3 of the Best Shade Grown Coffee Brands

A unique form of coffee plants grow under a canopy of trees in the shade.  The Best Shade Grown Coffee Brands contain coffee beans that grow in the shade.  Shade farming provides Eco-friendly benefits to the surprise of  the best coffee farmers. The best part is these beans are almost always a higher quality product because of how they are grown.

Coffee beans grown in shade tend to develop more complex flavors, as they take longer to ripen and are less exposed to pathogen infection.

Calling out to every coffee junkie!

Here you will learn more about the benefits and unique tastes of coffee beans grown in shades around the world.

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Different Shade-Cropping Levels

When it comes to coffee, shade matters more as it enhances the flavor quality in your cup.  There has always been a debate on the comparison between shade-grown and full-sun plantation coffee.

So, what is the big deal about coffee grown under shade?

The term shade-grown coffee makes us imagine a forest ecosystem where coffee is planted, and farmers happen to walk around and pick these beautiful ripe coffee beans.

This rare occasion can still happen.  Most of the time there is a plan executed with the multi-cropping system.

In fact, almost 25 percent of the entire world’s coffee land is cultivated under shade, 35 percent under partial shade, and around 40 percent under full-sun exposure.

Categories of Shade Grown Coffee

Depending upon the complexity of vegetation, the height of canopy, and other factors, there are five main categories of coffee grown in the shade.

Rustic Shade Grown Coffee

Rustic coffee grows in forests with little alteration to the vegetation by small family farms.

They receive a shade cover of around 70-100%.  And, the wide diversity of the vegetation results in great and richer flavors.

Poly-Culture Shade Grown Coffee

This type of coffee is grown under native forest trees along with planted trees, which may include fruits, vegetables, and even medicinal plants.

They receive shade of 60 to 90%.

Multi-Cropping Shade Grown Coffee

For Multi-Cropping Shade Grown Coffee, farrmers remove more trees to free land for extensive shade-grown coffee cultivation.

Most farmers plant timber and fruit trees.  And, they often use fertilizers and pesticides due to lack of vegetation cover.

They receive shade of 30% to 60%.

Mono-Culture Shade Grown Coffee 

Here the coffee plants only receive 10% to 30% shade and grow under one or two tree species, which farmers prune heavily.

Full Sun Plantation Shade Grown Coffee

Due to lack of canopy trees or fewer tree plantations, this coffee grows under full sunlight and receives 0 to 10% shade.

Diverse Global Habitat of Shade-Grown Coffee

Coffee grows in the shade all around the world, and here are some interesting facts about its global footprint:

• Coffee in Latin America, Asia, and Africa comes from the high diversity of shade trees.
• Taller shade tends to have more birds and better uniform shade.
• In Mexico, 40% to 56% of forest ants exist in farms growing coffee under shade.
• In Southern Mexico, you can find 180 species of birds in the coffee plantation.
• Coffee under shade systems often plants epiphytes like orchids and bromeliads. These enhance bird diversity and are home for thousands of insects as food for the birds.
• Farms with more shade increased 19% in the fertility.
• Shade coffee farms have 42% more soil moisture when compared to sun coffee farms.

Ecological Benefits of Shade-Grown Coffee

Apart from giving your cup a shot of intense flavors, you will find multiple benefits of coffee grown under shade for our environment:

• Wildlife thrives on vegetation and thousands of migratory birds that take refuge in the canopies.
• Such coffee fields are a great boost to our ecosystem, which has a diverse range of pollinators. They increase the yield of neighboring crops and encourage the breeding of honeybees.
• The water around the dense vegetation helps in purification of the air and improves the quality of the water.
• There are fewer landslides that occur by the mountains and hurricane-prone areas, which keeps the chunks of farmland from eroding.
• Intense farming can cause the soil to lose its natural fertility and moisture. By cultivating crops under shade, the soil maintains its nutrients and they replenish over time.

Our Top 3 Featured Shade-Grown Coffee Products

Why shade grown coffee is better?

After reading this article, now you know many incredible reasons for cultivating coffee beans under shade.  And, you better understand the benefits that the best shade grown coffee beans can provide.

If you’re looking for the best shade grown coffee on the market, then these three options should be at the top of your list.

1. Java Planet – Guatemalan USDA Organic Coffee Beans

The folks from Java Planet have an extensive range of exotic, foreign land coffee beans with rich flavors that will give your world a shade-grown, organic intensity.

Java Planet – Guatemalan USDA Organic Coffee Beans are just one such bean that source from the mountains in Guatemala.

Java Planet only selects the finest and aromatic Gourmet Organic Arabica Coffee Beans.  They roast in small batches to capture the flavors.  They deliver the coffee beans straight to coffee lovers around the world.

Only the grade “A” organic coffee beans make it to the roasting.

The farmers achieve a smooth and flavored taste due to the lack of pesticides and the shade-grown effect.

Organic coffee is the healthiest option for every coffee addict and Java Planet small batch roasting technique, ensures you get all the flavors without the bitterness.

2. Tomorrow’s Coffee Organic, Fair Trade, Shade Grown Whole Bean bird friendly coffee

Every year, new crops bring out a balanced and smooth cup at your table.

Tomorrow’s Coffee with its Organic Dark French Roast beans bring the sweetness of chocolate and a smokey hint to your coffee collection.

The creamy, chocolaty body along with the dark roast taste makes a coffee you can drink all day long.

This coffee is sourced from the Amazon rain forests of South America.  However, the Tomorrow coffee company isn’t a companies that is participating in the destruction of the rainforests.

Tomorrow’s coffee beans are Smithsonian Bird Certified.  This certification means that the coffee trees that grow Tomorrow coffee beans do not disrupt the natural canopies of the rainforest.  They help to maintain a sustainable habitat for thousands of migratory birds.  Other mammals that live in the rainforest benefit from these farming processes.

Tomorrow coffee beans are grown under Fair Trade agreements.  These agreements allow smaller coffee bean farm owners to provide higher wages for their workers.

Inspired by the sustainability goals, this Tomorrow’s Organic Shade Grown Coffee is one of a kind.  The Tomorrow company is a dream come true for every coffee lover that cares about their own carbon footprint.

3. Camano Island – Papua New Guinea Coffee Roast

This perfect medium Camano Island Coffee is one of the boldest roasted organic coffee beans in the market.

Grown without the use of pesticides and harmful chemicals, this organic coffee grows under dense canopy trees.  These agricultural features give Camano Island Papua New Guinea Coffee beans a much less acidic taste.

The sweet and medium roasting taste gives every cup a clean finish, which will wake you up with the greatest savory flavors.

These top 1% Arabica Beans grow in the Papua New Guinea Highlands.  These Highlands are popular for exporting their quality beans since 1930.

The clean and crisp taste of the coffee, along with the rich aroma and unique blend gives every cup a drool-worthy salute.

Every coffee lover will enjoy perfect roasting and balanced components, in hot water of straight with milk.

Summary for the Best Shade Grown Coffee Brands

If you’re a true fanatic of the energy-boosting drinks, then pick your favorite shade-grown coffee and indulge in sheer perfection with every cup.

We’ve learned about Rustic, Poly-Culture, Multi-Cropping and Mono-Culture methods for cultivating the best shade grown coffee.

We’ve also learned about diverse global habitats and ecological benefits of shade grown coffee.

Do You Want the BEST Shade Grown Coffee?

YES - GET IT NOW

But, most of all we’ve learned what goes into making the Best Shade Grown Coffee beans in the world.

Enjoy!