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F__Frequently Asked Questions
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Could you email a list of chemicals which
affect coffee and are residual and anything on malathion in particular? |
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Thank you, G Gowen
Also read our
November 1999 bulletin |
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Could you give
more specifics on coffee economics? |
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Supply
Coffee trees, or
bushes, grow primarily in subtropical climates. Coffee beans are the seeds of
cherry-sized berries, the fruit of the coffee tree. Coffee is primarily
classified into two types - arabica and robusta. Arabica coffees, which make up
the bulk of world production, are grown mainly in the tropical highlands of the
Western Hemisphere. Robusta coffees are produced largely in the low, hot areas
of Africa and Asia. Their flavors are less mild than the arabica coffees. South
and Central America produce the majority of coffee traded in world commerce.
Brazil and Colombia, the largest growers of arabica coffees, accounted for about
43% of world green coffee production for the 1993-1994 crop year.
Coffee beans are shipped and warehoused in
natural fiber bags, and coffee sales are usually accomplished through the use of
inspected samples offered by importers and brokers.
The supply of coffee is affected by weather
conditions, the health of the coffee trees and harvesting practices.
Historically, weather has played a major role in determining world supply. For
example, production increases after recovery from the 1953 Brazilian frost
induced big price declines; likewise, Brazilian frosts in 1994 and a drought in
1985 caused a sharp drop in coffee production and similarly dramatic increases
in coffee prices.
The internal policies of the governments of
producing countries with regard to number of trees planted, price support
programs and world export quotas have also impacted the amount of coffee
available for world trade. For instance, the collapse of an international
agreement among the majority of coffee producers and exporters in the summer of
1989 was followed by a price decrease from $1.30/pound to $0.98/pound in under a
month.
Demand
The demand for
coffee is primarily determined by its price, the price and availability of
substitute drinks and consumers' tastes. In periods of normal price variation,
the demand for coffee is price inelastic. This means that when coffee prices
rise, people do not reduce their coffee consumption proportionately, and when
coffee prices fall, consumer demand for coffee does not proportionately increase
to any great extent. However, when coffee prices show big increases, consumers
tend to reduce their consumption commensurately. Thus, the sharp rise in coffee
prices in 1976 and 1977 met with a large reduction in coffee consumption.
In the United States over the last 30 years,
per capita coffee consumption has declined considerably and limited population
growth has led total consumption to decrease over the past decade. Although high
coffee prices were primarily responsible for the 1976-77 cutback in per capita
coffee consumption, some studies attribute the longer-term decline mostly to
changing tastes and very little to price changes. There is some evidence to
suggest that changing American lifestyles have enabled soft drinks to compete
effectively with coffee as a social drink.
The downward trend in the United States' per
capita consumption of coffee has been more than made up for by rising European
demand. While United States coffee imports have dropped from 2/3 of total world
coffee imports in the late 1940s to less than 1/3 of total world imports in
recent years, Europe's coffee imports have risen sharply. Therefore, consumption
trends in Europe will be at least as important to the analysis of future demand
for coffee as like trends in the United States.
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How is coffee prepared for export? |
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Coffee preparation for
export
Coffee beans are the seeds of
fruits which resemble cherries, with a red skin (the exocarp) when ripe. Beneath
the pulp (the mesocarp), each surrounded by a parchment-like covering (the
endocarp), lie two beans, flat sides together. When the fruit is ripe a thin,
slimy layer of mucilage surrounds the parchment. Underneath the parchment the
beans are covered in another thinner membrane, the silver skin (the seed coat).
Each cherry generally contains two coffee beans; if there is only one it assumes
a rounder shape and is known as a peaberry. Coffee beans must be removed from
the fruit and dried before they can be roasted; this can be done in two ways,
known as the dry and the wet methods. When the process is complete the unroasted
coffee beans are known as green coffee.
For further
information on the Dry and Wet Method, simply click here.
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Coffee roasting chart |
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How they decaffeinate coffee? |
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Are there flavor
differences in decaf versus caffeinated? According to the experts, decaffeinated
coffee should taste the same as caffeinated coffee if the caffeine is removed
properly and the flavor influencing substances are not affected. Despite the
scientific data, many people swear they can taste the differences between a
well-brewed cup of decaf and caffeinated coffee. It’s more a matter of
psychological resistance than physical fact. The decaffeinated beans used in the
United-States generally originate from decaffeinating plants in Canada. They use
several methods to decaffeinate coffee beans, but there are two preferred
methods: removal of caffeine by either solvents or water. For those
health-conscious consumers that shudder at thought of chemicals being added to
their coffee beans, there has been little evidence that the chemical used is
harmful. This fact may not convince many of you to choose the chemically
processed beans, but have you considered the flavor quality
Water-processed beans lack the flavor that is
found in the chemically-processed beans. One method for chemically removing the
caffeine from green, unroasted beans involves the following steps. First the
beans are warmed by water or steam, which opens up the pores in the bean. Then
the beans are rinsed in a solution of methylene chloride which extracts the
caffeine without removing the flavor enhancers.
