Fair trade coffees and direct trade coffees aim to make coffee production a viable livelihood for farmers in the dozens of countries where coffee is grown. Fair trade is not a single, stagnant solution; it is an evolving model (really a set of models) designed to advocate to for people who have, in the past, not been able to sustain themselves by growing coffee. Fair and direct trade work towards financial sustainability for growers, but how can sustainable agriculture help make coffee more fair to the environment? Coffee is a perennial crop, meaning the same coffee tree produces fruit for multiple years. It’s a stretch to think that your morning latte comes from the seeds of little red cherries grown on a leafy tropical plant, but the reality is that coffee does in fact grow on trees. Like any other crop, coffee grows better with fertilizer and requires inputs to protect it from pests and plagues in the forms of insects and fungi. The fertilizers, insecticides, and fungicides used to boost and protect coffee and the herbicides used to control weeds around coffee trees can fall within a wide range of toxicity. Sustainable coffee farming is similar to sustainable agriculture in general in that its goal is to keep coffee trees productive without dousing them with chemicals that will destroy soil and nearby water sources or poison other flora and fauna. Several certifications exist to assure consumers that coffee is produced in ways that account for the long term environmental health of coffee farms.

Rainforest Alliance:

Rainforest is a New York-based non-profit that sets certification standards based on maintaining holistic biodiversity in accordance with the very stringent principles of the Sustainable Agriculture Network. Various auditing agencies check farms of all shapes and sizes against these standards. Rainforest is comprehensive in its concern for individuals, communities, and ecosystems. Rainforest is different from organic because organic certification requires the complete absence of agrochemicals and chemical fertilizers, while Rainforest permits the use of those with low toxicity. However, organic certification does not require that farmers manage their waste products responsibly, whereas Rainforest does. There is no guaranteed premium for Rainforest certified coffee, but there is always some small price differential that makes it to producers. Rainforest Alliance certification not only requires producers to use low toxicity products, plant trees and diverse species of natural barrier plants on the property, ensure protection of water sources, and impeccably manage waste, it requires producers to keep organized documentation of all of the above. Certifications require lots and lots of paperwork. Getting a farm certified can come down to whether or not a single piece of paper has been saved to present to auditors or was lost in the shuffle. Rainforest Alliance has the reputation among Latin American farmers for being the strictest. View Rainforest Alliance standards.

Organic:

Organic coffee production must adhere to mandates dictated by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The requirements to be USDA certified organic are essentially a long list of products that cannot be used. Farmers are required to submit proof of the approved products they have used to fertilize and control pests. The same accredited organizations that audit for Rainforest Alliance certification also often audit for organic. It is common for farms to be dual certified. Usually, if a farm is organic it is not a stretch to have it Rainforest Alliance certified, or vice versa. All certified organic farms must undergo a "transition period" during which no agrochemicals are used to that the soil can return to its "natural" equilibrium. This sort of limbo period can be an additional challenge to producers, who lose money on decreases in production from suddenly loosing profits and who have not yet been certified in order to receive premiums. View USDA Organic standards. There are plenty of farms that are organic or otherwise sustainable that do not earn certifications proving so. This has to do with logistics or money or both. Farms can be intensively managed as organic with chemical-free fertilizers and pest/plague control inputs, or they can be de facto organic because producers don't have the resources to buy expensive inputs. The balance of moisture levels, hours and intensity of sunshine, and initial soil fertility make certain places more apt for organic farming and others near impossible locations for organic production. Read The Ins and Outs of Organics: Demystifying Production.

Bird Friendly:

The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Institute offers Bird Friendly certification to farms that are already certified organic and meet additional regulations to ensure they offer habitats for migratory bird species. View Bird Friendly Standards. All certified coffees have an added layer of oversight. This layer is a thick slice of bureaucracy that requires paperwork, chains of custody, signed documents, and legal seals of approval. Whether all this positively impacts farmers and the environment is the million dollar question. The people who work at these organizations swear it does, and sometimes I’ve seen evidence that supports it. Farmers are of mixed opinion, ranging from passionate supporter to vehement anti-certification. Like everything with coffee, it varies from country to country, mountain to mountain, and farm to farm. In When Coffee Speaks: Stories from and of Latin American Coffeepeople producer Gladys Araque of La Pradera, Antioquia, Colombia describes the pride she feels in producing a clean product in harmony with her surroundings and how she is even prouder that her farm has multiple certifications as external corroboration of the work she and her husband do to produce sound coffee.

