[redshifter]

Thanks to whomever suggested I try free trade organic coffee. It didn't cost more than my standard Italian blends, and tastes soooo good in my French press! Give it a try coffee lovers! (Tom's Organic Sumatra is what I'm enjoying now!!!)

 

[acidbasement]

Good on ya. Great coffee and socioenvironmental justice are truly an addictive blend.

 

[NiceCans]

Yummy, sumatra . . . . my favorite

 

[jeremynwolf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by redshifter /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks to whomever suggested I try free trade organic coffee. It didn't cost more than my standard Italian blends, and tastes soooo good in my French press! Give it a try coffee lovers! (Tom's Organic Sumatra is what I'm enjoying now!!!)

I'll echo this sentiment, and hope it won't look nit-picky to point out that FAIR trade is even better than FREE trade, if you're looking to maximize the tastiness/social justice quotient.

 

[grawk]

so called fair trade discourages excellence. It removes incentive to actually turn out better coffee, and instead focusses purchasing on politics. The best coffee is from producers who develop relationships with individual farmers, rather than political cooperatives.

 

[jeremynwolf]

^ While this may sometimes be the case, there's no guarantee that it will be. Some non-fair trade coffee may be better than some fair trade coffee, but there's no reason fair trade coffee (such as the Java Hut Roasters coffee I prefer) can't be as good as others. Plus, the fair trade label does give a guarantee of the terms under which the coffee was produced and sold, if that's important to you. Saying that fair trade coffee is not as good as others is as much a fallacy as saying that all fair trade coffee is better than others... there is variation in quality, but if the conditions of production are important to you, there's no reason not to seek out a high quality fair trade bean.

 

[grawk]

It's certainly not better than all. It just removes the grower's incentive to actually turn out a good product. The buyers have no choice in who's beans they get, and can't choose to pay better growers more money. Price is set by the cooperative.

 

[jeremynwolf]

With all due respect, I don't think this is true. While buyers may not have a choice of which growers within a cooperative they choose to buy from, they do have a choice among cooperatives... not all fair trade beans are sourced from the same growers. Similarly, while fair trade sets a minimum price per pound, it does not set a maximum, so buyers are free to pay a premium if they believe that doing so will result in better beans.
Fair Trade Certified | Transfair USA | Fair Trade Overview

 

[redshifter]

All I can say is this Tom's FT coffee is damn tasty.

 

[G.Kennedy]

While I am all for fair trade and getting more $$ to the actual growers....

Organic coffee ... is ... well marketing hype to raise prices.

I have been home roasting beans for a few years so have been following this trend.

Think about it ..... how much synthetic fertalizer exists in Ethiopia .... or Guatamala ????

Coffee has always been organically grown .... and in the shade of the rain forests. Hand picked and delivered to market.

 

[redshifter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by G.Kennedy /img/forum/go_quote.gif While I am all for fair trade and getting more $$ to the actual growers.... Organic coffee ... is ... well marketing hype to raise prices. I have been home roasting beans for a few years so have been following this trend. Think about it ..... how much synthetic fertalizer exists in Ethiopia .... or Guatamala ???? Coffee has always been organically grown .... and in the shade of the rain forests. Hand picked and delivered to market.

"well marketing hype to raise prices" well this does not happen where I shop so... I don't care!

 

[Mr. Tadashi]

I would say that Stumptown coffee would be something to checkout.(I am not much of a coffee drinker but, I plan on stopping by Stump town soon since I keep hearing praise about them.)

 

[G.Kennedy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Tadashi /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would say that Stumptown coffee would be something to checkout........snip

YES !!!!! I am in L.A. and know Stumptown in Portland very well..... one of the best roasters in the country

Intelligensia in Chicago (now L.A. too) is also top nothch.

Stumptown, Intelligensia, Groundwork(LA) and two other small roasters I can remember formed the ??.... not sure of the name... maybe Small Axe Alliance... and banded together to be able to have more capital against corporate coffee giants in the world coffee auctions ... support them ....good peeps.

 

[acidbasement]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's certainly not better than all. It just removes the grower's incentive to actually turn out a good product. The buyers have no choice in who's beans they get, and can't choose to pay better growers more money. Price is set by the cooperative.

This would only be the case in a monopoly situation. There are loads of fair trade options out there, and if I find a bad one, I don't buy it again. The Kicking Horse roastery has a very tasty line of coffees, and so do many others.

 

[mark_h]

[size=x-small]I ♥ coffee[/size]