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I recently received this question from a customer: Is your coffee tested for mold?

Instead of just posting my reply, this topic needed an expanded treatment.

First, lab testing coffee is a thing nowadays. After all, until a few years ago, no one in the coffee world would have considered testing coffee beans for mold.

But then Dave Asprey came along and prompted that, sure, coffee beans would make him feel like crap. (Which I completely agree with, by the way.)

To identify and solve this problem, Dave sought a coffee bean that would make him feel good. To make a long story short, he eventually concluded that mold contamination of the beans was the culprit for why he didn't feel so hot after drinking some coffee. So he started lab testing beans to ensure they weren't mold-ridden; Bulletproof Coffee was born.

Dave then popularized his (supposed) "mold-free" coffee in conjunction with butter coffee, a brew using blended butter to make a deliciously frothy beverage full of energy.

People now (mistakenly) refer to butter coffee as Bulletproof Coffee. Of course, blending butter info coffee, and tea has been around for a long time. I might add that Dave positioned his product (the lab-tested coffee beans) in people's minds with butter coffee as "Bulletproof Coffee," a genius marketing tactic.

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Of course, only some people buy the whole moldy coffee argument, especially considering the roasting process destroys the majority of mold in coffee beans. Dave counters this by suggesting decay can grow inside the beans and thus survive the roasting process.

I'm still determining. But that's ok because there's a way to reduce mold risk on top of roasting.

It's this: buy excellent quality (organic, fair trade) coffee beans from small farms that use the wet/wash method for processing coffee beans (or that, at least, dry on raised beds).

When you buy from small farms that grow coffee the right way--in the shade among natural forest canopy, without pesticides, utilizing compost, and processed using the wet/wash method--you reduce the instances in which mold can grow.

Smaller coffee producers produce less coffee, so shipping and storage tend to be more considered when every last bean is considered a valuable asset. Compare this to the mass-produced, technified coffee that is grown similar to how big agriculture might grow soybean or corn in the US--as cheap and fast as possible.

Mass-produced coffee brings with it many problems that can lead to mold growth. You also get a crappier-tasting product.

On this topic, I agree with Dave; good coffee matters.

Whether or not coffee needs to be tested in a lab, and whether that is even viable, considering you have to roast coffee and get it into the consumer's hands as fast as possible.

Back to the question above. Here is my reply:

Our coffee is not "lab tested," but it has been put through extensive human trial testing via plenty of cupping, roasting, and deciding before coming to the Wild Coffee line. 

Our coffees are also all organic, single-origin, fair trade, and insanely fresh-roasted in Austin, Texas! We use wet-process beans, which have been shown to reduce mold risk tremendously.

We also purchase from small co-ops that do things by hand and concerning the coffee beans, which contributes significantly to cut down on the kind of mold contamination you get from vast mass-produced conventional coffee beans.

The roasting process itself also destroys nearly all of the mold, especially for beans that are treated well in which mold hasn't had a chance to seep into the middle of the beans (even then, there is much speculation as to whether mold can even survive the roasting process if on the inside).

Is Moldy Coffee a Thing?

It comes down to this: you don't have to test coffee for mold, but you need to buy the best coffee you can find. Then you get great-tasting coffee that's good for you and statistically unlikely to be contaminated with mold.

And if you don't care about mold contamination, you at least want the best-tasting coffee you can get.

Thought so.

Here are some guidelines to abide by to ensure you are getting low-mold to mold-free coffee beans that taste fantastic:

How To Buy Mold-Free Coffee Beans:

• Buy Organic
• Buy Fair Trade
• Buy Wet Processed
• Buy Single-Origin (coming from a single country or area, which reduces the likelihood of crappy beans getting into your bag.)
• Buy Fresh Roasted
• Buy 100% Arabica or a high-quality Robusta (less common)
• Buy Wild Coffee 😉

How To Use Quality Coffee Beans:

• Use fresh beans immediately.
• Invest in a hand grinder or good burr grinder
• Grind your beans just before using
• Brew with a French Press, Pour Over, Cold Brew, or Aeropress
• Store in a dark, airtight container in a cupboard away from heat, moisture, and light (one-way valve bags or containers preferred)
• Take a moment to sniff your beans (and brew) during each part of the process.
• Slurp a teaspoon of your brew and think about the flavor notes
• Enjoy!

