1.) Organic vs.

Non Organic:
Organic is an overhyped marketing term.

There, I’ve said it. Now that that is out of the way, it’s important to understand the meaning of

organic and the implications that non-organic coffee can have on your body. Many chemicals have been outlawed in
the USA for various reasons (queue the fast talking, “side effects include” announcer guy). DDT is one great
example as it was found to be a cancer causing agent. Often times, chemicals that are outlawed in the USA are
then exported and sold to farmers in third-world countries that don’t have the same standards we have <source:
nrdc.org>. This can result in your coffee being saturated with a chemical that is known to actually harm your body.
Couple that with the fact that coffee is one of the most absorbant, natural products and you have a recipe for
death.

When purchasing coffee, it’s important to look for the USDA organic seal to ensure you’re protected. Drinking Organic
Coffee prevents your exposure to death-inducing chemical agents and gives you a smoother, better-tasting cup of coffee.
For me, this is an important subject as it’s one small way I can help “save the world” (well, sort of). I’ve read too much
and seen too many reports to ignore the gravity of this subject.

2.) Shade Grown vs. Sun Grown

One comment we hear over and over again is this: “Your coffee is so smooth!”. In the coffee industry, smooth can
be interpreted differently depending on what is being described. Typically, we hear it when someone is referencing
the overall acidity of our coffee – that is, the acidity is really low and the flavor of the bean shines through.

Acidity is developed through heat. Now, don’t get me wrong, acidity is a big part of the flavor of coffee.
Personally, I’m not one to enjoy toddy coffee (or any method that brews coffee at room temperature) because it
removes almost all of the acidity of coffee – which is a lot of the flavor. The problem is that too much acidity ends
up harming your body and is also reflected with a harsh bite when enjoying your coffee. It’s widely understood that
a mostly Alkaline diet is much better for your overall health <source: MedPageToday> and too much acidity helps
the body develop diseases like cancer. Coffee doesn’t have to hurt your body every time you drink it. If you pay
attention to this one detail and only drink coffee that is grown in the shade of its natural environment, you’ll have
very, very little to worry about.

This is why I feel that it’s important to only drink shade-grown coffee. Of course there are environmental
implications as well… but I’m talking specifically about health here.

3.) The Negative Effects of Caffeine

Everyone loves a good pick-me-up to ‘get with it’ in the morning… or sometimes ‘keep with it’ in the afternoon.
Caffeine is an amazing substance that really helps with that process. The problem is that more caffeine doesn’t
necessarily equate longer periods of energy but many people chug different beverages all day for that “kick”. The
Mayo Clinic says that 200 – 300 milligrams of caffeine per day is perfectly safe for most adults. They then go on to
say that 500-600 milligrams of caffeine a day may cause insomnia, nervousness, restlessness, irritability, stomach
upset, fast heartbeat, and muscle tremors. <source: mayoclinic.com>
So the question remains: How much coffee can I enjoy before I’m pushing the limit of caffeine I should add to my
body?

The answer to that question depends entirely on the quality of coffee you enjoy. Many people default to the
“darker roasts have less caffeine” argument. While that is true, the amount of difference is, typically, very small.
Mayo Clinic posted a chart outlining the content of caffeine in various beverages that we consume. On that chart,
coffee ranges from 27 – 200+mg per 8oz cup for the spectrum of brewed coffee at home <source: mayoclinic.com>.
So what is the difference? The answer is surprisingly easy. Higher quality coffees have less caffeine than lower
quality coffees do. When you’re buying coffee from the top 1% of the available coffee market, you’re guaranteed
to get coffee with a better balance of caffeine. This allows you to drink more while not harming your body.

It’s also important to note that even the smaller amounts of caffeine can be counter-balanced with the health
benefits of coffee. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Newer studies have also shown that coffee may have benefits,
such as protecting against Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes and liver cancer. And it has a high content of
antioxidants.” <source: mayoclinic.com> For this reason, it’s vitally important to purchase high-quality coffee to
enjoy more without harming your body as well as to enjoy the health benefits that come in tow.

