One widely consumed beverage is coffee. Coffee is a common theme in so many of our lives, from a morning cup to get the day started to a social latte with friends.
According to the British Coffee Association, there are 95 million cups of coffee consumed in the UK out of an estimated two billion cups consumed daily worldwide. There has never been a better time to respond to the inquiry because vegans are becoming more and more prevalent worldwide, including in the UK. Is Coffee Vegan?
You are lucky if you like drinking coffee because coffee is vegan! At least Black coffee is vegan.
Related Reading: Is Coffee Acidic?
Is Coffee Vegan?
The fact that coffee beans are grown on trees makes them entirely vegan-friendly. Despite the fact that some coffee’s ethical status raises more complex questions, vegans can still drink it.
There are no animals or animal by-products involved in harvesting or roasting coffee beans, which are sourced directly from the coffee plant. Some, but not all, Coffea flowering shrubs or small trees produce the red or purple fruits, which yield the pip, or cherry. The process of extracting the beans from the cherries is followed by drying, milling, roasting, and, in some cases, grinding the beans before they are packaged and delivered to stores.
Instant Coffee: Vegan Or Not?
Granules or powder that are soluble in hot water can be made from freeze-drying ground coffee. Although some people have expressed concern about the types of additives found in some instant coffees, it is extremely uncommon for instant coffee to be made with any animal products.
Of course, unless it’s a variety with milk products added. Although it always pays to read the label, almost all instant coffees sold in the UK should be suitable for vegans.
Decaffeinated Coffee: Vegan Or Not?
Prior to roasting, solvents can be used to remove the oils from coffee beans that contain caffeine. The still-green seeds are steamed or soaked in hot water, and the solvents are then used to dissolve the oils in the seeds. These solvents, which also include ethyl acetate and methylene dichloride, may not sound particularly appetizing, but since they are not made from animal products, their use does not prevent decaf coffee from being vegan.
An alternative method uses a solution of water and liquid carbon dioxide to extract the caffeine from the beans in a high-pressure vessel for those who are not fond of the idea of consuming decaf coffee made with a solvent made from methane (methylene dichloride). Whatever the case may be, the product is still vegan even if the caffeine is diminished (but not entirely removed).
Coffee Bags: Vegan Or Not?
Although coffee bags haven’t really taken off in the UK, they are still available for anyone who wants to give them a try. Coffee bags contain nothing that would make them vegan, as the majority of tea bags do. Check that the bags are biodegradable if you have environmental concerns; some may contain plastic.
We haven’t come across any silk coffee bags, but some higher-end tea bags are made from silk, which isn’t vegan (due to the exploitation and cruelty to silkworms).
Vegan Coffee Beans & Ground Roasts List
Whether you’re at home or on the go, enjoy a fresh cup of coffee in the morning or afternoon. We included a small sample of the many boutique brands available in the United States in addition to delectable roasts by a few well-known big-name brands.
- Starbucks Blonde Roast Ground Coffee
- Seattle’s Best Coffee (Toasted Hazelnut is a top-selling flavor)
- Bones Coffee Company
- Cafe Du Monde Ground Roast Chicory
- Peet’s Coffee Organic French Roast
- Grady’s Cold Brew Coffee (coarse grind)
- GOOD SAM – Organic Arabica Ground Coffee
- Don E. Gains Cherry Medium Roast Ground Coffee
- Ethical Bean Ground Coffee
- Concentric Lift Sustainable Ground Roast Coffee
- Artisan La Petite Turkish Coffee
- Kawaii Hawaiian Ground Roast Coffee
- Mayorga Organics Cafe Cuban
- Well Bean Premium Ground Roast Coffee
- Equal Exchange
- Blue Bottle Coffee
- Stumptown Coffee
- Café Mam Ground Coffee
- Higher Ground Roasters
- Conscious Coffees
- Salt Spring Coffees
- Cafédirect Coffees
- Grumpy Mule
- Cafédirect
- Doma Coffee Roasting Company
- Kickapoo Coffee Roasters
- Birds & Beans Coffee
- Grounds for Change
How To Make Sure Your Coffee Is Vegan-friendly?
- Find out where your coffee comes from by asking your barista. How many independent coffee shops take the problem seriously will surprise you. When it comes to buying coffee, Warner Newman, a co-owner of the vegan cafe Blank Brixton and a barista with 17 years of experience, can go on and on about the significance of “quality not quantity.” He purchases his coffee directly from the manufacturer and hires a roastery to roast it for his cafe according to his specifications. Despite the fact that it might cost more, it’s worthwhile.
- Use a reusable cup; it’s a quick and easy way to reduce waste.
- Look for organic, fair trade, and Rainforest Alliance logos when purchasing coffee packets in stores. You might not find all three on a packet of coffee, but at least one of
them will mean that care has been taken with the production of your coffee. - Instead of using a disposable filter, use a cafeteria or reusable one.
- Check the ingredients if you’re using milk, cream, sugar, or syrup.
Considerations On Sustainability
Although coffee is vegan, some coffee producers have higher standards for sustainability than others. Vegans typically strive to align themselves with ethical consumerism, so it might be of interest to research and steer clear of businesses that engage in destructive rainforest practices as well as farmers who receive unfair compensation due to the low prices of coffee.
Thankfully, small, independently owned roasters all over the United States produce some of the most flavorful fair-trade, organic-certified coffees. These companies help farmers who grow coffee in an ethical manner.
Beyond the fair trade and organic certifications on coffee packaging, look for these indicators of qualities:
- production in a factory with energy efficiency up to LEED standards.
- packaging for coffee that is fully biodegradable and shelf-stable.
- Shade-grown beans.
- advocating for workers’ rights.