Many of us view our morning caffeine fix as a necessity akin to brushing our teeth, but we also want to be environmentally and socially responsible. With the increase in popularity of fair trade and organic coffees, you can sip your morning brew guilt-free. Coffee is produced in some of the poorest and environmentally fragile regions in the world, and organic and fair trade coffees have health, environmental, and humanitarian benefits that regular, often less-expensive coffees don’t.

Fair Trade certification guarantees coffee farmers fair prices for their crops, thereby increasing their standards of living. Although not necessarily organic, Fair Trade certification prohibits use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and hazardous pesticides. Sixty percent of Fair Trade Certified coffee imported to the US is organic. Organic coffee is grown without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. It is produced in 40 countries, and 89 million pounds of organic coffee were imported into the US and Canada in 2008. Try these nine organic and fair trade coffees from the Organic Coffee Collaboration, recently tested by the Delicious Living staff.

 1. Logan, Utah’s Caffe Ibis boasts mountain grown, mountain roasted coffee. They are certified organic and fair trade. Deputy Editor Radha Marcum cold brewed the Organic Café Femenino, a blend of whole beans produced by Andean women-owned farms along the Inca Trail. She described the result as, “so smooth when added to milk it tasted like coffee ice cream. Not a trace of bitterness.” Find out more about cold brewing coffee.

 2. Chiapas Farms of Austin, Texas, specializes in importing fair trade foods such as their Café de Chiapas coffee. Offered in dark and medium roast, the beans are grown and harvested by an organic and fair trade cooperative in the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico. It was introduced to the market in June 2009. Delicious Living’s Photo and Production Coordinator, Erin Manning, describes the brewed coffee, “I really like this one. Bright acidity, smooth flavor. A good cup to ease you into the morning with a gentle nudge, as opposed to the hard kick-in-the-rear that some coffee gives you.”

 3. Crimson Cup Coffee and Tea in Columbus, Ohio, imports only Specialty Grade Class 1 beans, which are the top five percent of the world’s coffee beans. Crimson Cup serves over 350 coffee houses, colleges and universities, and grocers. They sell four organic fair trade coffees, including Jungle Love, a blend from Central America and Indonesia offering balanced flavor with full body and a smooth finish.

 4. San Diego’s Elan Organics imports organic coffees through partnerships with village co-ops in over 20 coffee-producing countries. Some of the proceeds from each pound of coffee go to fund projects to improve living and working conditions in coffee-producing regions. Their Costa Rican Pastora Tarrazu comes from the mountainous Southern Pacific region and boasts a sweet chocolaty aroma, rich body, a hint of berry notes and a pleasant aftertaste.

Next page: More top coffee picks