Starting at the Source- Fair Trade Coffee

If you're a regular reader on this blog, you know that I talk about coffee a lot. I'm an iced coffee fanatic, and getting my Master's degree only compounded that. I think there was a point in time where my veins contained more coffee than blood. All my classmates tried to 'quit' or 'cut back' on caffeine at some point during our tenure, but I am NOT a quitter. Now that I'm done with grad school and navigating the real world, I've settled at around 3 cups or 2 iced coffees a day, which may still seem excessive, but makes me oh-so-happy.

   

I've become increasingly particular over the years about the coffee I purchase, paying special attention to sourcing and production practices. If you've not already seen the documentary Black Gold, give it a watch. It's been almost two years since I first saw it, and I've held up my oath to never, ever, ever purchase a bag of coffee that isn't either Fair Trade Certified, Rainforest Alliance Certified or a sponsor of Coffee Kids- a non-profit that works to improve the quality of life in coffee-growing communities, supporting healthcare, education, food security, capacity building and economic diversification programs. 

I strolled into my local organic food market recently to pick up some java, and walked out with BuyWell Fair Trade Coffee's Peru Cafe Hope- which directly supports women farmers. In addition to their Fair Trade and USDA Organic certifications, they're also Renewable Energy Certified. Talk about setting the bar high. Makes me wanna thank their mamas for raising them right!

I like to try new coffees black at first, even though my drink of choice is iced and sweetened with soy milk. 

Aroma: Earthy, Woody

Taste: Bitter, Chocolatey Notes

Mouthfeel: Medium - Heavy Body

Simply put- one solidly delicious cup of coffee that tastes as good as it's business practices feel.

*RELATED NEWS*

I'm interviewing tomorrow for a coffee company with similar values here in NYC. Fingers crossed. I have some exciting ideas for their brand, and I'm IN LOVE with their products!

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What do you look for when purchasing coffee?

Do you research sources? For what products? Are some more important to you than others?

My MIA Week Part 3: Family Fun

The Post-Thanksgiving portion of my holiday weekend was spent doing homework and hanging with the fam. Ahhhh....

I swear my mom likes me more than this photo indicates...

Hangin' around with my baby sis.

Realizing what a train wreck my hair was...

And getting it chopped! Looks like it needs some color, too, but one step at a time!

Stealing my sister's awesome green and pink Chucks that she's had for AT LEAST 7 years...

Breakfast out with the fam! We hit up Forever Young in Johnstown. Very delicious in a greasy, diner-y sort of way!

Joe and I are a bit scary pre-breakfast...

Forever Young makes their own cinnamon raisin bread- HEAVEN. We always get some to share for the table.

Momma got a belgian wafel with strawberries and bacon.

Joe jammed on a ham & cheese omelette.

Shawn got a bulgogi omelette.

And I get the croissant french toast with ham!

We played with the pups when we got home. Emma is regal and sassy. 

Liam is naiive and bold.

I got to have lunch with some of my high school besties, Christa and Sheena, (aka Donger and Chefna- we had the best nicknames) and Sheena's handsome little man, Lincoln!

Blurry, but I still love it! Lincoln is looking right at the camera! Wahoo!

These girls have been my homies since I was in 8th grade and I'm so glad I got to catch up with them!

After lunch I headed back home to say goodbye to my mom, youngest sister and the pups.

And then we headed to my middle sister's apartment in Albany for the night. 

We made a pit stop at Tierra Farm Coffee. I'm in love.

As I've expressed before, I'm committed to buying Fair Trade coffee, but I'm also a flavored coffee junkie! I was SOOOO happy to see they had both! I got a French Vanilla and a Chocolate Almond to bring home. Reviews coming soon!

 They also had  a whole shelf of yum-in-a-jar, which I happily partook of, purchasing a Maple Cashew Butter (not pictured). 

 The feel is very artsy-student chic. I can see why my sister does homework here so frequently!

I got... an iced coffee! Surprise!

It. was. great.

We stopped at Kieren's apartment (my first time seeing it- it's adorable!) to drop off our stuff and do some homework (Kieren's a grad student too- getting her certification in TESOL- Teaching English To Speakers of Other Languages). Once our assignments were done, we were starving!

Off to Bombers on Lark we went!

I've heard everything here is delish, but I only ever get the burritos, and they NEVER disappoint!

Shawn and Joe had matching grown up beverages.

Kieren and I got fancy with our water.

Someone take the camera from me...

I ordered a "Red Stripe" Jerk Pork Burrito. Heaven.

Joe got enthusiastic about his Pulled Pork Burrito...

Kieren is a slob... or a vampire...

So. Much. Beautiful and Delicious. Food.

Full to bursting, we muscled through to take advantage of my last chance to chow down on some Stewarts Ice Cream for a while. I stuck with my classic- Crumbs Along the Mohawk (Graham Cracker Ice Cream w/ a Caramel Swirl and Graham Cracker Pieces) and mixed it up with a scoop of Pumpkin Pie. My tongue cried happy tears.

And then my sister introduced us to this gem, and we laughed until it hurt. 

After a few short hours of sleep, we were up to catch an early train out of Albany back down to NYC. The sky made waking up at 5-something not suck so bad...

All in all, it was a jam-packed four days full of some of my very favorite people. A much needed weekend oasis from my intense but wonderful life. And now... back to the grind!

Last Night's Fun and Coffee Talk

Last night was a rare and special occurrence- Joe and I were both home in the evening at the same time! He usually teaches, takes classes or rehearses in the evenings, and I'm either at class or the gym, so we decided to spend our rainy night-in cooking!

My special kitchen helper, who sometimes is not very helpful at all. 

We desperately need to go grocery shopping, but decided to use up what we had. Soup time!

 Joe was making fun of me for something...

 I found this in my cupboard and literally jumped for joy! Yes, I am a five year old.

 Since I don't drink, Joe decided to polish off the leftover grownup beverages from his birthday party. No glass required.

Me: Let's get a nice picture of us cooking together! I'll set the self-timer!

Joe: Sure!

I should know better than to trust him when he's so compliant...

 

Joe whipped up some feta and mozzarella quesadillas. Mmmm....

 And the "Everything in the Fridge" soup turned out great! Leftover roasted eggplant, green beans, carrots and black beans. Random AND delicious!

I'm usually a die-hard budget shopper, but there are some things for me that are worth the money, not only for the quality, but for the ethics of their business practices. My absolute no-compromise splurge? 

Fair Trade Coffee. 

I've always had a vague idea of the importance of fair trade coffee, but it's usually a bit more expensive than whatever's on sale. After watching the documentary Black Gold, I will never. ever. ever. buy a bag of coffee that's not Fair Trade ever again. Fair Trade Certification ensures that the farmers who grew the coffee in your bag were paid a fair price and not gouged by the companies who shortchange coffee-growers who are desperate to sell their crops keeping them locked in a cycle of poverty, desperation and dependence. 

One of my favorite fair-trade brands? Green Mountain Coffee- especially the Newman's Own Vanilla Caramel flavor (though all the Newman's Own coffee products are great)!

Does it cost more? Yes. But honestly, I'd rather drink less or skimp somewhere else than support companies who do not support the farmers that make their businesses possible. I stock up like a crazy person when it goes on sale and it usually lasts me a while. Yes- there are caveats- I still purchase iced-coffee when I'm out and about which may or may not be brewed with fair trade beans. 

Does anyone know of any great fair-trade coffee shops in Brooklyn? What business practices are important to you?