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By Chris O’Hara

I have had a long association with coffee, going back to my first cup in high school. Served black and sweet, in the ubiquitous “It’s Our Pleasure to Serve You” paper container, that first cup was 25 years ago. I still drink it the same way—and preferably in that Greek takeout cup whenever I can get it.

Back when I got by first editorial job in 1995, Starbucks was three years into its IPO, and opening a few stores a day, slowly creeping over to the East Coast. My job was with a trade publisher, and one of the titles was called Tea and Coffee Trade Journal. I got to learn a lot about coffee, and even got to visit a few coffee companies in Central America and the Caribbean. I saw some of the back-end of the coffee business first hand, and it amazed me how much sweat equity went into it. With over 500 billion cups of coffee consumed every single day, it takes an estimated 25 million small producers to bring it to the market. Growing and picking coffee beans is probably one of the most back-breaking and labor-intensive jobs in the world, and it all happens in the extremely poor parts of the world. That means the potential for a lot of abuse for both the land and the people working it.

So, how to make your daily cup of Joe better for you and the planet? Here are three things to look for:

• Organic certified: Many chains (even my favorite Dunkin Donuts) are starting to make sure a portion of the whole beans and brewed coffee drinks they serve come from certified organic growers. Since the specialty coffee movement basically grew up in progressive Seattle in the early 1970s, the coffee business has always been on the forefront of the organic movement, which lessens small producers’ impact on the environment.

• Fair Trade: There is a healthy debate on how much “Fair Trade” certification is helping small producers in the 3^rd world but, for now, it’s one of the few ways to try and make sure your morning cup of coffee isn’t coming at the expensive of slave labor. Fair trade coffee is purchased at a guaranteed $1.41 per pound, which means that even tiny producers are paid a living wage.

• Bird Friendly: Want to step it up a notch, and make your coffee good for your fair feathered friends? Insist on Bird-Friendly coffee, which comes exclusively from shade coffee plantations that are friendly habitats for migratory birds.

LINKS USED IN THIS ARTICLE

http://www.retroplanet.com/PROD/23792?cpid=GDF100∏=23792

http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/csrannualreport.asp

http://www.teaandcoffee.net

http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ams.fetchTemplateData.do?template=TemplateA&navID=NationalOrganicProgram&leftNav=NationalOrganicProgram&page=NOPNationalOrganicProgramHome&acct=nop

http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/coffee/

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/MigratoryBirds/Coffee/

In the May 2008 issue of canvas magazine, writer Elyce Neuhauser’s thought-provoking article entitled “Conscious Consumption” has had a particularly strong impact on my relationship with food.

Food is a subject that borders on obsession with me, and from the proliferation of cookbooks, culinary magazines and newsletters, and cooking shows (not to mention an entire network) that exist, I know I’m not alone. We foodies are everywhere—virtually all regions and cultures share a common interest in what we consume, and have put their own spin on creating concoctions out of essentially the same general categories of ingredients. There is an unmatched level of pride and personal identity attached to food, which interestingly is a common thread spanning the globe throughout history. Food defines us, whether it’s what we cook, or what we choose to eat.

I spend an inordinate amount of time obsessing about food: cooking, eating, reading and writing about it, watching it being prepared (I can’t get enough of Giada or the Barefoot Contessa and yes, I’ll admit that while reality TV is not usually my cup of tea, I’m hooked on Top Chef, too). Dinner is a main topic of conversation with my husband, and when we are eating we tend to talk about what the next meal will be. Add the fact that my brother is a chef to the mix, and you can imagine what my conversations with him revolve around, too.

But despite all this attention I pay to this humble subject, Elyce’s article shed new light onto my fixation: how often do I really savor each bite? Focus on the flavors, textures, aromas, colors of what I’m eating? Truth be told, unless it’s a particularly delicious dark chocolate truffle—which I’ve always eaten in tiny bites, letting each one melt on my tongue until fully dissolved—I really don’t pay as much attention to my food while consuming it as I do thinking about it the rest of the day. So thanks to her, I’m actually taking more time to enjoy what I’m eating. Just now, for example, while writing this blog, between sentences I’ve been sipping a particularly delicious cup of Darjeeling tea, forcing myself to stop and really taste it rather than simply swigging it while I type. It starts off flowery, then gets deeper and stronger as it passes over my palate, then has a lingering finish that leaves such a pleasant, delicate herbal flavor behind.

Have you ever noticed that no two cups of tea taste exactly the same? Or have you ever wondered, as I have, about how we all can follow the same exact Toll House cookie recipe and no two person’s version ever tastes the same?

Do you obsess about these things, too? We’d love to know what your relationship with food is. Do you eat simply to put hunger at bay, or take time to plan your meal, and truly focus on it while you eat it? We want to know! Please post your comments below.

-Diana Murphy, canvas editor in chief