Issues > July/August 2006 (#115) > Cold Brews At Home

Cold Brews At Home

Ice-cold coffee on a hot summer day is a perfect treat—light, medium or Frappuccino style. But if you're like me, you dread the idea of spending close to $5 for a tall, iced, white chocolate mocha with soy milk. It may be time to wake up and smell the iced coffee in your kitchen. Ask yourself, when was the last time you brewed some at home?

Many mainstream retailers now offer organic, shade-grown and fair-trade coffee varieties. For example, you can purchase organic and fair-trade coffee by the pound at Sam's Club and Starbucks, and Wal-Mart is looking at putting a few brands on its store shelves. Dunkin Donuts uses fair-trade beans in its espresso drinks, and McDonald's sells fair-trade coffee in its northeastern stores. (See our Coffee Product Report for other retailers.)

Why the popularity? For starters, organic coffee is naturally grown without the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, protecting farmers, wildlife and waterways from toxic chemicals. Shade-grown coffee also requires fewer chemical pesticides, as it's grown under protective rainforest canopies that provide shelter for birds and other wildlife who in turn act as natural pest controllers.

The benefits of conscious coffee purchases don't stop here. Fair-trade-certified coffee is purchased directly from farm growers at prices higher than market value. Higher wages means more farmers' families can invest in health care and education. In addition, fair-trade-certified importers are obligated to give credit to farmers and provide technical assistance; such as helping them switch to organic farming. Expect more out of your coffee.

There's no need to be intimidated by a cool cup of joe. Making iced coffee is not as gourmet as it sounds. All you need is a creative recipe, a handful of ice cubes and a love of coffee. To help devout coffee drinkers make the switch from hot to cold, The Organic Coffee Collaboration, a project of the OTA, is offering consumers with alternative recipes to cool down and jazz up their java.

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