Have you ever tried organic coffee? If you answered 'no,' then you should. I have tried a lot of different coffee in my time and, although I've only started drinking coffee regularly when I was at home on my first maternity leave, it has now become a part of my daily life. There are times when I go through a drive-thru for the sake of convenience. But I usually regret it. Why? I regret the stomach ache that usually follows. Sometimes it's worse than others. That's why I prefer to make my own organic coffee in the comfort of my own home by grinding beans to the desired coarseness and brewing a fresh pot using my French press, filling the air with the distinctive aromatic bouquet. At that moment, life is good.

Recently, I tested a brand of fair trade organic coffee that was new to me - Reunion Island Coffee. The company was founded back in 1996 and takes its name from the island rich with volcanic soil called La Réunion located in the middle of the Indian Ocean. This island was discovered over 500 years ago by the Portuguese and had proven to be an ideal location for cultivating coffee. Hence the company logo.

For my olfactory and palatal pleasure, I was able to try a 12 oz bag of whole bean Ethiopia Oromia from among their wide selection of coffees. I usually prefer Colombian or Mexican coffees so this was a nice variety. It is graded USDA organic, certified by the OCIA and made in Canada. I found it to have a pleasant medium body and a unique spicy overtone. I am also happy to know that it supports Fair Trade and thereby contributes to sustainable development, organic farming and better trading conditions for producers and farmers in developing countries.

One thing I noticed was that the coffee beans were generally smaller than the ones I usually buy. I'm not sure if that makes a difference but I did find that I had to grind them for a bit longer to obtain a more consistent grind. I am very curious to try their other blends such as: Colombia Las Hermosas, Guatemala La Soledad and their French Roast. I probably won't be changing my brand of preference any time soon, but it is nice to see a Canadian company supporting Fair Trade organic coffee. And as a side note, Reunion Island Coffee has also recently converted to offering compostable paper cups to their wholesale clients. Just one example of all the great things they're doing as part of the specialty coffee industry.

I also wanted to share another piece of interesting information that I found on their website listed under the Coffee drop-down menu . It is stated that coffee is a "safe and natural beverage" that, as suggested by recent credible research, can help prevent diseases such as various forms of cancer, diabetes and Parkinson's disease. You can read more information on this and other current and relevant information on Coffeeandhealth.ca.

Have you had your cup o' java today?