The State of Coffee

Written/Edited by Eliza Chute

I do not claim to be a coffee connoisseur, in fact I am far from it. As a few of my friends put it, I don’t drink coffee, I drink caffeinated sugar milk. Because of this fact I tend to judge a coffee shop by its mocha. The mocha drink of Blue State Coffee on Thayer street, though a little more coffee and a little less sugary than I normally prefer, was quite delicious. However, Blue State coffee has a greater appeal than simply the taste of their coffee. Not only is the coffee both organically grown and fair traded, but after you buy it you are given a voting tablet, where you can then vote for which charity you would like them to donate 5% of their profits to. After purchasing my mocha I took my tab and put it into the Marriage Equality of RI slot, before tasting my drink and deciding not to add an extra packet of sugar.
Blue State Coffee was started by lawyer Marshall Ruben and his son, Drew. These men are on a mission, a mission which is four-pronged. First of all, they deal with only fair trade, organic coffee, and as they put it, “roasted to perfection”. Secondly, they donate 5% of profits that reflect their “progressive values”, some of those in Rhode Island include, Youth in Action, Southside Community Land Trust, RI family life center, and the previously mentioned Marriage Equality RI. According to their web-site they have already donated 78,000 dollars to various causes. If that isn’t noble enough, they also make an effort to “run a zero waste, environmentally sustainable business.” They take various measures to do this, from discounts for people who bring their own mug to their Providence location being completely powered by wind power. O yea, and they are also trying to bring everyone dedicated to bettering the country together through their shops. They say coffee is an acquired taste, one I have yet to acquire, but this is something I can definitely see myself getting used to.

All quotes taken from Blue State website http://www.bluestatecoffee.com/

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Feel-good shopping

Recently I bought some cocoa that promised to do more than just satisfy my sweet tooth. My specialty store was out of my favorite brand, so instead I decided to come home with something new- a box of fair trade certified cocoa.





As my chocolate biscotti were baking, I began to read the label and began thinking and envisioning the farmers and people in less privileged parts of the world that my little purchase was helping. I may have helped a a cocoa bean farmer's family to have a better life.


What a nice thought,and a great way to shop..purchasing something that also helps someone in some way.


Organizations such as transfair monitor importers to make sure they follow fair trade standards. As the name implies they give farmers a fair and fixed price for their crops which are grown using environmentally friendly techniques and without child labor. When you buy a fair trade item more of the money goes to the people that produce it.





But beware, fair trade items are not regulated very stringently and many companies can claim they are fair trade without being so. Look for the transfair globe logo on the products.
Happy shopping!!
By the way the biscotti turned out to be delicious and myguests finished every last morsel. For the chocolate biscotti recipe email me at maria@marialiberati.com or visit my website at http://www.marialiberati.com

My bestselling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking is available there and if you purchase in June and July you will receive also a free sample of my new spice blend Sapori D'Italia with your purchase and $1 of every purchase goes to Gilda's Club (gildasclubnyc.org)
Ciao for now
Maria
http://www.marialiberati.com