Monday was World Poetry Day, and coffee houses carrying Julius Meinl roasts around the world offered coffee in exchange for a poem. I have always considered coffee quite a poetic beverage, but I have not always recognized its symbolism. As well-seasoned caffeine connoisseurs, college students should consider the truth that sits at the bottom of many mugs.
The Austrian brand Julius Meinl boasts Fair Trade Certification, UTZ Certification and a commitment to sustainability and social engagement. Its promotion of poetry exposes the coffee bean as many poets’ muse. Monday offered an opportunity not only to enjoy a cappuccino, but also to recognize the industry’s international impacts. Coffee is controversial, and, like many products, it is the role of a responsible consumer to understand its origins.
More than 90 percent of contemporary plantations are located in developing countries, employing forced and child labor. And, as with all trafficking, it is a complicated system that creates ethical quandaries. Is it better to somehow contribute to workers’ wages or to avoid such products altogether? Labor exploitation is difficult to avoid, but the fair trade movement works to ensure promotion of small, ethical farms, improving access to markets and supporting community education. The pocket money college students spend on their regular caffeine boost comes with a large responsibility because the ideas behind a physical product can often be immoral and exploitative. The Fair Trade Certification on coffee products is one way to enjoy a smooth, dark roast responsibly, while grappling with the complexity of labor exploitation and economic power.
Coffee is an addicting concept and an even more addicting product. And when studies show that three to five cups a day is not harmful but, in fact, quite healthy, the addiction is scientifically and socially justified. We introduce others to the drug in masks of amiability. We offer a cup as hospitality, some bring a to-go cup to a friend having a bad day, and the big chains advertise sugary gateway drinks to lure those with a sweet tooth. And of course college is a petri dish for beginning coffee addicts, especially in the state that adopted coffee milk as its beverage, in which Dunkin’ Donuts was founded and that hosts an abundance of local coffee shops that cater to connoisseurs.
A global community of bodies buzzes and hums from morning cups of liquid energy. Coffee holds eyes open, lifts moods and helps productivity reach new heights. The monsters of the morning are appeased, and kinder, gentler people emerge into the day. Coffee holds a quiet authority, especially when juxtaposed with the noises of its followers: the grinding of the machine, the chiming of the shop register, the warm drips into the cup, the clacking of the keyboard and the clinking of the mugs.
Consumers drink coffee sourced from the ancestry of ancient coffee forests while propelling themselves into the future. As Sir Terry Pratchett said, “Coffee is a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to your older self.”
World Poetry Day was a symbol of the peaceful power of both poetry and coffee, especially paired together. Participants created literary art, which often pushes political progress, while sipping socially conscious coffee. It reminded us that while we are stealing time from our future selves, we should cherish those moments sipping coffee and writing term papers. We can admit to addiction and to taking advantage of the drink for its caffeine. But we should rectify our relationship with coffee by spending more time in Providence’s Fair Trade Certified local shops and cherishing the warmth of the coffee mug and the creativity it inspires.
Grace Johnson ’19 is addicted to coffee and can be reached at grace_johnson@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and other op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
