Buying organic is a great idea (and what my company specializes in) but TBH it's mostly to protect the farmers who would be exposed to the chemicals. After processing coffee cherries to seed, drying, and roasting at 400 degrees, there is no discernible pesticide residue for the coffee drinker.
Fla Mom, I always recommend water processed decaf. But in the grand scheme of things, I think the biggest health risk most people seem to experience from solvent based decafs is headaches. When you consider all the other crap people put in their bodies, even the worst decaf coffee is unlikely to be the thing that makes someone sick.
Pesticides, as well as a heavy black mold/mycotoxin load which is extremely toxic to humans. I drink an organic mycotoxin-free coffee, which is 3rd party tested for toxins & purity: https://a.co/d/0A2O3Rc (amazon link).
Sorry to say, but a lot of the pesticide/ black mold hype about coffee is just untrue. The brands that sell based on those claims are just using marketing to scare people into buying their product. You don't need to worry about mycotoxins in most specialty grade coffee that you get from local roasters, and pesticides are more a worry for coffee farmers; not for roasted coffee in your cup.
My husband always buys top quality coffee beans and grinds himself, but I was experiencing achiness all over my body and it finally dawned on me to try going without coffee. The pain in my body of months and months went away. Now I drink green or black tea and an occasional cup of mold free coffee without a problem. I'm still afraid I would react again if I drank it all the time. I can't prove it was mycotoxins that made me react to coffee, but I am allergic to mold in general, so I think that's what it was.
Because i’ve worked in coffee for over a decade, visited origin countries, seen the processing, and also taught classes. The vast majority of specialty coffee is washed, meaning it’s depulped of the fruit then fermented in enzymes, dried in the sun or mechanically, then rested, hulled and exported with minimal moisture. Then it’s roasted at 400 degrees.
Most mold concerns would most likely arise from coffee processed using wet hulling like in Indonesia where there are already humid conditions, and/or from low grade commercial coffee.
Hi Leonora, Peet's is legendary and predated SBUX, but it's always been a bit too dark roasted for me. I'm a huge fan of African coffee, especially natural processed fruity Ethiopians light roasted. They will be much more acidic though, which may not be for everybody.
Speaking in generalities, Africa has spectacular coffee and much of it is washed and very clean. I wouldn't want to malign Indonesian coffee though or say other regions are "better" just because it's humid and the processing may lead to quirky flavors. Sumatra and other wet hulled beans that are well-sourced can be very tasty, full-bodied and with lots of character; I never worry about mycotoxins personally.
My advice is to discover what you like by experimenting with different regions, roast levels, and roasters. If you're primarily worried about mycotoxins, buy beans only from specialty coffee shops that source carefully and roast their own. It's more $$ but supports local, independent biz.
I don't love the taste of my coffee, but atleast it is organic.
Apparently coffee is the most pesticide laden crop there is..
Buying organic is a great idea (and what my company specializes in) but TBH it's mostly to protect the farmers who would be exposed to the chemicals. After processing coffee cherries to seed, drying, and roasting at 400 degrees, there is no discernible pesticide residue for the coffee drinker.
Island, what do you think about the health risk of drinking conventionally-decaffeinated coffee?
Fla Mom, I always recommend water processed decaf. But in the grand scheme of things, I think the biggest health risk most people seem to experience from solvent based decafs is headaches. When you consider all the other crap people put in their bodies, even the worst decaf coffee is unlikely to be the thing that makes someone sick.
Pesticides, as well as a heavy black mold/mycotoxin load which is extremely toxic to humans. I drink an organic mycotoxin-free coffee, which is 3rd party tested for toxins & purity: https://a.co/d/0A2O3Rc (amazon link).
Sorry to say, but a lot of the pesticide/ black mold hype about coffee is just untrue. The brands that sell based on those claims are just using marketing to scare people into buying their product. You don't need to worry about mycotoxins in most specialty grade coffee that you get from local roasters, and pesticides are more a worry for coffee farmers; not for roasted coffee in your cup.
My husband always buys top quality coffee beans and grinds himself, but I was experiencing achiness all over my body and it finally dawned on me to try going without coffee. The pain in my body of months and months went away. Now I drink green or black tea and an occasional cup of mold free coffee without a problem. I'm still afraid I would react again if I drank it all the time. I can't prove it was mycotoxins that made me react to coffee, but I am allergic to mold in general, so I think that's what it was.
I'll have to look into that. In Functional Medicine, that typically is not the case from my experience and testing that I have seen.
On an island - how do you know that?
Because i’ve worked in coffee for over a decade, visited origin countries, seen the processing, and also taught classes. The vast majority of specialty coffee is washed, meaning it’s depulped of the fruit then fermented in enzymes, dried in the sun or mechanically, then rested, hulled and exported with minimal moisture. Then it’s roasted at 400 degrees.
Most mold concerns would most likely arise from coffee processed using wet hulling like in Indonesia where there are already humid conditions, and/or from low grade commercial coffee.
On An Island: That's interesting. Do you have an opinion about Pete's Coffee brand? What's your fav?
And, since Indonesia is humid, then coffee sourced from Africa is better? Or?
Hi Leonora, Peet's is legendary and predated SBUX, but it's always been a bit too dark roasted for me. I'm a huge fan of African coffee, especially natural processed fruity Ethiopians light roasted. They will be much more acidic though, which may not be for everybody.
Speaking in generalities, Africa has spectacular coffee and much of it is washed and very clean. I wouldn't want to malign Indonesian coffee though or say other regions are "better" just because it's humid and the processing may lead to quirky flavors. Sumatra and other wet hulled beans that are well-sourced can be very tasty, full-bodied and with lots of character; I never worry about mycotoxins personally.
My advice is to discover what you like by experimenting with different regions, roast levels, and roasters. If you're primarily worried about mycotoxins, buy beans only from specialty coffee shops that source carefully and roast their own. It's more $$ but supports local, independent biz.
That’s too expensive for my taste. I have a friend that buys organic green beans and roast them in small batches at home. She charges me $12/pound