Here’s a true story..
I’ve always been pretty caffeine addicted for as long as I can remember, and in 2013, I quit drinking coffee cold turkey for about 3 years. The withdrawals sucked the first couple of days and then it leveled out. I became a tea drinker. PS I purely did this because I felt horrible addicted, and I don’t particularly like to feel addicted to anything!
Fast forward, I started introducing coffee back into my lifestyle, and I’m pretty full on addict again.. Oops! Although I’ll go between tea and coffee, and I even don’t have any on some occasions (rare occasions). I’m embarrassed to say what my monthly Starbucks bill used to be.. Now, I will just heat up cold brew if I’m home in So Cal or go to an organic coffee place in Sacramento.
So, yes, I said it..
Pretty much one of the worst coffee there is.. Starbucks. I’m the first to say that I’ve spent thousands upon thousands of dollars drinking their overpriced beverages. Sometimes it comes down to corporate and convenience, and that’s what Starbucks is. It is EVERYWHERE!
Without going into details about everything little thing wrong with Starbucks, let’s just talk about the coffee beans. Has anyone else ever noticed that it tastes really bitter?
Creating great coffee is a process. From growing to roasting the beans to grinding and finally brewing.
So, from the beginning, there are 2 major varieties of beans: arabica and robusta. Robusta beans are cheaper and easier to grow, but they taste harsher and more bitter. Arabica, on the other hand, tend to be more costly, yet more gourmet with subtle and rich flavors.
Coffee is medium, roasted, dark roasted or burned. Light roast is really not used often except by a special German and Viennese roast. Medium roasted brings out a full range of satisfying flavors, dark roasted beans lose a lot of their subtle flavors, but continue to keep a richness to their taste, which would be espresso. However, when beans are burned, their flavor is destroyed and they are bitter and unpleasant. Most coffee beans should be medium roasted. When you have a bitter taste, you know that the beans are burned and have no idea what quality they were to begin with, but most likely, Starbucks is not a high quality, but a cheap robusta bean that take on a black color.
This is a very small rundown on coffee beans. Now, let’s talk about the good. Aside from supporting small, local businesses, what is the best coffee to drink? We know that arabica beans are considered “gourmet”, but to take it one step further, let’s talk organic.
Conventional coffees are one of the most highly chemically treated foods IN THE WORLD. Synthetic fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, all bad. Not to mention the farmers that do the spraying and harvesting are exposed to a lot of chemicals. Then it contaminates the air and surrounding water communities. It’s all a continuous flow of toxicity.
Now, with organic coffee, there are no chemicals or synthetic products used to grow or produce, which makes those beans a whole lot cleaner, not to mention the air, soil, water, farmers, etc. It’s grown with organic fertilizer and the overall organic process makes them rich in antioxidants and you get a better tasting beverage. It’s a win-win for everyone.
No matter where I am, the Yelp app is my best friend. I always use it to find a good local organic coffee place, but there are times when I’m in the airport or traveling that Starbucks is so convenient. Though, through this research, I do not really want to touch Starbucks again unless it is THE only option, although I will opt to tea instead.
I have completely fallen in love with Temple Coffee Roasters in Sacramento! Their coffee tastes so amazing, and the 3 (out of 5) locations I’ve been to (East Sac, Midtown & Davis) are beautiful and organic.
If you’re down to purchase your own beans and make your cup of joe at home, I would recommend Thrive Market (link gets you 25% off + free shipping), or the following brands:
For my Keurig lovers:
Like I was saying previously.. When I am home, I don’t usually brew my own coffee, as I’m a latte girl. So, I will usually purchase cold brew with almond milk and put it in this milk frother I got awhile ago. I stand BEHIND this one as I purchase a couple others from Amazon, and they didn’t work AT ALL. This one always works and gets the job done in heating up my cold brew or almond milk for my tea:
Cold brews I like are MALK, Califia Farms & Three Trees. Obviously MALK is the favorite, but need to find it around me. I hear it’s at Ralph’s!
OK, we’ve made it to the end. Thanks for reading Pretty Pure, if you’ve made it this far! I know this was a long one, but an important one. Vow to support local, organic coffee businesses today!
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