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Conflict Coffee?
A few years ago, my company was forced to spend millions of dollars proving that our products do not contain “conflict minerals,” or raw materials produced in war zones. A fool’s errand, if you ask me, because it is nearly impossible to prove where all of the raw materials used in any product originated.
I was just in my local Starbucks, and I noticed they have a small blackboard where they list “Starbucks Reserve Coffees.” One of today’s Reserve selections is D. R. Congo Kawa Kabuya.
Now, the last time I checked the Democratic Republic (!!) of Congo is one of the world’s hottest war zones, besides being the site of a pretty bad Ebola virus outbreak. I wonder how socially-responsible Starbucks can justify sourcing their coffee from a war zone.
Published in Culture
Douglas, your son is welcome to join our Ricochet Pacific Northwesterners if he’s interested.
I’ll pass it on. Thanks.
If you have a French press, you already have a sort of cold brew machine. Load the French press in the evening with coffee and cool water. In the morning, press and pour a very smooth cup. I read this years ago as a tip for reducing the acidity of your daily joe. It even makes poorer grade coffee better.
My first husband and I used to cold brew Starbucks Sumatra. He used to joke that he was the only person he knew who measured his breakfast beverage with a shot-glass. Just enough for one excellent cup of coffee.