The Moka pot is the closest thing to espresso you can get without an espresso machine.

It's also a fun and exciting way to brew.

Coffee grounds are placed in the middle of the pot on a screen just over the base that holds the water. The top part, where the brewed coffee ends up, has a long spout into a reservoir where the brewed coffee will be saved and poured from.

Steam builds up in the closed base, which forces the hot water through the compressed coffee in the middle of the pot. One of the most unique yet straightforward compared to something like siphon coffee, ways of brewing I've ever seen.

What you need:

• 20g ground coffee to the same grind as espresso - grind size about that of table salt
• Moka pot
• Grinder
• Stovetop
• Kettle
• Filtered Water
• Clean kitchen towel

Process:

1. ​Bring water to boil in kettle
2. ​Fill bottom chamber to line
3. ​Place filter basket into brewer
4. ​Fill basket to a small mound with fresh ground cof

The Nel Drip Method...

To brew the Nel Drip, you need a new brewer. Get one here. It's cheap and awesome. (If you already own a pour-over method, like a Chemex or a Hario V60, you can mimic this technique with good results.)

We are going to provide two versions for brewing new drip. The first is going to be the "old" coffee method. The second is what you want to use for fresh coffee. I recommend trying both..., especially the process for those older beans.

How To Brew "Old" Coffee With The Nel Drip

What you need:

• 50g whole bean coffee - 1-3 weeks old
• Nel Drip Brewer
• Grinder
• Kettle
• Filtered Water
• Scale
• Clean kitchen towel
• Thermometer

Process:

1. ​First use of cloth filter: Soak in hot water, ring out, and pat dry between clean dish cloths. Second use: pour some hot water over it in the brewer to preheat the carafe and prep the filter.
2. ​Remove filter cloth and ring dry, then pat between clean kitchen towel
3. ​Place back in the carafe
4. ​Grind coffee coarse - the same grind size you use for the French press
5. ​Add grounds in loose mound to filter sitting in the carafe
6. ​With a butter knife, "groom" coffee gently around side of filter to remove air pockets
7. ​Make a small indention in the middle of coffee mound
8. ​Set Nel brewer on scale and tare
9. ​Get a timer setup next to brewer
10. ​When your water has cooled to 175°, it's time to start the initial pour: The initial pour should be as slow as possible; you want the coffee to absorb the water and not drip into the carafe completely.
11. ​Pour as slowly as possible into the indention you made and slowly move out from there in clockwise circles, aiming for 1 gram a second for 50 seconds (1.7 oz total).
12. ​Let the coffee "bloom" for 45 seconds. That means watching the clock and being in the moment.
13. ​Aim for 80 grams (2.8 oz) over 50 seconds on your second pour. A tad faster.
14. ​Pause for 30 seconds.
15. ​The final pour is faster: 60 grams (2.11 oz) of water over 30 seconds - 2 grams per second.
16. ​Your scale should now read: 190 grams (6.7 oz)

I learned about Turkish coffee when I was a coffee fanatic.

At first glance, this method was too archaic for my tastes and maybe even an affront to my beautiful, newly purchased Chemex.

Turkish coffee reminded me of something primitive, such as how people made coffee before the invention of the coffee maker. It was too elementary for my tastes.

Then I learned a bit more about the technique, which intrigued me.

First, you need a unique coffee pot, called an "ibrik," and an excellent grind of coffee (a powder). Then you use a special technique consisting of cooking it over low heat and bringing it to a near boil multiple times before serving. Finally, you don't strain it—this is the part that got me.

The idea of drinking this bold brew by letting the heavy grounds and coffee sediment sink to the bottom sounded pretty cool.