4.) Chemical Decaffeination

While I’m not known for being a big consumer of decaffeinated coffee, there are times where it is necessary and if
you have certain health issues, it’s crucial. Many people enjoy decaf coffee each and every day. For some, it’s an
evening cup so they can sleep. For others, it’s all they drink.

There are two main things to be leery of when purchasing decaf coffee:

1.) In order for coffee to be decaffeinated, it needs to be 97% caffeine free. For those that are super sensitive to
caffeine in their body, you can still experience the effects of caffeine in a decaffeinated bean. I’ve been
approached by many people that were initially skeptical about giving coffee another shot because they found that
even decaf affected their daily routine. Of course, if this is a health issue, it’s even far more imperative to be
careful with the coffee you consume. Swiss Water Process decaf removes 99.7% of the caffeine – and does it all
naturally <source: SwissWater.com>. When you couple this processing with the first blog post in this series (Way #1
that your coffee kills you), you can begin to see the absolute importance of combining water processed decaf with
organic beans.

2.) That last sentence was the perfect segway into point number 2. This is different than organically grown coffee
vs. non-organically grown coffee. With decaf, the organic is vitally more important. Most decaffeination is done by
giving coffee a chemical bath that draws the caffeine out. Wikipedia does a great job of summing up the chemical
decaf process; “the coffee beans are first steamed for 30 minutes and then repeatedly rinsed with either
dichloromethane or ethyl acetate for about 10 hours” and then goes on to say “the chemical used for
decaffeination is synthetic”. These chemicals have been thought of to help advance cancer or even cause it.
<source: TheFoodMedicine.com>

I’m not sure, honestly, how to wrap up this thought other than this: If that wasn’t a compelling argument to keep
you away from chemical decaf – nothing will convince you. Just spending time researching will show you the pitfalls
of decaf coffee yet, when you research water processed coffee, those pitfalls all disappear.

5.) Carcinogens in Burnt Coffee

I know the first thing that came to many peoples’ heads when reading the title:

“I like my dark roasted coffee and I don’t want to hear another ‘coffee guy’ tell me to stop drinking it.”

Honestly, I do like lighter roasted coffee beans (note: not weak coffee, just lighter roasted beans – there is a
difference). That’s another thought, for another day, however. The truth is, you can enjoy a well roasted Dark
Roast Coffee without ingesting cancerous substances into your body. Dark doesn’t have to mean burnt.
“Research has shown that if food is burnt or heated excessively then a certain group of carcinogenic substances are
released which are known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Once these substances have been consumed
by the individual via the burnt food then they also travel into the intestines and other organs of the human body via
the process of blood circulation. In such cases, these polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons not only cause cancer but
also tend to increase toxicity of bone marrow, suppression of the immune system, reproductive toxicity, liver
toxicity as well as cardiovascular toxicity.” <source:DietHealthClub.com>

Coffee is known as one of the highest sources of carcinogens around, yet something as simple as NOT purchasing
burnt coffee beans can drastically reduce this factor. Coffee, roasted to a dark profile, can actually be extremely
enjoyable (even for light roast drinkers such as myself) and still keep that dark nuance that so many people really
enjoy. The trick is to buy high-quality beans that are roasted to a balanced dark roast profile.

On a side note, I find many people actually prefer the flavor of a medium roast to the flavor of a dark roast.
Medium roast coffees actually give you that full-roasted flavor that many enjoy in dark roasts while maintaining the
natural nuances of the coffee beans.

The 5 Ways Your Coffee Kills You – Conclusion…

This post ends my 5-part series. Honestly, there are many more talking points for each of the 5 ways your coffee is
killing you. There are also many more things to watch out for that I will eventually add to the blog. All in all, you
can drink coffee and significantly hurt your body or you can drink coffee and actually enjoy a beverage that adds
healthful antioxidants and tastes amazing.

The world of coffee is HUGE. Make sure you’re educated before you make your next coffee purchase.