Hoot Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 I am not a coffee drinker and neither is dh. I personally dislike the smell and even the slightest hint of coffee taste in a recipe is disgusting. DS15, on the other hand, tried a cold Starbucks canned coffee drink that he was given a few years ago and liked it. He's now starting to see a lot of his friends drinking it in the morning. After reading the other coffee for kids thread, I'm thinking a little coffee might not be the worst idea for him. He is starting to struggle to get himself moving in the morning and has attention and concentration issues at times. Having never been a coffee drinker, I need some help picking out a coffee for him to try. I won't just go to the store and buy the first thing I see though. It absolutely has to be organic, fair-trade, bird-friendly, and shade grown. I'm very, very picky about things being beneficial to the farmers as well as ecologically responsible. I've Googled it and found some brands, but that doesn't tell me anything about taste. Ethical coffee is expensive, so I'm looking for some recommendations. So, what say the hive? Anyone have a favorite brand that meets all of those criteria and might appeal to a 15 yr old boy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Mount Hagen organic instant coffee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pehp Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 I like Land of a Thousand Hills. It is fair trade; I'm not sure about organic/bird-friendly, but I'm sure you could find out. I'm not a regular coffee drinker--tea is my thing--but when I do get coffee, I go to the LOTH shop near us because if I'm going to drink it, I'm going to make sure I'm not exploiting someone in a developing nation. It's good coffee, too. Again--you would need to check out the environmental impact of LOTH to see if it is suitable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 I don't have a brand to recommend but if you're trying to replicate one of those canned Starbucks drinks I'd say go for a brand that has a dark roast then add a ton of sugar to the brew. Those drinks are way sweet. We make our own brew at home using sugar or Smuckers caramel topping (for ice cream) and half-and-half. Our drinks are not nearly as sweet as the premade ones but still good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomtoCandJ Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 We use Maxwell House.... It's cheap and taste good :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 We order this, which is fair trade http://www.peacecoffee.com/ They are local to us and they even deliver via bicycle courier. If you have a good co-op/natural food stores you may want to google some of their brands. I would personally not try to emulate the really sugary Starbucks drinks daily with kids. Those are worse than a soda. Maybe do half coffee and half a low sugar/natural hot chocolate to start if you wanted to start with something more palatable than sugar free coffee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 You could just get a box of Starbucks via brew. It's instant cofee, but it might work fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Have you ever done the cold brew thing? You make a coffee concentrate and keep it in the fridge for the kids to reconstitute with hot water, cold milk and ice, or whatever blend they prefer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 We use organic, fair trade coffee from Trader Joes. I second the cold brew method. Pioneer Woman has a tutorial with pictures if you need one. You could cut the amount way down for a trial run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoot Posted June 25, 2014 Author Share Posted June 25, 2014 Have you ever done the cold brew thing? You make a coffee concentrate and keep it in the fridge for the kids to reconstitute with hot water, cold milk and ice, or whatever blend they prefer. We use organic, fair trade coffee from Trader Joes. I second the cold brew method. Pioneer Woman has a tutorial with pictures if you need one. You could cut the amount way down for a trial run. I know absolutely nothing about coffee, so I'll have to look into this. I've never heard of it before. I found two local brands to try out which meet all of my requirements. I had no idea that would even be a possibility. We stopped by the co-op store and picked up one of the brands, though the other I have to order online. We are definitely NOT going the super-sugary route and he knew that ahead of time. When we got home I fixed him a cup with half coffee and half almond milk. Poor kid took a drink, made an awful face and said, "Uggh this is sooo bitter." He finished the cup but he didn't love it. I may let him try a creamer instead, but none of the sugary syrups or chocolate stuff. Luckily, what he chose was just a sample that makes 8 cups so I told him that once he finished that he could either choose something different or just not drink coffee. He seemed ok with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 When we got home I fixed him a cup with half coffee and half almond milk. Poor kid took a drink, made an awful face and said, "Uggh this is sooo bitter." I use soy, almond, & coconut milk for various things but have never liked/been able to get used to almond milk in my coffee. Just don't like the combo. If you drink coconut milk, try that next time. It's good plain or using vanilla coconut milk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 I may let him try a creamer instead, but none of the sugary syrups or chocolate stuff. By creamer do you mean the flavored ones in the dairy section? To me they have a funky taste, but a lot of people like them. A bit of sugar and real half-and-half is so much better. Even my ds thinks so and he's the only one who drinks sweetened coffee around here. He also likes vanilla-flavored coffee so he gets his flavoring that way. Good luck finding just the right brew! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoot Posted June 25, 2014 Author Share Posted June 25, 2014 By creamer do you mean the flavored ones in the dairy section? To me they have a funky taste, but a lot of people like them. A bit of sugar and real half-and-half is so much better. Even my ds thinks so and he's the only one who drinks sweetened coffee around here. He also likes vanilla-flavored coffee so he gets his flavoring that way. Good luck finding just the right brew! Honestly, I don't know. Isn't that awful? This whole experience is making me feel so stupid. :) I was planning to just take a trip to the natural food store where we shop and see what's available. I don't want him to have any of the overly sugary stuff and he's lactose intolerant, so I would, ideally, avoid a lot of the more mainstream stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 How did he drink the Starbuck's can if he's lactose intolerant? What do they out in those? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 How did he drink the Starbuck's can if he's lactose intolerant? What do they out in those? Starbucks can make drinks with soymilk instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Starbucks can make drinks with soymilk instead. OP mentioned it was a canned drink. I think those contain milk. But she also mentioned it was a few years ago. I know with dh his lactose intolerance was only for a period of time. He became LI in his late teens but after about 10-15 years (sorry, I don't remember exactly) it seemed to go away. Today he does just fine with lactose. So it's possible the OP's son was fine when he had the drink but has since developed issues with lactose and needs to avoid it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoot Posted June 25, 2014 Author Share Posted June 25, 2014 How did he drink the Starbuck's can if he's lactose intolerant? What do they out in those? That was several years ago when he was much less lactose intolerant than he is today. Regardless, he can eat and drink dairy but has to take pills to avoid the unpleasant effects of the lactose intolerance. I'm sure there is plenty of gross stuff in those Starbucks cans, but someone else gave it to him when I wasn't around. Gotta love grandparents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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