Zapatista coffee is better

by Dennis Craven, Posted Aug 28th 2006 @ 10:06AM

It is about the environment, and it is about politics, but I can testify first hand that shade grown coffee is better for you, especially if you get migraine headaches.

Typically coffee was shade grown in South America, Central Mexico, and Hawaii until large multinational companies razed the forests and slapped together nifty plantations at the expense of the land and the locals. Yes, it's been grown all over the world for centuries, but, as a US coffee drinker and someone who aspires to be eco/politically conscious (not necessarily correct) I am only addressing a particular effort in Chiapas, Mexico. It's called Cafe Rebellion. I interviewed the man who started the fair trade, cooperative there and was impressed. I only drink his coffee now. This is not a plug; he's not-for-profit and wishes to remain nameless, though you can check his site.

So, if you are a coffee drinker, consider shade grown, fair trade, organic coffee. Your pancreas will thank you. The vessels in your head will thank you. Careful with the lighter roasts-- as with most coffees they can kick you into overdrive for hours. On the other hand, organic coffee doesn't have the "crash" you get with a stiffy from Starbucks.

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Filed Under: Farming, Raves & Reviews, Health & Medical, Coffee Shops
Tags: cafe, chiapas, coffee, conscious, fair, grown, organic, political, rebellion, shade, trade

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

8-28-2006 @10:20AM john john said... can you elaborate why shade grown coffee is better your health (aside from the socio-eco-political aspects)?

Less chemicals? Caffeine? More antioxidants?
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8-28-2006 @12:29PM ben said... i just want to point out the great point you made by saying that lighter roasts might kick you into overdrive; this is true. despite what most may think, the darker the roast (which means, the more the bean has been cooked) the LESS THE CAFFEINE. the more heat applied to coffee beans lessens the caffeine content. so, altho that french roast may be dark and taste "strong" it is NOT more caffeinated, it is actually less caffeinated than some lighter "morning blend".
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8-28-2006 @2:21PM nicole said... My family and I were staying at a hotel in Vegas and they had the 2 cup sample package of Zapatista next to the coffee maker in the room. My mother, an avid coffee drinker, would also get migraines from certain brands of coffee. When a family member had suggested that she try it, she did and fell in love with it. She's been talking about it ever since, but they didn't have a label on the package. So she had to contact the hotel's hospice service to find out what the name of the coffee was. Then she had them call and order her an ENTIRE BOX of the stuff!
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8-28-2006 @3:51PM SenatorK said... For an excellent rebuttal to this fairtrade nonsense, check out this entry from the Samizdata blog: LINK

"Secondly, the real problem with 'fair trade' is that it is based on economic illiteracy. The low price of coffee is caused by production increasing by 15% since 1990, and supply is bigger than demand. This cannot be blamed on multinational buyers of coffee. There are simply too many people employed in coffee production. With new technology, the price may well decline further. In Brazil, five people and a machine can do the work of 500 people in Guatemala. The low coffee prices are a signal to exit the market, or switch up to higher valye coffee."
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