Organic coffee promotes better health

Around the world coffee is the second most traded item in the world, coming in just behind crude oil (although a distant second we're sure). How ever as more and more people are paying attention to what they're drinking and eating, organic coffee is sneaking up in the market share race.

Organic coffee wasn't a real concern when coffee first gained people interest way back in 800 AD. It was a drink reserved for the wealthy and royalty, even in 1800's when Brazil claimed the honor of having the largest international coffee crop, still no one was concerned where or with what the beans were grown.

Fast forward to toady, and there are strict rules and regulations for how any food product can or cannot be grown. Especially if you're looking to grow an organic product. Organic coffee is primarily grown in mountainous areas, where insecticides and fertilizers can become part of the lower watershed once they're washed down the hills from heavy rainfalls.

Many companies today are providing organic coffee, each require certification and designation as per the Organic Food Production Act set fourth in 1990. This act outlines the requirements for growing organic coffee, as well as how their testing can be carried out and what they must do to hold onto their certification.

Growing Fields Must Be Certified Organic

Now it's not just the growing and handling that must be considered and certified organic when growing coffee. The ground that it grows in must also be free of any ingredients or non-organic substances for at least the last 3 years.

Because the act requires so many intricate modifications to the regular growing process, organic coffee will cost a little more then a non organic brand. Healthy conscious consumers are willing to pay the price for the better beans. AS most organic growers believe that growing the beans with only natural methods and no artificial chemicals helps keep the natural flavor.

Whether the taste is superior to a non-organic coffee is up to the coffee drinker, but there's no arguing that the organic growing process produces a healthier bean for us to make our favorite cup of joe from.

Choosing the right pair of wine and cheese

Wine and cheese parties from the seventies are returning. They are easy to set up. You don’t need a reason for the party. They can be brought together at any time, no matter the weather and there is nothing like the pairing of cheese with wine.

Most people can get overwhelmed. To begin with there are a wide range of choices in wines and cheese. Then there is figuring out what wine goes with what cheese.

The first thing to remember when you set about buying your supplies is never by cheap boxed wine. It may be easy to open but the flavors of cheese or any other food cannot be brought out with cheap wine.

Remember strong wines go with strong cheese and mild cheeses go with mild wine. Neither drink nor food must dominate. The flavor of each bite of cheese on your palette is replaced with a sip of the wine.

Wines that are acidic complement pungent cheese such as Chardonnay with Brie or a Savignon Blanc with goat cheese. A soft cheese like Camembert goes well with sweet wines like Vouvray or Chenin Blanc. And hard cheeses like Parmegiano, Romana or Regiano are wonderfully matched to full bodied red wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Red Zinfandel and Red Bordeaux. Sweet wines like Vermouth , Port or Sherry may be combined with the a the well known, much loved cheddar cheese. If the cheddar is aged then its sharp taste compliments an equally tangy glass of Shiraz Cabernet.

Remember, that the best guide of what cheese and wine combinations to go for, you should rely on your tastes. If it seems to work together then serve them together. Don’t worry about the errors you make, they will only help improve your abilities in the long run.