Coffee cultivation has quite the ecological impact, specifically on birds as it often entails deforestation for higher yields and destroys habitats. The National Smithsonian has a bird-friendly certification which comes along with a website that helps you learn more and find bird-friendly certified coffees.

I wanted to share my own experience and ask if others had come across this and had recommendations for bird-friendly coffees that taste good.

Living on the east coast I actually really enjoyed:

  • Rockin Cat Coffee. It tasted good, delivery times were quick which gave me confidence as to their small-batch roasting methods, and the coffee I got out of the beans was nice. I remember my favorite one being their Honduras Marcala.

Now that I live on the west coast I've been on a search for a roaster closer to me to avoid lengthy delivery times. I've really only tried:

  • Thanksgiving Coffee. I can't give them as much praise as Rockin Cat just cause I've not tried all their roasts. I got the Guatemalan SongBird roast and it was ok. It didn't really have all the wonderful complexity and sweetness of some other single-origin non-bird-friendly roasts I've tried.

That's all, wanted to start a conversation, get some suggestions for US West Coast-located bird friendly roasters with really good beans. If it helps, I typically switch between making espresso and pour over for my daily cup.

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It is my understanding that shade grown coffee is bird friendly whether it carries the certification or not.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 week ago (1 child)

    As a home gardener, big agriculture depriving animal habitats is dear to my heart.

    I think the conversation about coffee and conservation is about to shift drastically. Even locally the more extreme fluctuations in temp (not always reflected in the average) are impacting crop yields across the board.

    I think anyone serious about sourcing coffee beans should be paying close attention to this trend.

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  • [–] [S] 2 points 1 week ago

    I think a world without coffee is definitely one of those things we really fail to conceptualize. It feels so foreign to think an entire crop could become a luxury because our leaders continue to fail to hold big polluters accountable and in check.

    Individualistic shopping habits won't save us, but I do still wish to find one or two roasters I can really feel a little more conscience-clear shopping from.

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