Drink coffee, help the environment

For me, there's nothing selfish in the act of drinking coffee. In fact, you could say it's completely unselfish - when I drink a cup of coffee, I'm more alert and more likely to listen to what you're saying, I'm chirpy so I'll probably put you in a good mood, and I've had a little bit of an indulgence so I'm generally calm and relaxed (a good time to tell me that something's gone wrong, so I can deal with it without breaking down...)

But wouldn't it be great if that cup of coffee was just a little more 'unselfish', say, if you were helping out a community, its inhabitants and even the environment by drinking it? I think a lot of us would feel warmer inside if that were the case (and not just because we've got hot coffee in our tummies).

As you might know, the human race is using up resources like there's no tomorrow. Just last month, it was revealed that we have consumed more natural resources than can be reproduced this year - so we're now eating into 2018's allowance. If we go on this way, there will be no more earth for us to live off - and I'm not one of those people that fancies jetting off to some 'earth-like' planet in a cryo-chamber - so we need to find more ways to sustain what we already have.

Union Hand-Roasted Coffee have done just that. Their Yayu Wild Forest coffee* supports the Yayu Forest Reserve, one of the last and most important remaining places for the preservation of wild Arabica coffee. However, it's not just coffee that grows there - the reserve is also home to numerous rare plants and animals, and hosts Important Bird Areas of international significance.

Despite coffee farming generating up to 70% of incomes for over 90% of the population at Yayu, farmers still struggle to make a sufficient income. This causes farmers to turn to non-forest crops, which results in deforestation and biodiversity loss. It's Union Hand-Roasted Coffee's aim to increase the income of these farmers, in turn maintaining the forest, and to work out how to protect this unique environment against climate change.

If this sounds like your cup of coffee, I'll just add that the Yayu Wild Forest Coffee also happens to taste good, too. It's perfect for a morning bevvie, with its instant citrus zing to wake you up. Following that, you'll find a syrupy body, notes of marzipan and dark chocolate, and a bourbon biscuit aftertaste.

I drink mine with a bit of almond milk, but it's also great as an espresso.

Find out more about Union Roasted's Yayu Forest coffees here.

 
*Gifted for review