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.

Japan will soon begin to import beef from the U.S. again, after a nearly three year hiatus, according to the Associated Press. Japanese officials stopped importing U.S. beef in 2003 out of concerns about BSE or mad cow disease. Trade began once since then, but was quickly halted again when a shipment of veal was found to contain spinal chord, which is often suspect in transmitting BSE. The U.S. has already asked that trade not be halted completely should something similar happen again, Reuters reported. Many U.S. beef industry folk welcome the news, as Japan was the largest importer of U.S. beef in 2003, importing $1.4 billion worth.

Intelligentsia Coffee is on a mission to get the best beans money can buy, and they have an unusual strategy for getting results. Instead of seeking out beans and trying to get the at the lowest price point possible, they seek out direct trade relationships with growers, help them to grow the best coffee they can and then pay them far more than the going rate for the beans. In fact, they pay growers over 25% more than the Fair Trade coffee prices. They charge their customers a fair price, too, and no one is complaining.

Their goal is "to create a culture of quality" on "the grower side and the consumer side."

Why isn't Fair Trade's standard good enough for Intelligentsia? "Fair Trade relates to working conditions, not the quality of coffee beans." And while the working conditions are important, it is the beans, not the workers, which flavor the coffee. With the growers, Intelligentsia offers financial incentives and trains them to improve their growing methods, producing premium beans. They also help communities develop coffee tasting centers and teach them to evaluate their own products, because Intelligentsia pays individual farmers based on their products, not a flat rate to a production company or co-op. Furthermore, one of their guarantees to their growers is that their rates will only increase over time.

The company's promise to consumers is some of the best coffee in the world.

They supply coffee to restaurants like Alinea and sell their blends online, as well as at retail stores in Chicago.