Mold In Coffee
We get asked about mold in coffee frequently. Questions like, “Is there mold in coffee? Have you heard of mold-free coffee? Do you sell mold-free coffee?”
We think they’re great questions. And if you’re drinking specialty coffee, you’re drinking mold-free* coffee.
First, a little background: Commodity Coffee & Specialty Coffee
Un-roasted Coffee - what we call “green coffee” - is separated into two main industries: commodity coffee (sometimes called “commercial coffee”) and specialty coffee.
The coffee industry measures and tracks a lot things related to green coffee: country of origin, farming practices, processing, defects - just to name a few. We do this in order to grade the quality of it. The more defects found, the lower the grading. Lower graded coffees are listed as commodity coffee, and higher graded coffee is listed as specialty coffee.
To get right to it, 99% of specialty coffee will be effectively free of mold because the physical requirements for proliferation of these yeasts and molds are such that the large part of specialty coffee is not impacted.
The purpose of this post is to explain in plain language 1.) what mold-free is and 2.) whether or not we sell it. The answer is 1.) 99% of specialty coffee and 2.) yes, we sell it.
*If you’re interested in learning more about the technical terms, data, and science behind mold in coffee, check out this statement by our coffee importer, Café Imports.
Why is there more discussion about mold-free coffee now?
The discussion about mold in coffee has become a buzz-topic mainly for health reasons. Mold-free coffee has been marketed as set-apart from other coffees available at the store and online - as a value proposition for consumers should choose coffee “A” vs coffee “B.” But it’s important to note, that the distinction of quality is made in the commodity-coffee to specialty-coffee grading scale and sorting system. So in short, it’s kind of a marketing thing.
Specialty Coffee has a lot of things that make it special. Being 99% mold-free is one of many reasons why you should choose specialty coffee over commodity coffee - not to mention other quality, economy, and social benefits.
What kind of coffee does Barbell Coffee use?
The good news is, we - Barbell Coffee - only buy and sell specialty coffee.
All of this is another reason why we proudly say we’re 100% ORGANIC, 100% Single-Origin, 100% Roast-to-Order, and 100% SPECIALTY COFFEE!