This is the bitter truth about your daily cup of coffee

Many of us have gotten into the habit of getting coffee from a nearby café, especially during a work day, but what do we need to know about how it really impacts us aside from being a caffeine fix?

The first reliable records of coffee consumption in its current form can be traced back to Yemen during the 15th century, specifically within the Sufi religious sites.

Currently, more than 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed worldwide daily. While coffee is grown in more than 70 countries, 75 percent of the world’s harvest comes from the top five producing countries, namely Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia and Ethiopia.

A coffee plant matures and bears fruit within three to four years, after which the 10-step process of harvesting, fermenting, milling, grading, roasting and others can begin.

Read more: What is a dagel? The snack innovation from Philippines’ Dot Coffee

Aside from the caffeine kick we all enjoy, our daily coffee has other benefits. Studies have shown that Asians who are predisposed to Parkinson’s disease can reduce their risk of the condition with caffeine. Two cups of traditional Singaporean kopi, which has a relatively high caffeine content, or four cups of freshly brewed coffee is said to be able to lower the risk by four to eight times in individuals.

There are major unsolved environmental and ethical issues in the coffee supply chain, however, including deforestation and labour exploitation.

Above Coffee cherry harvesting remains a manual process as uneven terrains make it challenging for machinery to do the job (Photo: Getty Images)

Ethics and the environment

Despite Fairtrade coffee and similar ethical initiatives enhancing oversight of coffee industry labour conditions, the Fairtrade Foundation still cannot guarantee that every worker receives a living wage. And they aren’t the only ones in this conundrum. Other accreditation schemes such as Rainforest Alliance, UTZ, Proudly Made in Africa, organic certified and Direct Trade cannot guarantee a minimum price for suppliers nor the rights of workers.

Shade-grown coffee beans, despite having slower ripening times and lower yields, typically benefit the environment more than sun-grown coffee. Among other benefits, shade-grown coffee contributes to a balanced ecosystem, reduces soil erosion and increases soil fertility. Yet in the commercial race, many plantations opt for sun-grown coffee, which can only be cultivated by clearing massive areas of forested land.

To counter deforestation associated with growing coffee, a research lab in Finland is developing coffee cells in a bioreactor through cellular agriculture.

Above Peta investigation on captive civet cats

The problem with poop

You may have heard that one of the world’s most expensive coffee, kopi luwak, is from the poop of Indonesia’s civet cat, which ingests the coffee cherries and defecates the beans. But there is a dark side to how this coffee is produced.

The Asian palm civet cat is a protected species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. However, according to an investigation by animal rights organisation Peta, the shy nocturnal animal is often confined to small wire cages with no dark place to sleep and subject to a constant barrage of unwanted human contact. The cages would also often be encrusted with faeces, rotting berries and dirt, while the animal would show signs of being unable to deal with the heat.

Numerous civet cats observed during the investigation exhibited signs of extreme psychological distress, including pacing and biting themselves, resulting in self-inflicted raw, bloody wounds. They also appeared to not have received veterinary care despite this. They were fed an unhealthy and excessive diet of coffee berries even though they would typically eat a varied omnivorous diet in the wild. By force-feeding them only coffee cherries, many become malnourished and end up losing their fur.

Kopi luwak that are labelled as “wild-sourced” may also not be what they claim. According to the investigation, there is typically not enough wild civet cat excrement to collect to produce the coffee for export. One producer even admitted that they would mix the excrement of free-roaming civet cats with those from caged animals.

Above Arabica beans offer coffee drinkers a lighter, fruitier profile while Robusta beans have a richer and more intense flavour (Photo: Getty Images)

Know your beans

At cafés, you often come across two major varieties of coffee beans: Robusta and Arabica. They are different species of the same plant family, with different flavour profiles.

The Robusta bean, named after its robust and hardy nature, is cheaper with a higher caffeine content (almost two times) than the Arabica bean. They are grown at lower altitudes, from sea level to 600m, while Arabica beans are found above 600m on mountaintops and in tropical environments.

The hidden water footprint to produce the beans needed for one cup of your favourite beverage is about 140 litres. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation reports that the figure is spread across the efforts to grow, process and transport the beans for a single cup of coffee.

So the next time you order your favourite cup of joe, consider the journey of the humble coffee cherry before it reaches your hands and its environmental footprint. The cultivation, processing and shipping of coffee beans have profound effects on our planet, and as consumers, the power to drive change by supporting sustainable and ethically sourced coffee lies in our hands.

This article was adapted from our weekly newsletter The Deep Dive. Read the full edition on Why coffee can be a ‘latte’ trouble. Subscribe to The Deep Dive here.

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Topics

Coffee Environmental Impact Sustainability

Tatler Asia

Spilling the beans: The bitter truth about your daily cup of coffee

Ethics and the environment

The problem with poop

Know your beans