Coffee Around the World

global gourmet “[Coffee] is a social binder, a warmer of tongues, a soberer of minds, a stimulant of wit, a foiler ollective of sleep if you want it so. From roadside mugs to the classic demitasse, it is the perfect democrat.” c ~The New York Times, 1949 offee c e tH left to right: seedling of sl-28; cupping at central Kenya coffee rtesy of rtesy mill; drying tables at Karatu U o c coffee mill in Kenya Java Africa as the birthplace of coffee, it’s no surprise that virtually every central african nation grows it. But it’s Goes Kenya that has emerged as a perennial favorite among connoisseurs, in part because of its unique combination d como, italy aniel of climate, soil and elevation. according to expert Jeff Global taylor, co-founder of PT’s coffee roasting company, p ExplorE somE of thE ec roast magazine’s 2009 roaster of the year, what really KH world’s finEst coffEE separates Kenyan coffee is the variety of trees. “farms am rEgions and thEir in Kenya use a mix of varieties called sl-28 and sl-34, which have proven year after year to produce singular blEnds. exceptional coffee,” taylor says. “they were originally By Bret love developed by scott laboratories decades ago, with the intent of being disease-resistant, but they also happened to be exceptional in flavor.” compared to some of the here’s something about coffee that world’s other gourmet coffees, Kenyan varieties are a seems somehow mystical, even bargain, averaging less than Us$30 a pound. magical. the process of grinding the fresh beans, brewing the pot Europe tand sharing an aromatic cup brings with it an there’s not a single country in europe known for air of the ancient—a communal ritual that growing coffee. But brewing it? italy, home of the dates back more than 500 years and spans espresso, has made the process an art. espresso our entire planet. involves water heated to 190 – 200 degrees fahrenheit, coffee’s roots can be traced to northeastern then passed through 8 grams of coffee at 130 pounds ethiopia, and there’s archaeological evidence per square inch for 25 - 30 seconds. the first espresso Killarney, in the sufi shrines of yemen suggesting that maker patent was issued to angelo moriondo in 1884, ireland it was consumed regularly as early as the but it was Hungarian-born italian resident francesco 15th century. from its original cultivation in illy who invented the first automatic coffee machine southern arabia, the sacred bean began to that substituted compressed air for steam in 1935. He spread across the muslim world into europe, also devised the packaging system in which coffee cans india, indonesia and, eventually, the americas. were filled with inert gases rather than pressurized air, now, more than 2.25 billion cups are consumed which allowed the trieste-based illy brand to be sold every day, with beans harvested from the all over italy. “His inventions made it possible to enjoy cherries of trees cultivated in more than 70 consistently pleasant-tasting espresso, which was a different countries. random event until then,” says illy’s master barista, With a coffee shop on every corner, coffee giorgio milos. “out of that grew more innovation connoisseurs seem eager to find exotic throughout [italy], a deep passion for perfecting coffee varieties to make their daily java fix more than and the emergence of baristas as skilled professionals. an average cup of joe. Here, we highlight some that led to an expectation of quality, and a coffee of the world’s most noteworthy gourmet coffee- culture that emerged from that, with coffee part of producing locales and their special blends. everyone’s lives throughout the day.” 38 preferredlifestylesmagazine.com PREFERRED LIFESTYLES 39 global gourmet clockwise from top: ollective coffee plantation c civet in Batatais, são offee paulo, Brazil; coffee c production in colombia; e tH coffee plantation in guatemala; coffee flowers in Honduras rtesy of rtesy U o c Kona coffee Bali, indonesia Asia Caribbean North America Central/South America arguably the trendiest gourmet coffee With the dominican republic being grown only in the Kona districts of nearly every country in latin america in the world originates in indonesia, the the only country in the area ranking Hawaii’s Big island on the slopes of Hualalai exports coffee, with Brazil, colombia, philippines and thailand. there, small, among the top 25 coffee-producing and mauna Kea, 100 percent