The English say ‘it’s not my cup of tea’ when they dislike something, but the Americans usually say that it’s not their ‘cup of coffee’ instead. Cultural differences aside, it can be noted that coffee is far more popular than tea, and its popularity is ever growing. How many of you start their day with a freshly brewed cup, and have a few more during the day? And how many of you stop to think about what happens with your filters and K-cups afterwards?
The love of coffee
Coffee shops and cafés keep popping up everywhere, be it a town, a small village or a large city. Teens and business people alike like to meet there and chat over a cup of coffee; all their tastes differ but it makes no difference – mocha, espresso, decaf or late, dozens of different blends to order form. Brazil is famous for its coffee, but there are exotic new blends from Africa, Europe, Arabia and even Asia which are as good.
It’s good for you
Why do you drink coffee in the morning? It makes you feel energized and helps you wake up, and it’s a fact. Caffeine is a stimulant which gets absorbed into your bloodstream and increases the level of dopamine. You will feel more relaxed, less nervous, and even a bit smarter. As if that is not enough, caffeine in your coffee can help you burn fat by boosting your metabolism. Sadly, this effect diminishes in the long-term coffee drinkers. Of course, if you feel like you should cut down on your coffee, try decaf instead.
The other side
Back in 2013, the amount of K-cups produced would have been enough to circle the Earth more than 10 times. Fascinating as it may sound, there is the other side of it – they were made of plastic and only about 5 percent was recycled. The recycling process for the coffee pods is complicated, and finding a biodegradable substitute is difficult since coffee inside the cup must be protected from light, oxygen, and moisture which could degrade it.
Going green with your coffee
There are ways to be environmentally friendly with your coffee: you can use biodegradable coffee pods which are as green as they can be, and take only 180 days to fully biodegrade. Come to think of it, it would be nice if you could just throw the capsule in the trash in your home and not worry about whether it will pollute the nature, wouldn’t it? Even the cardboard box is made from recycled materials and you can put it in your ‘paper’ bin, thus making sure it will be used again.
So many of us love and enjoy coffee, but we seldom stop to think about the consequence of this. Learning a fact or two can really be eye-opening, and it can (and it should) make a person wonder about the background of their love for coffee. When we enjoy it so much, why shouldn’t we also make it as green as possible?
