I must admit…I need my coffee in the morning before anything makes much sense. I have also {in the words of some wonderful friends of mine} become a bit of a coffee snob. When I hear the words “gas station coffee”…I shudder a bit. So, I thought I would do a review on some delicious Trader Joe’s Fair Trade Organic Bolivian blend medium dark roast coffee. That’s quite a mouthful to say, isn’t it?
This is how Wikipedia defines “fair trade”: “Fair Trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as social and environmental standards. It focuses in particular on exports from developing countries to developed countries, most notably handicrafts, coffee, cocoa, sugar, tea, bananas, honey, cotton, wine, fresh fruit, chocolate and flowers.”
Good ole’ Wikipedia also provides some interesting info on organic coffee.
“Organic agriculture stimulates the environment’s natural development of disease and pest control. Because much organic coffee is shade grown, large amounts of forest may be preserved. This preservation has many additional benefits: minimizing soil erosion, preserving habitat, especially for birds; further, the leaves from the trees and bird droppings naturally fertilize the soil. Birds also control pests by eating insects that eat the leaves of coffee plants.”
Nice to know that cup o’ Joe you are enjoying can help a community sustain itself, and aid in forest and animal life preservation. 
A website called www.coffeehabitat.com provides this info:
“Even though many chemicals that have been found to be harmful to the environment have been banned or are strictly regulated in the U.S. or Europe, they remain legal to use in less-developed countries, including many countries that grow coffee. This is troubling on many levels, beyond the fact that dangerous chemicals are being applied to crops.”
Good stuff to know! I have seen and read that coffee is one of the least regulated food items we buy. And, since most coffee is grown in less-developed countries, it really is worth it to buy organic. Organic is not always Fair Trade..so I try to find a brand that is both.
The flavor of this coffee is just fantastic. It is very smooth, not bitter at all, and I can drink it with just milk. I love flavored creams, and some coffees require these to be palatable, but not this Bolivian blend. I sort of reminds me of the smooth, unique taste of Kona coffee…which, if you’ve ever tried it, will ruin you for drinking almost anything else. This coffee is sold in a colorful can in the whole bean form. If you aren’t used to grinding your own beans, give it a try. It really is a much fresher product and is much more flavorful. When you grind coffee, you are also releasing the oils in the coffee…and the longer it sits, the less flavorful it becomes. You can freeze it, and I’ve heard differing views on this preservation method, but I prefer grinding my own. Trader Joe’s does provide a grinder in the coffee isle to assist you if you don’t have a grinder at home…but it really is worth it to buy one. Since I get up before everyone else, I don’t want to wake anyone up grinding beans {it is a bit loud}…so I’ll grind enough beans for 2-3 days at a time and store it in a glass jar {I find that storing grounds in a plastic container makes the coffee taste like plastic}.
SO, happy brewing! Check out the large variety of coffee at Trader Joe’s and enjoy the adventure!
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