No further back than three decades or so, coffee-drinking in Ireland was almost totally confined to those with dubious social pretensions. Today, it’s a very different story: Irish people talk about their favourite coffee beverages with all the refinement of a discussion about their favourite wines.

All over Ireland, coffee-houses are springing up like never before, and a substantial number of homes and apartments are now equipped with coffee grinders, cafetierres or any of the various accoutrements of the almost religious ritual of coffee-making.

From Plantation To Palate

But while we expect coffee to be produced at our table in a matter of minutes, the process from plantation to palate is a long and careful one. It all begins when thousands of carefully chosen seeds are planted close together in a nursery and covered with rich, fertile soil. About two months later, the seeds sprout and roots grow. The most healthy plants are then selected and they alone are cultivated for about another six months. When they reach about two feet high they are moved to a plantation for further cultivation.

An average coffee tree needs about four years to mature properly and the first fruits can be seen in another six months. The tree produces fruit not unlike cherries, the dried seeds of which are known as coffee beans. Each mature tree yields about one pound of coffee every year.

A long process indeed, in sharp contrast with the few minutes it takes to transform the beans or granules into the refreshing drink we know and love. We consume vast amounts of chocolates, cakes and snacks which use coffee as a key ingredient, and we have even been known to combine our coffee with such delicacies as whiskeys, brandies and liqueurs from all over the world.

In fact, such is our love-affair with coffee, and our taste buds having become even more aware of what a “real” cup of coffee should taste like, that we are now even prepared to pay a little more for a better quality product. You could say it’s part of what we are.

Coffee, as far as we know, was first roasted in the 1300’s using a heavy pan on a charcoal fire. But before the turn of the last century coffee beans were spun in a heated air chamber by natural gas, a process still in use today. The French Press was introduced, oddly enough, in Italy before World War II and after the war took off in France.

The magic formula for creating that irresistible aroma and taste depends on several factors during the roasting process, the length of time and the temperature are especially important. Ideally, coffee should not be brewed for longer than eight minutes. The ideal temperature is 205 degrees Fahrenheit.

COFFEE

• Coffee is reported to be the second most important product on the international market in volume terms, and probably the first on a value basis.

• Coffee tree blossoms are used to make perfumes.

• Coffee beans are also used in the making of tar, fuels, plastic, antiseptics and wall and floor materials.

• The Arabs cultivated coffee plants as early as 600 AD.

• The first written mention of coffee occurred around 900 AD in the writings of Rhazes, an Arab doctor.

• In the 17th century the Dutch imported coffee plants from the Middle East and coffee houses soon became hugely popular around Europe.

• Brazil used to produce 70% of the total annual crop of Coffee, but the figure is now under 50%.

• Americans first got the coffee bug after the Boston Tea Party of 1773 and are now the biggest consumers of coffee in the world.

COFFEE – HOW IT ALL BEGAN

The discovery of coffee as a drinkable beverage goes all the way back to ancient times – to Ethiopia on the east coast of Africa, in fact. Legend has it that a goat-herd in that country saw his charges casually eating the berries from a wild tree. Some time later he spotted them again, this time cavorting about with great gusto.

Not surprisingly, the goat-herd decided to try the berries himself. He liked the taste and the effect they produced, and the rest is richly-flavoured history.

BREWING AT HOME

Instant

For convenience, many prefer the simple approach of adding boiling water to a spoonful of their favourite instant coffee, but that is not the only method open those who imbibe at home.

The Drip

Manual or automatic coffee makers drip hot water through medium-fine ground paper resting in a filter, which can be made either from disposable paper or reusable mesh.

Vacuum

Two stacked bowls are connected by the upper globe’s tube. Coarsely ground coffee is placed in the upper globe and cold water in the lower. When the water heats, the steam pressurises it through the top globe where it mixes with the coffee. Taking the pot away from the heat allows the liquid to drop into the lower pot.

Percolator

Boiling water is driven repeatedly through a tube to mix with the coffee.

Plunger or French Press

A glass and metal container allows the coffee to brew in boiled water. After 3-4 minutes a mesh plunger is pressed down, forcing the coffee grains to the bottom.

Espresso

Another two-chamber process with a filter between them. The base is filled with cold water and coffee is placed in the filter part. The top section is screwed onto the base and the pot placed over a moderate heat until the water heats and the pressure forces it up through the coffee.

SUGGESTED GRINDING TIMES

Course, in a French press: 6/8 seconds

Medium, in a flat filter or drip: 10 seconds

Fine, in a vacuum: 20 seconds

Extra Fine, in a cone filter or steam espresso: 25 seconds

Very Fine, in a pump or piston espresso machine: 35 seconds