The other chemical method involves soaking the
beans in very hot water for a few hours. This allows the caffeine to seep into
the water. The beans are then removed from the water and methylene chloride is
injected into the water where it bonds with the caffeine particles but leaves
the flavor enhancers. This water is reintroduced to the beans and the flavor
enhancers are reabsorbed by the beans.
To most coffee experts, these two methods offer
the most aroma, flavor and enjoyment. An obvious by-product of these methods is
extra caffeine. This is sold for beverage and medicinal uses, making the price
per pound of chemically dacaffeinated coffee less expensive than Swiss-Water
Processed beans as no caffeine can be reclaimed from the process.
In the Swiss method, so called because a Swiss
firm developed this system, no chemicals are used. green beans are soaked in
very hot water for several hours as in the chemical process, but the caffeine is
removed by filtering the bean-soaked water through activated charcoal. The beans
are returned to this purified water where they reabsorb the flavor enhancers.
There are other, less direct methods of
reducing your daily caffeine intake. Reducing the number of cups you ingest is
an option, but it can be difficult for the heavy coffee consumer. Or, you can
selectively reduce your caffeine by cutting the beans per cup and substituting
them with decaffeinated beans.
And just remember one thing: you don’t need to
give up on quality or taste when you shop for your decaffeinated cup of coffee!
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What is CNOC? |
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Mexico's Small Coffee Growers:
Working together for the future...
In 1988, several
regional organisations of small coffee growers with many years of experience in
production and marketing came together to form the Coordinadora Nacional de
Organizaciones Cafetaleras (CNOC). CNOC is an autonomous national network of
126 regional peasant organisations that unites 75,000 small coffee producers
from the states of Chiapas, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Puebla, San Luis Potosí
and Veracruz. These coffee producers manage an average of two hectares of
cultivated land, and nearly 80 percent belong to an indigenous ethnic group,
such as tzotzil, tzeltal, tojolabal, chol, huasteco, nahuatl, totonaco,
tlapaneco, mazateco, zapoteco, mixteco, chinanteco and triqui. The majority
speaks Spanish as a second language.
CNOC's
primary objectives include promoting regional economic development with
collective capital and improving social welfare through the organisation of peasant families. The strategy for achieving these goals focuses on
"self-appropriation" by the producers of each stage of the coffee production
process: cultivation, processing, marketing, and financing. Mexico is the
world's fourth largest coffee-producing country. Approximately 282,000 Mexicans
cultivate coffee on 760,000 hectares. Mexico's average national production for
the past five years is approximately 4.6 million "quintales," or 60 kilo bags.
97 percent of the coffee is arabicas, three percent robustas.
Nearly 92 percent of Mexico's coffee producers
manage land parcels of 5 hectares or less. CNOC's members cultivate
142,000 hectares and produce over 876,000 quintales, nearly 15 percent of the
national total. The exports of CNOC's organizations exceed 143,000
quintales across five separate markets: solidarity, organic, gourmet,
traditional green bean, and roasted and ground coffee
Nearly 10 percent of CNOC's members
produce organic coffee. CNOC is a member of the Mexican Association of
Ecological Agriculturalists (AMAE), some of the members are founders of
ECOMEX (Campesinos e indígenas ecológicos de México) and several of its
associate organizations participate in the International Federation of
Agricultural Movements (IFOAM).
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More information on Mexican Coffee? |
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Frequently
referred to as milds in the coffee industry, Central American coffees are known
for their balanced taste, moderate body and mild acidity. Generally well
processed beginning with handpicked, ripe cherries and continuing throughout the
milling and drying stages most Centrals are washed coffees with a clean, crisp
taste.
Mexico is directly north of Guatemala and the
coffee grown near the countries shared border exhibits many similarities. Mexico
is a large country with many widespread growing regions, and therefore has great
diversity in cup characteristics among the coffee grown in different regional
altitudes and climates. The high-grown coffees, known as altura, generally
develop a more distinctive taste, and retain low-acidity, mild cup character.
Coffee was introduced from the Antilles at the
end of the 18th century. Most coffee comes from the southern part of the
country. Vera Cruz State -- on the gulf side of the central mountain range --
produces
coffees named Coatepec, Cordoba and Huatusco.
Coffees from the opposite, southern slopes of the central mountain range in
Oaxaca State are highly regarded and marketed as Oaxaca and Pluma. Coffees from
Chiapas State are grown in the mountains of the southeastern corner of Mexico,
near the border with Guatemala. The brand name associated with these coffees is
Tapachula from the city of that name.
In Mexico, coffee is often prepared using a
slow-drip, cold-water process. Dark roasted ground beans are steeped overnight
to drip through a metal filter. Coffee is enjoyed in its concentrated form or
mixed with cold or boiling water to achieve the desired strength. Mexicans
believe that this method produces coffee that is less acidic and bitter. It is
also customary to add chocolate, vanilla and whipped cream to create specialty
coffee drinks.
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