“As one becomes more educated, with trainings and workshops, in these steps, you start to see that final product improves. These have been five years where people are saying, “Oh look, you’re certified,” but to us it’s not really about—like I said—“Money, money!” Rather it’s about learning and then being able to apply it to your very own soil, to your very own cafetales, your trees. That’s what’s carried us. Perseverance on one hand and on the other hand because we like it. We like living in nature, and we like doing things well in order to see the positive results. We get to be very proud. People ask us, “How do you do it?” And we’re always thinking, more than anything, about the client. The person who’s going to drink it, whether it’s you or someone else. I have the peace of mind that this coffee is well made. This is fundamental, not thinking about money, rather about whether or not people like it. That they can drink it and say, “What delicious coffee! How did they make this?” And that it’s as natural as possible. That it doesn’t have many chemicals; that’s the idea. We don’t like to use anything that will harm the soil. The most difficult is to get people to understand the importance of taking good care of things. It’s hard for everyone to understand. To get people to understand their own worth and to value what they do is very, very hard. Certifications make very harsh criticisms—unfortunately—some of those were of our own neighbors. Our very own neighbors don’t want to be a part of what we wish everyone could work together towards. This part has been hard. Everything else has been doable, but for people to understand has been hard. We started as one hundred families, and at the end there are seven of us certified. Only seven families out of a hundred. So it’s very sad. We’d like everyone to be a part of the journey that is so wonderful. But, unfortunately, this is what hurts us the most. The biggest success is to feel so satisfied knowing that people who drink our coffee are drinking it with all the guarantees that what we’re doing is as low impact as possible. We’re not lying. It’s true what we’re doing. It’s a coffee that’s created with lots of work and lots of love. We really are working towards something bigger.” – p. 278

Coffees certified as sustainable are not perfect, but they do serve as a way to capture the attitudes of producers like Gladys who dedicate their lives to preserving a balance with nature and share those values with likeminded consumers. Stay tuned for the next post explaining Shade Grown Coffee. All photos by Rachel Northrop. See more at whencoffeespeaks.com.

I love to unplug and go camping. It’s nice to get away from the hectic pace of life and take in nature by camping, fishing, and hiking. I also love great specialty coffee. It’s a new thing for me. So this year I decided to bring the essentials so that I could have my delicious coffee in the amazing outdoors. I thought it out for some time before packing. I needed to figure out what hardware was the most necessary and after some thinking and improvising, I came up with the essentials for making a great cup of coffee in the great outdoors. I love a v60 pourover whenever I can make it, but I didn’t think that bringing the ceramic and glass setup was a wise choice, especially if it arrived at camp in pieces. A pourover, if it’s done right, requires lots of precision as well. That means I would need to pack a scale. When camping, the less I can pack, the better. So this was all the more reason to look elsewhere.

Fresh air, fresh coffee

My other favorite method of fixing a cup of specialty coffee is the Aeropress. The Aeropress is little more than a large syringe that can be used to make a great manual cup of coffee. It consists of 3 pieces: a cylinder, a plunger, and a cap. The cap holds the paper disc filter. That’s it! The best part is that it is made of plastic. That almost ensured safe stowing for the trip. I prefer the inverted method when using my Aeropress. I’ve also developed a near fool-proof method for making a solid cup without the use of a scale. So plastic design and no need for a scale give the Aeropress the victory for my camping trips. Now all I need is a grinder and a kettle. Being new to specialty coffee, I haven’t invested in a fancy grinder yet so my Hario Skerton Mill Grinder will do. It works great, it’s made of sturdy glass (think mason jar thickness) and plastic. Since we’ll be without electricity, this grinder will fit the bill just fine. The last thing I need is a kettle. I use a Hario Buono gooseneck kettle at home, but I’m not comfortable packing it for the trip. I’m worried the thin neck might be too fragile. So I decided to pack a speckled percolator kettle and leave the inner parts at home. Unlike the v60, the Aeropress doesn’t need the same slow, controlled pour. It just calls for hot water. I was able to pack a few of my Angel’s Cup blind sample packets and taste great coffee away from home. I really was impressed with the quality of coffee I was able to achieve while out in the wilderness. In many ways I think manual brewing my coffee at home prepared me for being out in the wild and preparing the same thing. There was something special about making a great cup of coffee in the outdoors and sitting around a fire while enjoying it. I can’t wait until the next time I get to pack up and get out. I’m excited to bring my coffee supplies to make great coffee while I’m there too.

