Be it Starbucks loyalist or passionate coffee enthusiast, chances are you have experienced coffee’s magic first hand. Recently, organic options for this beverage have become more readily available; yet some remain skeptical as to its health benefits and whether or not its taste differs significantly from its conventional counterparts.

Organic is generally beneficial as it supports sustainable, petroleum-free fertilizer farming techniques; however, the certification process presents serious issues, as reported in this CNN Money article:

Farming costs may increase significantly due to organic certification; farmers will spend additional time and resources maintaining their farms as per USDA standards and must renew each year, which can become costly.

Another problem lies in the coffee berry’s small surface area; unlike strawberries which require numerous pesticides to remain edible and attractive to consumers, its surface area would make it hard for any chemicals applied externally from transferring onto its seeds (known as beans) during its roasting process at temperatures exceeding 460 F – rendering any potentially hazardous chemicals nearly ineffective against roasting temperatures.

Additionally, the coffee market is highly concentrated; when companies such as Starbucks want to purchase organic beans they may force smaller growers into complying with corporate standards or risk losing contracts altogether. Because of this it’s essential that people find a local roaster that endorses ethical trading or consider purchasing direct trade coffee for both flavor and environmental sustainability reasons.