So, naturally, I bought an ibrik and started experimenting with some fresh Wild Coffee beans.

I made my first batch with sugar, following a typical Turkish coffee recipe. It came out pretty good but far too sweet, even after using only half the sugar in the recipe.

Next, I tried it with no sugar at all, and while I did like it, I could see how it might be a bit much for all but the heaviest coffee drinkers—it was rich, bold, and robust.

Then I tried it with 1/2 tsp of sugar, which was just right. And now, we have the Turkish Coffee Recipe done the Wild Way. Enjoy!

How To Make Turkish Coffee

Tools:

• A small pot or ibrik
• 20g finely ground coffee (Use the finest grind setting you can find)
• 8-ounce filtered water (~2.5g per ounce of water)

Optional:

• 1/2 - 1 tsp organic sugar or xylitol
• Any of your favorite spices

Process:

1. Pour water into heating vessel
2. Add any desired spices or sugar to water and stir
3. Add coffee to top of the water but do not stir
4. Turn to low and let heat slowly to near-boil
5. As soon as it reaches the proper temperature, remove it from heat. Do not let it boil!
6. Let it cool for 10-20 seconds
7. Return to heat and bring it back to near-boil
8. Repeat for a third boil
9. Remove from heat and scoop some of the foam into the cups (or discard, depending on preference)
10. Slowly pour into small espresso cups
11. Let grounds settle to the bottom of the cup by resting for 30 seconds
12. Drink slowly until you reach sediment at the bottom

Tips:

• Turkish coffee is traditionally served with a glass of water
• Don't take your eye off it or it may boil over
• Experiment with different amounts of sweetener to find what you like!

The French press is a widespread and trusted method of brewing coffee. That's probably because it is so easy to use—it is the simplest brewing method that doesn't use an automatic coffee maker. But that doesn't mean you can't still screw up a mug of French press. You can.

First, after you are done brewing--about 4-6 minutes total--pour all of the coffee out of the French press. If it sits, it will over-extract.

Second, let your grounds "bloom" a bit by pouring enough hot water over the grounds until all the grounds are wet and letting them sit for 60 seconds. This enables the coffee to release various gasses, contributing to a better-tasting brew.

The final tip for not screwing up a French press brew is to use a coffee-to-water ratio of about 1:10 or 1:12. If you are using 300 grams of water, use 30 grams of coffee.

Tools:

• French Press
• 300g Hot filtered water at 205°
• 30g Fresh Coffee Ground to a coarse grind (about the size of coarse sea salt)
• Timer

Method:

1. Rinse French press with some hot water, then discard
2. Add grounds to press and pour hot water over grounds until grounds are all saturated
3. Lightly stir grounds and let bloom for 30-60 seconds
4. Pour the rest of the water over the grounds, stir and let brew for another 3-4 minutes
5. Push the plunger down and pour out all of the coffee. (If you leave the grounds in the water, it will over-extract.)

The Aeropress Method

The Aeropress is an invention by Alan Adler, inventor of the Aerobie Frisbee.

It's a fun way to brew and is excellent for traveling because it's small and light. (There's even an Aeropress World Championship.)

Tools:

• Premium Whole Bean Coffee
• Timer
• AeroPress
• Coffee grinder
• Hot water

Method:

1. Grind 18oz coffee to as fine as table salt
2. Invert Aeropress and insert plunger until it is set at 4
3. Bring 12oz water to a boil
4. Rinse the filter and end cap with a bit of hot water
5. Add grounds to inverted Aeropress
6. Pour water that is 30 seconds off boil over the grounds to wet grounds
7. Let bloom for 30 seconds (you will see little bubbles)
8. Stir grounds
9. Pour in the rest of the water
10. Place the top and flip over a cup or mug
11. Press slowly (about 20 seconds) until you hear a hissing sound
12. Enjoy!

*Combine your freshly brewed coffee with some Wild MCT Oil, pastured butter, and a dash of Wild Chocolate and Wild Vanilla and blend!