The EU is further evolving it’s Organic Food System with a few changes, some of which are highly significant as described in a EurActiv article here. First, they have mandated the use of the “Euro-Leaf” which must be displayed on food items produced by any EU Member Country. One of the good aspects of the EU Program is that a location code to back-track the origin of ingredients is included in the labeling requirements.

And in addition to this, they have laid out new regs regarding the world of Organic Aquaculture (the EU’s Organic Farming Website is here for additional details on all aspects of their system). Specifically, it places limits on stocking densities (crucial in preventing sickness, sea lice infestations etc), has tighter controls regarding the use of organic feeds and also includes guidance for seaweed and mollusk production. This is definitely an important step in the right direction. Aquaculture does hold promise for efficiently producing a healthy and sustainable supply of high quality protein & oils. And with the issues of depleted fish stocks this could be a win-win all around. However where there’s promise there’s also the potential for problems such as the chemicals and colorants commonly used for farm raised salmon. In any case, it appears that world-wide we’re starting to get our arms around this new old thing called organic food. and whether or not you buy into the healthier aspect of it there’s no doubt in my mind that the general quality of such food is at a different level.

Related Posts:

• Buying Fish
• Simply Steamed Fish

So I’m told that they are the only USDA Certified Organic Coffee Roaster in New Hampshire. Thank God we have at least one up there. And, being a processor you need to do more than just purchase organic green coffee beans. As part of the organic standard they are required to be certified USDA Organic by undergoing an annual audit.  … But the fact that they are organic means more than just producing awesome aromas and having to close your eyes while savoring their blends. Much more. You see, for coffee the environmental and health  considerations are ratcheted up a notch from where they usually are. I know, I know, coffee as compared to other organic foods has low residual levels of pesticides since it’s the internal bean that’s consumed (and some feel that the high temps of the roasting process destroys anything left… although I haven’t

seen the before and after chemical analysis to know if this is true or just a combination of speculation & wishful thinking). The big issue really is that coffee is basically a third world crop where growers tend to raise their families in intimate proximity to the farm. Also, the rules for pesticide and herbicide usage can get pretty loose and fancy-free in some of these countries. .. So.. we have a direct exposure issue and then there’s the run off … and then there’s the potential drinking water supply issues etc etc. Definite issues in every case? No. A definite concern? Absolutely. .. This just isn’t a visual I feel comfortable with. Anyway, with coffee, more so than with most products, I feel that I’m doing the world as well as myself a favor by going organic.

So much for the “malarkey theory” of organic food.  … Now what about the the coffee in and of itself? First, we need to know how fresh is fresh and does it make a difference? Well this morning I sauntered down to the corporate coffee cafe and took a peek at a pound of French Roast. Noted that the expiration date is a mere seven months from now. This of course would make Justin and Emeran just about pass out (my father would say what’s the rush). These guys, like every coffee connoisseur, states that after a week forget about it, it’s morphing into instant.  … A week vs. seven months. … But they do qualify this statement by saying that the coffee changes, evolves, as soon as roasting is complete. First, in a universally good way.. you need to give the newly born roasted beans about 24 hours to degas and otherwise settle down before they can be truly appreciate in their full coffee flavored purity. But they continue to change, age and as a general rule, get as my old friend Ray Kavanaugh would say, “not-good”. But like anything there are exceptions .. Justin mentioned that one coffee he found tends to become better with age to his palette.. but I doubt he was talking seven months worth of aging.

In addition to these post birth from the roaster issues, there are also considerations beyond the organic pedigree for the prenatal green coffee beans. For instance, Emeran mentioned how the industry is continuing to evolve where in the past it was generally assumed that a one year shelf life for the green beans were acceptable where now things are beginning to turn where three months is starting to become the more prevalent standard of excellence. And then of course there’s the trend towards micro-lots where they will separate the better grade high altitude coffees form the the other “not so good” beans instead of bagging everything together was was traditionally done. … And, even the bags themselves. Where jute tended to be used exclusively is now giving way to the use of so called “GrainPro” Bags  which help maintain freshness.

But getting in the finest beans (Emeran generally looks at cupping data to make her choices…BTW her staff recommended the Brazil Blend for it’s ashy notes.. Awesome! So good I finished the bag before taking the earlier pic) and keeping them fresh is only part of the beautifully complex world of coffee roasting. Since coffee is a natural product it will obviously not only vary by grower and farm but also season to season from such things as a particular year’s unique climate (here wine has the upper hand where a vintage from 2007 could be excellent … with green coffee, after three months… not a pretty picture). So the raw materials of the roast, the green beans, are a constantly moving target and  it takes a bit of artistry to combine and roast them to achieve a consistent and almost decadent product. Making a low end product is easy.. High end is hard. And high high end with ingredient variations like coffee… now we’re starting to drift into artistry. And I’m not being dramatic. It literally takes years of apprenticeship before one is considered a Master Roaster. In fact, one business in the next town over makes it known to new roasters that they would like to see at least a ten year commitment to the company before starting out. … These are important people you want in your bunker .. And here’s a small snippet as to how they go about their craft. .. When fresh beans arrive Eneran & Justin will roast small batches and after a day taste test the coffee. Depending upon the attributes found they will make their adjustments in order to produce a consistent flavor and aroma profile for the various blends.  And for those not yet introduced to the world of coffee tasting.. there’s an entire vernacular to learn and understand … they’ll mention taste notes such as chocolatey or blueberry (that’s right blueberry) … if you’ve ever heard a wine tasting described you’ll know what I mean. According to Emeran coming into a coffee shop and asking for French Roast is like going into a bakery and asking for bread. .. Indeed. .. A word of caution to the uninitiated. Get into the world of freshly roasted coffee at your own risk. By this I mean that you really don’t know how bad your current on the shelf for seven months coffee is. But once you learn, it will ruin you for life.  .. Take my father. He has been drinking this horrible mass marketed $2.99 a pound stuff forever. .. And he’s happy with it. It’s a disaster but he doesn’t know any better so he’s satisfied. .. That’s one hand. … On the other, however, is that I really don’t see him savoring his coffee. He just chokes it down and calls it a day. A nice piece of home-baked chocolate cake … this he savors.. 

