Mold can grow on coffee beans at many stages, from harvesting and processing to storage. Some molds, including certain Aspergillus species, can produce mycotoxins such as aflatoxins and ochratoxin A, compounds you want to keep out of your daily cup.

Here is how we approach it:

• At the source: specialty-grade beans that are wet processed (the fruit pulp is removed before drying), which leaves less opportunity for mold than dry processing.
• At the roaster: our coffee is roasted at an FDA-registered facility that monitors for mold and the conditions that allow it to grow, and inspects beans before roasting.
• Fresh, not shelf-aged: we roast to order, so your coffee does not sit in a warehouse or on a grocery shelf.
• Tested: our coffee is lab tested twice a year for mold and mycotoxins (aflatoxins, fumonisins and ochratoxins).

Most coffee brands never mention when or where their beans were roasted, or whether they test for mold and mycotoxins. We think you deserve to know.

Heavy metals occur naturally in the earth's crust and can find their way into coffee through soil, irrigation water, processing and packaging. Metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic are best kept as low as possible, especially in something you enjoy every day, because they can build up in the body over time and compete with the minerals your body needs.

Our beans are grown by organic certified cooperatives in Peru and Honduras with rigorous quality standards, and we go a step further by testing for lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic once a year.

It depends on the quality of your coffee and on how and when you drink it.

Coffee contaminated with mold, mycotoxins or heavy metals is more likely to leave you feeling off, which is why quality matters. Timing matters just as much. Coffee is a potent metabolic stimulator: it turns up your metabolic rate and draws on your blood sugar. When there is not enough fuel on board, the body leans on stress hormones to keep up, and that is when people tend to notice shakiness, a racing heart, anxiety or an upset stomach.

Think of coffee as the gas pedal and food as the fuel. When coffee comes with a balanced meal, many people find it supports calm focus, motivation and steady energy instead.

We recommend:

• Enjoying coffee with or after a meal that includes protein, fat and carbohydrate, not on an empty stomach or as a meal replacement.
• Adding milk or cream and a little honey or sugar for extra support.
• Finishing caffeinated coffee by early afternoon to protect your sleep.

Many people find they tolerate coffee much better once they change how they drink it. A few things that help:

• Always pair it with a meal. Food slows the entry of caffeine into the bloodstream for a more gradual effect.
• Add milk or cream and a little honey or sugar. This gives your body fuel to match the stimulation.
• Skip coffee first thing on an empty stomach. Eat something first.
• Let it cool a little. Some people find very hot coffee more stimulating.
• Start small. Add a little coffee to a larger cup of warm milk, or blend our regular beans with our Swiss Water® decaf.
• Find your cut-off time. Many people stop caffeine by early afternoon.

Your coffee tolerance can be a helpful signal. If it improves over time, that is often a sign your nourishment and blood sugar balance are heading in the right direction. If coffee still does not feel good, it is perfectly fine to take a break while you focus on your foundations. If you have a health condition or take medications, check with your healthcare provider.

Absolutely. Combine them in whatever ratio you like to get the amount of caffeine that feels right for you.

Many decaf coffees are made with chemical solvents such as methylene chloride or ethyl acetate. The Swiss Water® Process uses only water, time and temperature. Green beans are soaked in a caffeine-free green coffee extract, the caffeine moves out of the beans and is captured by carbon filters, and the extract is reused for the next batch.

The result is coffee that is 99.9% caffeine-free, made without chemical solvents, with more of its original flavor and aroma intact. All of the ritual, without the caffeine.

Everyone drinks coffee a little differently, so we offer sizes for every household. How long a bag lasts depends on your brewing method and how much you drink.

As a rough guide at one cup a day: a 12 oz bag lasts about 15 to 20 days, a 2 lb bag about 40 to 50 days and a 5 lb bag about 100 to 130 days.

For freshness and flavor. Once roasted, coffee slowly goes stale as it is exposed to oxygen, and beans that sit for months in warehouses and on store shelves have more time to lose flavor and more opportunity for moisture and mold. Roasting to order means your coffee ships fresh.

Store your coffee in an airtight container in a cool, dry place, away from light, heat and humidity, all of which can encourage staleness and mold.

Clean your grinder and brewing equipment regularly too, since old coffee residue can harbor mold.