If you like to drink coffee, you need to read this.

Did you know that not all coffee beans are created equal? Just by drinking coffee you can protect the environment!

There are two basic types of coffee plantations, namely shade-grown and sun-grown coffee. In shade-grown plantations, coffee plants grow under the shading canopy of larger trees. Most shading trees are native species commonly found in surrounding natural forests, providing important habitat for wildlife, protecting soils and water resources. In fact, current scientific literature supports this argument and indicates that these plantations are a very important tool for the management of natural reserves and wildlife populations around the world.

On the other hand, -sun coffee- plantations are a monoculture of coffee trees where, in order to increase production, the natural shading canopy is eliminated exposing the coffee plants to full sun light. These plantations do not support native forest trees and wildlife species as traditional shaded coffee plantations do. Sun coffee plantations require higher inputs of fertilizers and pesticides.

Shade coffee plantations have played a critical role in protecting biodiversity. In Puerto Rico, coffee plantations served as refugia for wild plant and animal species that otherwise would have gone extinct due to the high rate of deforestation; and are also considered a very important tool for the management of natural reserves and wildlife populations. Now, it is believed that shade coffee has a similar or even more important role for natural resource management and conservation. With the ever-increasing human population and associated development and the fact that coffee is a very important agricultural crop in Puerto Rico and Hawaii these plantations are a vital component of any conservation initiative in these small tropical islands.

If you want to protect the environment and, at the same time, enjoy one of the best coffees you will ever have, drink shade-grown coffee.

ENJOY!!!!

Some pictures:

Blooming coffee plant growing under the shading canopy of native trees:

The Puerto Rican Tody is one of the bird species that benefits from shade coffee plantations:

Shade coffee beans are bigger and better when compared to sun-grown coffee beans: