Shade Grown Espresso Coffee

espressso coffee Coffee is the most popular drink in the world with over two billion cups consumed every day. The majority of commercial coffee is grown on coffee plantations—farms where the ground has been cleared and the coffee plants are grown in neat rows. That may be suitable for the first bleary-eyed cup in the morning, but when you’re drinking espresso coffee, you want finer coffee than that. Try shade-grown coffee beans in your espresso coffee maker.

Better Flavored Espresso Coffee

Did you know there are over 800 active substances in that cup of coffee you’re enjoying, and each of them impacts on the flavor in some way. That’s why Ethiopian coffee tastes different from Colombian coffee, which in turn tastes different from Kona coffee. Wherever the beans come from, espresso coffee should have a full, rich flavor. Espresso forms the basis for milk coffee drinks, like caffe latte and cappuccino, so it requires a deep enough flavor to blend with added ingredients.

The cherries on shade-grown coffee plants mature more slowly than on plants grown in the sun. That means the crop is smaller and is harvested later, but the flavor is richer and mellower, which makes it perfect for making espresso coffee. Sun-ripened cherries can be bitter and sharp when compared to shade-grown cherries. Besides the fact that it tastes better, there are a couple of other very good reasons to use shade-grown beans in your espresso coffee.

Better For The Environment

First, it’s better for the environment. Much of the land that is cleared for coffee plantations is tropical forest that is quickly being depleted. Tropical forests are the earth’s atmospheric engine. They produce the oxygen we need for life, and they absorb much of the carbon dioxide produced industrialized nations. One reason for global warming is the depletion of tropical forests. As part of the tropical forest, coffee plants provide shelter and habitats for birds and small animals.

Organically Grown Espresso Coffee

Another reason to drink shade grown espresso coffee is that most if not all of it is organically grown. Non-organic farming practices in some coffee-growing countries include the use of pesticides and fertilizers that have been banned in developed countries … think DDT.

Fair Trade Espresso Coffee

A third reason to drink espresso coffee produced from shade-grown coffee beans is that it is usually obtainable only through Fair Trade sources. Farming conglomerates cannot produce enough coffee to be profitable when it is shade grown. The people producing shade-grown coffee are small family-owned farms that may support one family or a small community. They are paid a fair price for their coffee.

If you choose to drink shade-grown espresso coffee, you’ll be enjoying some of the best coffee available. You’ll be helping the environment, protecting your family from toxic pesticides, and you’re helping a small farmer to feed his family. Now, that’s a good cup of espresso coffee.