So bottom line is that if you haven’t as yet taken the plunge I highly recommend that do and pick up some really fresh roasted coffee. It has a depth and complexity you’ll never find in the cheapo or even the corporate specialty coffees. Fresh is best in coffee, it truly is. And looking at the price, I can buy Corporate French Roast for about $11 a pound or purchase freshly roasted beans from someone such as A&E for just about the same money (with shipping & handling it may or may not be pricier, and if so, not by much). To me this is a total no-brainer. Superior product for the same to a few cents more per cup, no pesticide issues, feeling the love, etc etc. .. And if you were wondering, my father did ask Justin (seriously he did) if he got his coffee from the poo of some animal (if you don’t know what I’m talking about rent the movie ”The Bucket List” or read this New York Times Article, BTW Justin said no) …  I think he meant this as a good thing, a gourmet thing, but who knows. He has been known to slide in a zinger under the radar to avoid detection.  . .

Hope you enjoyed this post and that it gets a few people interested in the Fresh Roast Revolution. If you think this is any good please pass it along to your friends or family members who insist of torturing you with the black coffee swill of the past. Spread the word about Organic Test Kitchen.com  …  Best, Theo

So here’s the deal. The new rule which takes effect June 2010 is that “30 percent of the animals feed must come from grazing and that ranchers must have a plan to protect the soil and the water quality”. … Better … Much better (although I would like to see this eventually jump to 50%). .. And another great thing about this is that there are definite, tangible improvements to the environment when you buy organic. That, plus the benefits of clean food, makes the added cost worth it and the money well spent.

Related Links:

• Organic Test Kitchen Post “Organic is Natural but Natural is not necessarily Organic… smoke and mirrors labeling“

In fact, here are some of what we’re seeing according to fruitnet.com … the US (projected 2009 sales at $38 Billion, up 8.7%), Germany, France, Romania, Poland.. all up. In addition prices in Europe for organic appear to be dropping (as we’ve seem on some items in the US).

Hey, I just came from the Supermarket and Granny Smith Apples were $0.99 for Conventional vs. $1.99 for Organic. Percentage-wise this is double the price but when you get down to the apples themselves I can buy 1/2 pound of these things with no pesticides or anything for a mere $0.50 more. .. a no brainer. Good for my health, good for the environment and they just taste better

Gratefully as this thing gets bigger and bigger we’ll have more choices, even better prices and much less chemicals being put into our bodies and the environment.  

The link to the fruitnet.com article can be found here.

apparently changed the sourcing of it’s soybeans from the more expensive organic to non-organic. And they subsequently changed their labeling from Organic to Natural. Well the natural in their Soy Milk may now be married to the unnatural chemistries found on the modern day farm. .. Just always read the labels, even of those products you’ve trusted for years. If you want to read more on this check out the Natural News here.

She has a list of accomplishments from founding the Chez Panisse Restaurant in Berkeley (recognized as one of the best in the world) to rumors that she was the one who put a bug in Michelle Obama’s ear to grow organic veggies at the White House. Anyway, a terrific lady and human being. The Telegraph’s piece is here.

But, like most natural foods Popcorn has been messed with. With popcorn you have your usual problems of modern mass production methods of spraying, fertilizing etc. which may be “not-good”. Let me put it this way, I just don’t want to consume any chemicals no matter how safe they tell me they are. So in terms of chemical purity the organic popcorn is of course the slam dunk winner. … But what about taste? Let’s take a look.

In this competition we pit the cheap supermarket brand of non-organic popcorn, premium non-organic popcorn and bulk organic popcorn. We popped all three in the air popper, let them come to an equal room temperature and tested. Here’s what we found:

Texture: This is a big part of the popcorn eating experience. For this we found the supermarket brand to be, not terrible, but definitely not good. It was sort of able to crumble easily. No chewy action going on. The premium non-organic stuff had plenty of chew..and in some bites too much of the chewy bordering on a polystyrene thing going on. But, the organic popcorn had more chew than supermarket and somewhat less than premium. .. Just right as they say..  So the other guys weren’t bad but the organic was slightly better.

Taste: Supermarket…Not bad but really not-good. Premium and organic, very close and both good.

So the organic barely nudged out a win with regards to the eating experience … both organic and premium were good (just don’t waste your time with the supermarket brand). So with taste being about equal you have two other factors to consider.  The first is cost, premium is cheaper. The second is chemical residues, the organic is a purer food. Now when I did the math the amount of money saved on a bowl of popcorn wasn’t even pocket change. So I asked myself, if someone came up to me and said they’d give me this amount of change to swallow the tiniest amount of chemical would I do it? You know my answer, go organic and call it a day already.

Now if you still can’t make up your mind why not peruse the University of Kentucky’s 2009 Insecticide Recommendation for Popcorn (seriously, this is not to say all non-organic popcorn has any of these chemicals by the time it gets to you, this is just for information to give you a flavor for the world of popcorn agriculture).