I put my automatic coffeemaker into storage several months ago. It was a pause that I had been contemplating for some time. I didn’t do it because I am giving up coffee, it is actually quite the opposite. I did it to learn more about coffee and drink better coffee. I have gone to a manual only brewing plan. Manual coffee brewing refers to brewing methods that take automation out of the brewing process. I like to refer to coffee brewed this way as “handmade.” To some of you, I am sure, going to a manual only plan may seem rather extreme. The standard automatic drip coffeemaker doesn’t make bad coffee if you use it correctly. I have, in fact, had many enjoyable mugs of coffee from my auto brewer. There is something about brewing a cup of coffee manually that, in addition to producing an outstanding cup of coffee, is nearly essential to understanding coffee. Once you start to explore all the variables and nuances that go into your coffee, your appreciation for coffee’s complexity will increase along with your enjoyment of the beverage. I think everyone who enjoys coffee should give manual brewing a try. At this point, there are probably several excuses that are popping into your head for why it is not practical, possible or reasonable for you try brewing coffee manually. I understand. Let me help you out by challenging a few of the most common reasons to forego this quintessential coffee ritual and hopefully give you a few reasons to try it.

I can’t afford all the fancy equipment

This misconception can be largely attributed to the overwhelming and seemingly inexhaustible supply of coffee brewing gear that is out there. I too have quite a long list of gadgets and equipment that I would like to add to my manual brewing arsenal. The truth is, the equipment needed for manual brewing is so minimal at the entry level that you probably have almost everything you need at home already. Here is the basic list:

• A tea kettle or something you can boil water in and that has a spout for pouring
• Ground Coffee
• A mug
• A manual coffee brewer

The Manual Coffee Brewer is the intimidating thing right? Who doesn’t know how to source the first three things. Kettle…check. Coffee…check. Mug…check. A manual coffee brewer… chirp chirp. You can purchase a Melitta Filter cone for under 5 dollars in the coffee aisle of most grocery stores (that is a manual brewer.) Do you have a French Press? (That is a manual brewer too.) Manual brewer…Check!

I don’t know how

At a beginner’s level, manual coffee brewing is not very complicated. A manual filter cone functions the same way that an automatic drip coffee maker does. You are the automatic coffee maker now. Brewing coffee manually can get pretty complex once you start to dig into it. Getting started doesn’t have to be that daunting though. Here is the quick (very quick) run down of brewing a fine cup of coffee with a manual filter cone (like the Melitta Filter cone).

1. Boil water in your kettle and let it cool for 30 seconds or so. You want the water to be just under boiling temperatures when you start brewing.
2. Place the filter cone on top of the mug with a paper filter in it. Don’t put the coffee in the filter just yet.
3. Pour a little water through the filter to rinse it and preheat the mug.
4. Dump the water out of the mug and place the coffee grounds into the filter. For your first attempt, I recommend using 2 Tablespoons of ground coffee for 6 fluid ounces of coffee.
5. Slowly pour water over the grounds until they are wet. Pause for about thirty seconds before continuing. This is called the bloom.
6. Pour the rest of your water slowly (about the same speed coffee is exiting the bottom of the filter cone) over the grounds until you reach the desired coffee volume. Enjoy your handmade coffee.

If you have selected the French Press as your manual brewer, there are many great tutorials online to reference. (Including a tutorial on the Angel's Cup blog.)

The coffee I am drinking is fine. I am not interested in nitpicking and being a coffee snob

Why do you buy great roasted coffee? Think of it like owning a two-story house and only using the first floor. If you are not going to use the great coffee you are brewing to it’s full potential, why not save some money and buy a “smaller house”? This might be a little bit of a melodramatic illustration but I think the point is clear. If you are going to buy great specialty coffee, why not experience all the excellence and intricacies that particular coffee has to offer? There is an incredible journey that coffee goes through before it reaches your cup. It is quite the process. At each step of that process, someone has taken purposeful steps to make sure that particular coffee is the best it can be. Brewing coffee manually is the final thoughtful stroke on the painting, it doesn’t mean you are a coffee snob. There is a huge difference between being a coffee snob, and enjoying good coffee at it’s full potential.

Give it a try

There are many other reasons people choose to brew or not brew coffee manually, but I would encourage you to give it a try yourself before you write it off. What do you have to lose? It doesn’t take much time or effort and you will also gain an appreciation and curiosity for everything that goes into making a great cup of coffee. It is worth trying. Do you have any questions or comments about manual coffee brewing? Feel free to join in the discussion below. If you are looking to get started with manual brewing grab some coffee from Angel’s Cup and then head over to my getting started page and we will get you up and running.