Coffee requires much research and experimentation for optimal preparation, from automatic drip machines to French press, moka pot or pourover methods. While everyone may have their own preference when it comes to how their cup should be brewed, organic coffee offers many benefits from both health and environmental considerations, not to mention flavor enhancement.

By choosing organic coffee, you’re supporting farmers who farm sustainably to protect biodiversity and soil health while simultaneously improving living conditions for those involved. Chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides have long been known to harm both farmers and consumers who consume the end product – organic farming methods remove harmful substances from soil and water for healthier ecosystems.

Organic farms not only forgo synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, but they also employ practices that help lower their carbon footprint and combat climate change. They do this through practices such as shade farming and crop rotation to increase harvest while simultaneously protecting soil erosion and plant protection. Furthermore, using natural predators instead of chemical insecticides and fungicides for controlling pest populations helps balance out ecosystems more effectively.

Organic coffee plants help sequester significant amounts of carbon and provide shade that cools their surroundings, thus helping combat climate change while improving air quality by decreasing greenhouse gas production as well as water pollution and disease issues.

Not to mention, organically grown coffee is rich in antioxidants that have many health benefits – such as fighting ageing and disease, increasing metabolism, reducing inflammation and improving overall wellness. A study showed that light and medium roasts of organic coffee beans were higher in a particular form of naturally occurring antioxidant than conventionally grown ones.

Your local specialty coffee shop is the ideal location for finding organic coffee. Look out for certifications such as Rainforest Alliance or Smithsonian Bird Center’s “Bird-Friendly Habitat” seal, which indicate some (but not all) coffee has been produced using sustainable and environmentally friendly farming practices. Be careful when purchasing coffee marked “USDA-Certified Organic”, since this designation only ensures at least 95% of its ingredients are organically-grown. Furthermore, many producers do not submit their products for USDA certification despite growing organic coffee according to stringent standards; so even though their coffee may meet those guidelines.