OK, so I posted something really disgusting on my fb page and realized when I got into the coffee industry, we, as consumers, are really in the dark. There are so many questions that need to be asked, that we don’t even know that we should be asking. Here’s the post:
As adults we should have kept our child like insatiable curiosity alive; what’s that, why, where, when, are we there yet; because, as adult consumers, we are missing the education that those questions would and could answer.
When I started in the coffee industry I had a lot of questions about the product I’m so passionate about. Those questions led me to wanting to educate, you, the consumer on a product that many of us desperately need or want in our day. Coffee has been around for centuries; it’s been in on deal makers and deal breakers without anyone ever lifting an eyebrow to what they were consuming. Let me tell you,’ Lift an eyebrow’, this beverage is an agricultural product and, as with other ag products, we are allowed so many parts per million or billion. I made a conscious decision when I found out the grade and quality issues that exist in this, the 2nd largest traded commodity in the world, right under oil to educate, you, the consumer on your choices. I work with the North Dakota Department of Tourism and their learning based tours just for that reason. You are probably drinking sub standard coffee and you don’t know it. Would you buy a bag of mostly rotten grapes? A bag of apples, perhaps, that had brown spots on them; I think not. It’s my job, as a ‘Personal coffee roaster’ to keep you informed and in the know about the choices you have. The first question you should ask is, ‘What grade is it’. The grade so very important to quality in the cup. There are: Specialty Grade, Premium Grade, Commercial Grade, and Below Grade. All are considered consumable. Specialty Grade is the only grade that I bring into the roastery and only 5% of the world’s coffee makes that grade. Commercial Grade is the most prevalent on the market with many defects allowed that affect the quality of the cup. There is: Severe insect damage, mold, overly fermented beans, and foreign objects allowed in this grade. Just because it’s consumable doesn’t mean we should be consuming it. I think we have a false sense of security in the market place, thinking that because it’s there for us, it’s good for us.
In future posts I will address freshness issues with coffee. Did you know that coffee is a perishable food item and is the only food item that needs to be kept away from the air we breath, but needs an outlet for the gasses to escape?
Drink Fresh ~ Cheers