Gourmet Coffee

The popularity of people going to a certain Seattle-based coffee conglomerate is so engrained into the American psyche that an informal poll taken by Yahoo had people reporting their monthly spending at the coffee giant at anywhere between $150-$300.

Unfortunately, said company also seldom uses organic coffee or fair trade beans.  In fact, earlier this year, they pulled using organic milk due to low sales, but the few organic and fair trade items they offer aren’t promoted. 

The best solution is to stop frequenting this place and make your own coffee.  Not only will you save yourself a ton of money, but you’ll also be drinking something that isn’t enhanced with chemicals.

The history of coffee has been recorded as far back as the tenth century. During that time, coffee remained largely confined to Ethiopia where its native beans were first refined; Ethiopian highlanders first cultivated coffee beans.

However, the Arab world began expanding its trade horizons, and the beans moved into northern Africa and were mass-cultivated. From there, the beans entered the Indian and European markets, and the popularity of the beverage spread.