MoJo Video: The Perfect Espresso

Are you paying too much for your organic Fair Trade coffee? In search of the perfect cup.

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Traditionally, coffee has been treated somewhat like cotton: It’s a commodity to be bought and sold in bulk. Such a system leaves coffee growers largely at the mercy of middle men and the market, and leaves consumers with beans of dubious quality.

But in recent years, the Fair Trade movement, the Cup of Excellence program, and serious roasters have challenged the status quo. Some are establishing direct relationships with individual growers and co-ops, helping them improve the quality of their beans and paying them significant bonuses to produce high-quality beans.

As prices climb for the consumer, how can a coffee lover tell when they’re getting the best espresso for their recession dollar? We asked Mother Jones‘ own in-house coffee expert, Richard Reynolds, to demonstrate the perfect cup.

 

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“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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