Shade Grown Coffee

I like to think of myself as a unique individual, who independently determines my wants, needs and desires. But then I am frequently reminded that I am merely part of a trend. Sometimes I feel like I am only another demographic.

The latest cause for this revelation was an article in The Washington Post about the Starbucks Effect. According to the article, more and more people crave gourmet coffee in the morning. And, surprisingly, the numbers might be large enough to complicate efforts to reduce traffic congestion, save fuel and reduce air pollution.

Remember the dialog in Best in Show between the couple who met at Starbucks? Not the same Starbucks, but at different Starbucks across the street from one another. Perhaps this should not seem so funny. Surveys show that morning commuters do not like to make a left-hand turn and, as a result, coffee shops try to locate on the right side of the street for morning traffic. If traffic patterns go in both directions in the morning, Starbucks much have two locations across the street from each other.

I confess that I am one of the people responsible for this. I love a cup of Starbucks coffee in the morning. I feel a tad guilty spending nearly $2 for a cup of coffee, but I can justify the indulgence. But I did not realize that I was part of a national trend, or that our collective morning coffee fixes were contributing to traffic congestion, fuel consumption and air pollution.

I am not one of the decaf caffè Verona espresso latte mocha with a shot of caramel coffee drinkers. All I want is a good cup of coffee. This once got me in trouble at a Starbucks. The person in front of me ordered a Columbian Nariňo Supremo and the attendant walked over to the counter and poured him a cup.

I then asked for a cup of coffee, and the attendant looked at me and sneered: “Oh, I will have to brew some.”

Another sign of the times, I guess – a coffee shop not prepared for a customer who wants a cup of coffee. And the attendant thought I was the strange one.

Shade Grown Coffee

I do not endorse any specific brand. I often use “Starbucks” generically for any coffee shop. There is a Starbucks and a Caribou a mile or so from my house, and I frequent them both with the same regularity. This once got me in trouble as well. I ordered a “grande coffee of the day” at Caribou, and was reminded, somewhat sternly, by the attendant: “The other guys sell ‘grande’. Our coffee comes in small, medium and large.”

Us coffee people are causing real problems for birds. Until recently, coffee has been an environmentally friendly crop. Coffee is a shade loving crop and it flourishes under a canopy of diverse tree species. The coffee shares the shade forest with migratory birds and many varieties of small mammals.

But the demand for coffee has led to the clearing of these forests and the growing of coffee in the sun. Farmers are able to double or triple their yield this way – but at a cost of more chemical fertilizers, soil erosion, toxic runoff, and destruction of mammal and migratory bird habitat.

The solution? Buy only shade grown coffee. If shade grown, it will be clearly marked on the label. Shade grown coffee is a bit more expensive, but I actually prefer it to sun grown coffee. The shade grown tastes better and, importantly, I feel better about not destroying bird habitat.

Now all I have to do is figure out how to enjoy coffee without causing traffic congestion, fuel consumption and air pollution.