market focus / FEATURES
S
o where are we on the topic of organic foods? Or, more specifically, organic coffee? With the latest bustling topic in Dubai being the tussle between whether to buy organic or non-organic coffee, I get asked this a lot these days. We must first ask ourselves, as consumers, what is the pretext behind us choosing organic over conventionally produced coffee? And does it justify shelling out the extra cash. To fully understand the concept of organic coffee, we must look at it objectively – how does it differ from other organic produce, ie your fresh fruits and vegetables. To start with, the coffee bean is nothing more than the seed that is nestled away inside the fruit or ‘cherry’ of a coffee plant (Coffea). However, if you try to bite into this bean you will most likely chip a few teeth! Subsequently, the bean that we actually use undergoes various stages of processing before it makes its way into your cup. Not really comparable with eating organic apples or cucumbers, but moving on... Coffee grown with organic farming standards focuses principally on using organic fertilisers that are free from chemicals and more environmentallyconscious, at times produced with the discarded coffee pulp from previous harvests. As the exterior shell is discarded (through a wet, dry or semi-drying processing method) and the higher-valued interior pit is then milled, sorted, bagged, shipped then roasted (at temperatures as high as 230 degrees Celsius for an average of 10-12 minutes) and later packaged (in many cases, it is nitrogen flushed as well), would it be more logical to construe that any harmful chemical additives have almost zero chances of survival? We, as consumers, then use the dried beans, grind them and subject them to further boiling temperatures, throw out the grind and consume only the water infusion.. A more
"The best coffees are produced by farmers who take great care in every minute detail of their coffee growing processes. The commercial undertones of organic coffee have somewhat diluted organic coffee produce, as most organic coffee now surfaces from co-operatives." www.cpimediagroup.com
pertinent concern would then come into play after the coffee bean is extracted from the cherry and when it is subjected to the artificial or chemicalised processing, roasting and brewing. These are the more compelling factors to be considered as this involves the direct handling and preparation of the main coffee ingredient that makes its way into our bloodstreams. Today, the best coffees tend are produced by farmers who take great care in every minute detail of their coffee growing processes. The commercial undertones of organic
coffee have somewhat diluted organic coffee produce, as most organic coffee now surfaces from co-operatives of coffee farmers who practice varying standards of quality and consistency which eventually compromise the final product that ends up in our coffee cups. And are our organic coffees not deteriorated in quality as we use pesticide-laden sweeteners/sugar and non-organic milk in them, or when we use bleached paper filters when preparing filter brewed/pour-over coffees? In the economics of organic coffee, many retailers today use the organic coffee certification as eye-wash to justify higher prices and a more premium positioning in the market. Farmers claim that using chemical-free fertilizers in growing coffee makes their coffee of better quality, though it stunts yield and hikes up the value due to the forces of demand and supply. Perhaps we need to understand more closely where these certifications are originating from, and how they are governed especially in the Middle East where the organic coffee movement is still quite fresh. Is the organic produce that is imported and sold by retailers properly administered and governed here as it is in the western world? Does organic coffee necessarily translate into a better quality coffee? A common misconception and by-product of the organic movement has led the public to believe that organic coffee is of a higher quality. Many world-renowned roasters will also argue that most organically farmed coffees are unable to qualify for a true specialty grading. We have just skimmed the surface of some of the prudent issues that need to be delved deeper in terms of organic coffee and astute consumers would be remiss not to proactively judge from where their coffees originate and whether they truly measure up as ‘organic’ in their eyes.
August 2013 / The Pro Chef Middle East
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