I discovered early that the greatest part of joie de vivre is in discovering small things and in making unusual connections. It's fun, and a taste for such discoveries has led me on an intrepid life of adventure. One of the reasons I continue to enjoy such adventures is because making connections between what I notice about myself and the products I use leads to a healthier lifestyle. And as the old saw goes, having your health is everything.
I spent years dazed and confused by diet recommendations and the basic idea that certain foods were just plain evil. Underneath it all, I didn't really have to give up my favorite things; I had to figure out what worked for me, in what form, and in what proportion.
Once I discovered the "organic" label, understood it, and began to try it, I quickly discovered that for maximum health, organic products were best. But the next discovery was, organic may automatically mean healthier, but not necessarily tastier. Product improvements over the last several years have been great, but as with anything, there are variations between products, and sometimes one has to search to find the best.
Of course, taste is subjective, too, but I will always try a product recommended by a trusted friend when it is accompanied by an alluring description.
My partner is a regular coffee toper. He goes through several 8-cup pots a day. I hadn't been a coffee drinker for quite a while, but I'm one of those people who, if it's in the house, I'm going to want it. So I began the campaign to convert him to organic and free-trade coffee.
We found that we liked a dark roast the best. We tried grocery store brands and private company brands. But one thing we noticed was a lot of inconsistency within a brand. We would buy a batch and like it, then we'd go back and buy the same one again, and it wouldn't be as good sometimes.
Finally, I went to the Amazon grocery section, which was new to me. I was quite surprised when I put in both organic and fair trade as keywords and came up with several products. Comparisons between brands led us to sample Café Altura Sumatran Dark Roast. The sampling quickly led to a second purchase. We liked it just as much as the first purchase. We kept ordering it. We ran out a couple of times and had to hastily purchase something from a local grocery store. Every time, we couldn't wait to get our next shipment of Café Altura. We finally put it on Subscribe and Save so that we get it via regular shipment and never run out. Plus, we get a 15% discount with Subscribe and Save.
After a few weeks of use, we began to realize some extra benefits to buying this particular organic coffee. Although it is full and robust, it never jangles my nerves nor makes my stomach feel acidic. The caffeine content is plenty for stimulation, but it doesn't affect my hypertension. It doesn't cause breast tenderness (sorry, guys, but that's a reality for us girls), nor a whole host of other problems I used to have drinking coffee. I have to assume it's because being organic eliminates the nasty chemicals used to grow and process regular coffee. So, go organic, and if you like dark roast Sumatran, Cafe Altura has the best! (P.S. I haven't tried other Cafe Altura coffees, but I'm betting the consistent excellence of the product would be the same.)
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