Alta-tudes Newsletter news and such...

April Showers...

April 2014

In This Issue

Shade Grown Coffee Proportion Going Down

In a time when I feel like organic is synonymous with "Duh," I was shocked to hear that Shade-Grown coffee production percentage has gone down.

The proportion of shade-grown coffee globally has dropped by nearly 20 percent since 1996, threatening biodiversity and production sustainability throughout the world, according to new research from the University of Texas at Austin and five other institutions.

Researchers say that much of the shift is a result of deforestation and intensive farming practices for low-grade, sun-resistant robusta for instant coffees and arabica blends as global demand has substantially increased over the past two decades.

While researchers discovered that shade-grown coffee production has increased, non-shade-grown production has increased an an exponentially faster rate. Shade-grown now represents approximately 24 percent of the land use for coffee growing, down from 43 percent in 1996.

Environmental concerns related to non-shade-grown coffees abound - including deforestation, a lack of biodiversity for birds and other pollinators in tree canopies, soil depletion that can limit the life cycles of plants and lead to natural disasters such as landslides. In the long term, these negative effects will not only apply to coffee quality and production, but also to the farming communities and individual farmers, the study suggests.

We are fully committed to selling only shade-grown and organic coffees, but it would appear that the rest of the world isn't so sold. It is up to us all to spread the word.

SLOWCOAST Alliance!

Santa Cruz's North Country just got a new coffee blend to enjoy, in honor of the social enterprise, SLOWCOAST.

Alta Organic Coffee & Tea has created a blend with a fun new label that helps create awareness of and preserve the area from Half Moon Bay to Santa Cruz, also known as the SLOWCOAST. The SLOWCOAST Mountain Blend is a delicious fusion of medium and dark roasts from Central America and Indonesia.

SLOWCOAST's efforts benefit local artists and farms and supports three main causes: oceans, forests, and education. Like SLOWCOAST, Alta Coffee is active in the community, donating to causes environmental and educational. We are also affiliated with many wonderful local farms, which is consistent with our dedication to organic and sustainable farming.

You can pick up SLOWCOAST Mountain Blend through the SLOWCOAST website, www.slowcoast.org, at the SLOWCOAST Airstream by Swanton Berry Farm in Davenport, or through Alta Coffee & Tea, www.altaorganiccoffee.com.

Introducing Coffee to the Home

GOOGLE Coffee?

Thank goodness this was just an April Fools Day joke, but it is a bit creepy, in that way that GOOGLE does creepy.

Chocolate Whisky Cake

This recipe, we found in the local paper, but is straight out of Alabama. It looks easy and delicious!
Total time: 1 hour 25 minutes Serves 8 to 10 people

12 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1" pieces, more for pan
3/4 cups cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups strong Alta Coffee
1/2 cup whiskey
1 cup sugar
1cup brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
powdered sugar for serving

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10" springform pan, and dust it with cocoa powder.

2. In a medium saucepan over low heat, warm coffee, whiskey, 12 T butter, and cocoa powder, whisking until butter is melted. Whisk in sugars until they are dissolved. Remove from heat and cool completely.

3. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, pepper, and cloves. In another bowl, whisk together eggs and vanilla. Slowly whisk egg mixture into chocolate mixture. Add dry ingredients and stir to combine. Fold in chocolate chips.

4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Transfer to oven and bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 55-60 minutes. Cool on a wire rack, then remove sides of pan. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Enjoy!

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