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Green Coffee & Tea: Getting Techie
What is Fair Trade certification?
Fair trade certification works to ensure that farmers get a fair price for their crops and good conditions under which to work. In the US, TransFair conducts certification and labeling based on standards established by Fairtrade Labeling Organization International (FLO), based in Bonn, Germany. These standards serve to protect farming traditions, make farming profitable for small and family-owned farms, prevent exploitation and forced child labor, guarantee freedom of association, and protect worker health and natural ecosystems. Farmers earn a premium for growing Fair Trade Certified coffee and tea, and get an additional premium for growing organic. (“Licensed Fair Trade importers pay $1.26/lb ($1.41/lb if organic) to Fair Trade coffee cooperatives.") More specifics are available from TransFair’s environmental standards website.
Rainforest Alliance Certification
Another trusted third-party certifier of sustainable agriculture is the Rainforest Alliance. Through their labeling program, a product can be certified if it meets their high standards of land conservation, integrated farm management practices, and fair labor conditions. In early 2007, McDonald’s restaurants across the U.K. agreed to exclusively sell coffee certified by the Rainforest Alliance. Read up on Rainforest Alliance to learn more about their good work.
Shade grown and Bird Friendly
Shade grown coffee is cultivated by allowing the presence of other beneficial plants and trees to remain, shading the coffee plants with a canopy of leaves and branches (some connoisseurs suggest that the longer maturation time for shade grown coffee brings out more flavor from the bean). Unlike this more traditional method, many larger coffee farms clear all vegetation except for the coffee plants, eliminating important habitats for animals, especially songbirds, and typically requiring more chemical inputs. Coffees that are organic and shade grown can also qualify for Bird Friendly Certification. For every pound of certified Bird Friendly coffee, 25 cents is given to Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center research and conservation programs. For more info, check out the Smithsonian's nice site on migratory birds and coffee.
Decaf
Many conventional decaffeinated coffees go through a methylene chloride procress. To maintain organic certification, organic coffee must be treated with an approved method. Most common is the Swiss Water Method, which uses only water to remove caffeine. Tea and coffee can also be decaffeinated using supercritical CO2, which is the preferred method of high-end tea distributors.
Milk kills the benefits of tea?
While tea has been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke, a study conducted at the University of Berlin has found that adding dairy milk to tea eliminates these benefits, according to this report from Reuters).
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