Sometimes people can be skeptical about buying organic products as they are often more expensive than their non-organic counterparts. At first, it can be tempting to grab the cheaper alternative and by looking at a package alone, it can be hard to tell the difference. But, if you dive into what may have been added to your food - or in this case coffee - you will probably be shocked. 

If you haven’t tried organic, fair-trade coffee yet, for starters your taste buds are missing out. After you read these 5 reasons, you’ll know why it is so much better to drink organic coffee. 

#1 Pesticides

Although it can be alarming to think about, non-organic coffee is drenched in pesticides and to be blunt, poison. Coffee is one of the most chemically treated plants produced because of farmers wanting to yield as much as possible per crop to fulfill demand. Plants treated with pesticides leak traces of these chemicals into water ways and the surrounding soil. It becomes a vicious circle of future crops growing in a chemical-laden environment and quite frankly, it just destroys the taste. 

#2 Taste

If pesticides alone haven’t convinced you to make the switch to an organic brew, the taste should. If you love delicious coffee, you pretty much can’t go wrong with a small batch, organic selection. It just makes sense that when coffee beans are grown without being doused in pesticides or chemicals that they will taste much better. 

Organic coffee is grown in healthy, thriving soil that is filled with natural fertilizers and goodness. As coffee is an aromatic plant, it can absorb flavors from other plants grown around it, like cacao or other fruit.  With organic coffee, you will only be tasting exactly what mother nature intended. 

#3 Sustainability

Coffee plants thrive in the shade and organic coffee farms protect their crops using natural methods. Birds help eat pests off the plants and their droppings help fertilize the soil. A certified organic farm must not have used chemicals for three years and be situated far enough away from any non-organic farms so that there is no chance of contamination. Organic crops need to continually be rotated to ensure the soil remains fertile. While it is more work, cultivating organic coffee is a sustainable practice and much better for the environment. 

#4 Health

Coffee is a great source of antioxidants which helps prevent oxidation in your body’s cells. When cells oxidize, they may release electrons as ‘free radicals’ which essentially are roaming particles that can set off a chain reaction in the body which can lead to cellular death. Antioxidants minimize these reactions and are touted as being a healthy way to help prevent heart disease, strokes and more.

Non-organic coffee beans contain chemical and synthetic material residue retained from the growing process which can cause skin irritations and contain carcinogens. When you drink organic coffee, however, you are just getting pure health benefits instead. 

#5 Support Family Farmers 

When you purchase fair-trade, organic coffee, you are participating in a movement to bring equity to many third world farmers and the ability to sustain their small business and support their families. While it may seem small - every cup of fair-trade, organic coffee helps change lives. Instead of big corporations getting richer, low-income farmers are able to earn a living producing delicious, quality coffee to be enjoyed around the world. 

The next time you order an espresso or double latte at your favorite cafe, ask for a fair-trade, certified organic blend. If you need to stock up on your stash of beans at home, order a few bags of your favorite Montecillos roast today.