Like tea and hot chocolate, there are many ways to serve coffee, but did you know that over 50 countries actually grow the beans? Only a handful produce them in commercially viable quantities. However, there is a growing number of specialist coffees from smaller producers reaching our shores. They include Jamaican Blue Mountain, Java Estate Kuyumas and Indian Mysore.
All are at the higher end of the market. However, the most expensive coffee in the world is Kopi Luwak. Made from beans that have been eaten and passed by the Asian Palm civet, it is produced in Indonesia, Timor and the Philippines. With a totally different chemical structure to ordinary coffee beans, it has a mild, aromatic flavour.
Brazil and Columbia are the coffee growing nations of the world, producing more beans than anywhere else. Prized for their light, tangy quality, they are ideal for blending. Other Latin producers include Mexico, Guatemala, Panama and Costa Rica. Some of these countries are equally prized for their cocoa beans, used to make hot chocolate.
The coffees of Eastern Africa and the Middle East are like wine: complex and alluring, with copious flavours including citrus fruits, blueberries and spices. Asian coffees, on the other hand, are full-bodied and thick, and are often used to deepen lighter blends.
The coffee of each country has its own distinct characteristics and flavour. Coffee tasters, like tea tasters, are employed by importers to ensure only the best beans reach our shores. These connoisseurs sample each batch as though it were the finest wine. It’s certainly something to think about, when you next reach for a cup.
