I received a Keurig coffee maker many years ago. Throwing away the used K-cups always bothered me for many reasons. First putting all those plastic cups into the landfill seemed so wrong. Then I read many articles confirming my gut was correct. Millions are going into the landfills and will remain there for hundreds of years. I also didn't like my food or drink heated in plastic. We all have microplastics floating through our blood and much of it can't be helped. Even bottled water leaches plastic into our systems. Wherever I can avoid it, I do. I would cut them open and empty the used coffee into the compost, but that was all I could do with the K-cups so I quit using that machine. Instead I bought ground coffee and made a small pot. Often I didn't drink it all, but I like my coffee. Just one 12 ounce cup in the morning is all I need, but I look forward to it everyday.
Fast forward to a year or two ago. I bought a new Ninja coffee maker. It was awesome. I could make a whole pot of coffee or one cup. I could make 6 ounces or 65 ounces. It worked great, but it also had a K-cup attachment which I didn't use much. I had a few K-cups left over and made a few cups to use them up but I felt like a criminal doing it. I know, I have a warped sense of right and wrong, but I did feel guilty.
Since it was so convenient, I eventually found a brand of K-cup that was compostable. It was organic coffee which was what I wanted. Organic coffee is mostly free from pesticides and chemicals. I read it also supports fair trade practices which gives those producers fair compensation and its grown in the shade which helps the carbon footprint because trees don't need to be cut down.
Supposedly the pods were made with renewable plant based materials, it was responsibly resourced and crafted in Minnesota whatever that means. I guess they get the beans delivered to Minnesota and roast them or at least package the product there. It was good enough for me to try. There was a bit of a learning curve for taste but the coffee was good enough for me. I saved my ground coffee for those times when I made coffee for more people. All was well except for one thing. Every so often I wanted a cup of decaffeinated coffee. I am of the age where any thing with caffeine after noon affects my sleep.
I found this Cameron's brand of decaf. It did come in the compostable pods but it was not organic and it was probably processed the usual way with chemical solvents. It is the cheapest way and is the most common way to decaffeinate coffee. I didn't really want that but for a long time it is all I could find. Then I found a company called Simple Truth organic. It covered all my criteria. It was organic, single sourced in Peru, it was made decaf by the Swiss water process which uses no chemicals and only water and the K-cup pods are compostable. It also tastes very good. I found this from a website called Vitacost but it was shipped from Kroger. That is my next problem. I would like to find it without the high shipping costs, so I will continue to look for it in stores. We don't have any Kroger stores but some stores sell Kroger products. If not, at least I found it.
I am sure a few of you reading this will just roll your eyes. First of all, why does someone of my age worry about some of these chemicals and pesticides or how decaf is made, but I want to stay as healthy as I can and this is my way. If I am going to have a coffee vice, it might as be as healthy as possible. If any of this information is not correct, feel free to tell me. Contrary to some, the internet doesn't know everything. Do what is right for you, but for now I am very happy with my choice.
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