If you love coffee, chances are you’ve experienced all kinds of brands ranging from instant, K-Cups and whole beans. But if you want an organic cup that won’t just taste great but will also do good for both yourself and the planet – organic coffee could be exactly what’s needed.

Organic coffee tends to cost significantly more than its conventionally produced counterpart. Yet as organic food continues to increase in popularity, more people seem drawn toward choosing green with their beverage selection as well. But is this trend worth following or is it just temporary?

Answers vary, depending on who is asked. Some believe organic farming to be worthwhile due to the health advantages it can bring: no harmful pesticides or chemicals are used, meaning the beans produced from such farms start out clean and healthier from day one; additionally, they’re richer in beneficial antioxidants that provide additional health advantages.

Consumers that subscribe to organic farming’s values tend to view it as being driven by social and environmental stewardship. Supporting farmers and the communities where they reside is also seen as key, while organic farms help fight climate change by emitting less carbon into the atmosphere while sequestering large amounts of it underground.

But unfortunately for many coffee growers, organic is simply not an affordable solution. With higher production costs associated with more stringent USDA standards making organic beans difficult to compete against conventionally produced beans in the market place and premium prices being charged for organic produce often beyond what farmers can afford, organic is often not viable option for growers.

Some individuals in the coffee industry are simply dissatisfied with the ever-increasing number of sustainable certification schemes popping up across it, which they argue is confusing for consumers and leads to label fatigue, disengaging them from issues of sustainability altogether.

But organic coffee’s consumer demand appears likely to remain robust for some time. Younger demographics seem especially focused on health when making purchasing decisions; as long as this trend continues, organic coffee may remain on an upward trend.

When looking for organic coffee, start your search locally with your roasters and shops – they can guide you in the right direction! Additionally, the United States Department of Agriculture maintains a list of certified producers.

Notably, organic and conventional don’t necessarily correspond with nutritional value in equal measures; what matters more is finding high quality coffee that’s freshly and regularly roasted to order, such as freshly-roasted beans that aren’t too dark. Darker roasts lose much of their antioxidants over time and therefore contain far fewer nutritional benefits compared to lighter counterparts; also keep in mind that age and degree of roasting may have an impact on antioxidant content, so medium roasts may be optimal when choosing coffee beans for this purpose.