If you’ve been following my Instagram stories, you know that I’ve recently started drinking coffee again after years (literally 7 years) of going without it. I love coffee, but I had too much of it during college and it ended up causing a lot of indigestion. So that’s why I took a break and switched over completely to matcha as my sole ‘daily routine.’ Then came our honeymoon last Fall and I tried a few of Bridger’s coffees he would order and I absolutely missed the taste of it. Fast forward a few months, it’s fully reintroduced into my routine lol. But I will say, I try to limit myself to only a few times a week so I’m not reliant on it. How is it though that it sucks you back in and makes you crave it every single day though??? I love a good afternoon iced latte (try it with one of these peanut butter bliss balls… the combo is insane). Anyways, coffee is one of those things you should be looking to see where it comes from, if they use chemicals and pesticides to treat their crops, etc. Buying organic can reduce a lot of these harmful toxins. Similarly with produce. A few of the top reasons to buy organic or without toxins below –

FOR YOUR HEALTH.

Coffee is among the most heavily chemically treated foods in the world. Things like synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides – all of which can have long lasting, detrimental effects on our health. Organic coffee practices don’t rely on these synthetic fertilizers or chemicals (this doesn’t mean you won’t get any exposure, but far less than the alternative for a lot of brands), making the coffee richer in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Plus, you can generally taste the difference!

FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.

The pesticides used on conventional coffee are bad enough, but conventional growing practices are also harmful to the environment. Coffee plants naturally thrive in the shade, but it’s easier for farmers to tend to crops in open areas with no tree cover. Most conventional coffee is hybrid – developed to flourish in sunshine – which can be grown more quickly. Forests are cleared, destroying the wild ecosystem of flora and fauna. Birds and lizards (which naturally deter pests) are left without a habitat, and coffee-ruining insects overpopulate, leading to more pesticide use. And without the natural fertilizer of these ecosystems (bird droppings, leaf litter, and natural decay) the use of chemical fertilizer increases.

FOR COFFEE FARMERS AND THEIR COMMUNITIES.

These chemicals are not just harmful for consumers, but for coffee farmers and surrounding communities. Conventional coffee farmers are exposed to a high level of chemicals while spraying crops, and communities surrounding conventional coffEe farms are impacted through chemical residues in the air and water. Again, look into where your coffee comes from 🙂 It’s also important to note that sometimes the price of the organic certification is far too high for smaller, more local farmers, when they’re already following all of the proper farming practices they would need to receive the certification.

Some brands I like: Chameleon cold brew concentrate (original, vanilla) and whole/ground coffee beans, Thrive Market coffee beans… I’m also a born-again coffee drinker, so I don’t have a lot of go-to’s right now besides those. Please leave your favorites below 🙂 haha