Coffee Notes from All Over

by | Sep 14, 2007 | Coffee |

It’s gotta come from somewhere… To the surprise of nobody at all, Starbucks is looking to double its coffee imports from Africa by 2009. “People are looking for something different, and East African coffee is very exotic in terms of its flavors and...

Shade Grown Coffee — Just How Shady Is It?

by | Aug 20, 2007 | Coffee |

All third-party coffee certifications are not equal. I’ve touched upon this idea before, most recently in How Many Labels are Too Many Labels. I think it’s a point that bears repeating, and some critical examination, too. To our good fortune Coffee &...
Another View on Black Gold & Fair Trade

Another View on Black Gold & Fair Trade

by | Aug 6, 2007 | Coffee |

Hasbean’s Stephen Leighton offers a point of view on the Fair Trade coffee documentary, Black Gold, that’s informed and thought-provoking, and that will surely cause some to get their shorts in a bunch. And that’s just fine. The Fair Trade system as...

How Many Labels are Too Many Labels?

by | Apr 19, 2007 | Coffee |

Organic, Fair Trade, Direct Trade, Shade Grown, Bird Friendly, C.A.F.E., Whole Trade, Rainforest Alliance… When Sam Fromartz’ article — Is This the End of Organic Coffee — first appeared in Salon it generated quite a lot of reader responses,...

Intelligentsia Coffee Gets Direct

by | Feb 27, 2007 | Coffee |

Frustrated with the foibles and shortcomings of Fair Trade certification — among them Fair Trade’s failure to address coffee quality, and its inability to contract with family farms or estates but only coffee growing coops — a number of boutique...