheling uses wet hulling, a method invented for the local climate: with Indonesia's changeable weather and frequent rain, and limited funds for washed processing, workers hit on stripping the shell while the beans were half dry and half wet to speed drying - giving rise to the distinctive wet-hulling method and the world's unique Mandheling flavor. FrontStreet Indonesian Mandheling is richer and smoother than FrontStreet Blue Mountain, even carrying herbal and spice notes, and suits anyone who dislikes acidity. If you want a higher grade, choose FrontStreet PWN Golden Mandheling: three rounds of hand sorting and one machine sort cut the defect rate to a minimum, so the brew is cleaner and smoother with clearer wood and caramel notes.

Colombia is one of the few single origins sold under a country name. Colombian coffee has a unique quality - rich, with a long finish - and is mostly specialty grade. FrontStreet Coffee's Colombia daily-drinker comes from Huila, the country's most famous specialty region, ringed by mountains with cultivation above 1500 meters, where Colombia's most important rivers meet and bring abundant moisture and water. Colombian coffee tends toward soft floral notes and fruit acidity; FrontStreet's Colombia Chiroso and Colombia Navel are both worth trying.

Costa Rica grows coffee at high altitude with large day-to-night temperature swings and fertile volcanic soil all around, producing very hard beans (the SHB grade) with elegant aromas. Costa Rica is best known for honey processing, where the mucilage stays on the bean through drying, so the cup is full of sweetness with a clear finish - especially appealing to many drinkers. Among Costa Rican specialty coffees, FrontStreet Coffee's Blackberry, a black-honey process, or FrontStreet's Mozart, a raisin-honey process, are top picks; they brew with the sweetness of raisin and blueberry and the fragrance of osmanthus and rose, and whether as pour-over, cold brew, Americano, or latte they bring out Costa Rica's clean sweetness.

For China's own producing region, Yunnan coffee has gradually come into view, and many have fallen for its nut, brown sugar, and black tea flavors. China actually has two coffee regions, Hainan and Yunnan, but Hainan's hot, low-altitude coastal setting cannot grow Arabica, so China's specialty coffee is concentrated in Yunnan. FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan small-batch beans come from Baoshan and use washed processing, giving traditional nut and chocolate flavors with a soft, balanced body. FrontStreet's 2013 Yunnan Typica is an ancient Arabica variety grown at 1300 meters; its taste is cleaner and it suits a medium roast, brewing with rich aromas of hazelnut, dried apricot, black tea, caramel, and ripe plum.

Panama is most famous for the Gesha variety, above all at Hacienda La Esmeralda, whose citrus, berry, and floral flavors with a balanced, smooth body drink like a completely unsweetened fruit-and-flower tea. For a beginner, though, Esmeralda may be a little indulgent, so the recommendation is the entry-level FrontStreet Boquete Gesha. From Panama's most representative specialty region, with pure variety genetics and washed processing, it lets you clearly taste the orange-blossom honey that defines Gesha, and thanks to its excellent value you can explore Panama Gesha through different brewing methods.