Kona coffee mexico, guatemala, peru and Honduras forest-dwelling creatures called asian palm nations in the world, the caribbean is arguably among the world’s rarest and all ranking among the top 10 nations in civets feed on the ripest, sweetest coffee can’t compete with africa, asia or latin most treasured varieties. its origins can be terms of annual production. But panama cherries. the beans then move through america in terms of quantity. But, for traced back to the 1820s, when Brazilian is rapidly emerging as one of the world’s the civet’s digestive tract after fermenting some java aficionados, the quality of tree cuttings were first planted in the rich hottest gourmet coffee markets. Jeff in the stomach, where enzymes break caribbean coffee is second to none. volcanic soil. When combined with sunny taylor of pt’s coffee roasting company down the proteins that give coffee its bitter arguably the most sought after is Jamaica mornings and regular afternoon showers, says credit for the region’s recent success taste. once it passes, farmers collect the Blue mountain coffee, which is grown the result is a delicately flavored brew can be attributed to the 2004 discovery beans from the droppings, which are then in one of the highest mountain ranges unlike any other. asked about the product’s of a variety called geisha, which is washed, sun-dried, roasted and sold as kopi in the caribbean. there, the mixture Us$30 per pound price tag, Brazen Hazen indigenous to ethiopia. “Hacienda la luwak (or wild civet coffee). according of cool air, high rainfall, rich soil and coffee estate farm manager Brian axelrod esmeralda discovered geisha on their to alanna price of doi chaang coffee excellent drainage creates the perfect says, “Kona coffee commands a higher farm and separated it from the rest of company, whose products are sold by dean climate, leading to a coffee renowned price point primarily due to its uniqueness their crop. the result was very unique, & deluca, the eliminated civet beans have for its mild, almost sweet flavor. Blue of cup, and also for its limited availability. very floral, so they decided to enter it into less protein and bacteria, and different mountain coffee is highly regulated by Kona coffee is hand picked upon ripening. the Best of panama coffee competition. compounds than other gourmet coffee Jamaica’s coffee industry Board, which many large operations in other countries now it sells for Us$60 per pound green, beans. “the aroma and complexity of the monitors its cultivation, quality and mechanically pick, so their coffees include which means it’s more than Us$120 per beans produce a coffee that is syrupy, with strict geographical boundaries. a pound some overripe and some immature beans.” pound roasted.” hints of chocolate and has an incredibly of Jamaica’s finest will set you back it’s hard to argue with the results, the With each region producing its own smooth taste.” it’s also incredibly rare, around Us$35, but more than 80% of the perfection of which axelrod credits to singular coffee, no matter where your which explains why prices average at island nation’s 4.6 million pound annual sound farming technique and the blessings travels take you, there’s a great gourmet Us$60 for about 1.7 ounces. output is sold to Japan. of mother nature. coffee just waiting to be discovered. 40 preferredlifestylesmagazine.com PREFERRED LIFESTYLES 41 global gourmet Where to stay clockwise from above left: Keekorok lodge; Hotel mulia senayan; fishing lodge cap cana, a salamander® resort; mauna Kea Beach Hotel; savoia excelsior palace; trump ocean club® international Hotel & tower panama AfricA cAribbeAn completelyrenovated.Locatednearhistoric TheMasaiMaraNationalReserveinKenya Openedinthefallof2011,fishing Lodge coffeehousessuchastheCaffèTommaseo isreveredasoneoftheworld’sfinest cap cana, A salamander® resort inthe andSanMarco,thehotelisalsoclosetothe ecotourismhavens,andKeekorok Lodge DominicanRepublicrestsamidthecrystal Illy’sUniversitàdelcaffèofTrieste,which sitsinthecenterofitall.Whenguests clearwatersandbrightblueskiesofthe wascreatedtopromotethecultureofquality aren’toutongamedrives,bird-watching Caribbean,justashortdrivefromPuntaCana coffeeworldwide. walksorhotairballoonrides,theycansavor Int’lAirport.TheMediterranean-stylelodge spectacularsavannahviewswithdinner featuresfiverestaurants,whereguestscan nortH AMericA outdoorsontheElephantDeck,followedby findhomegrownDominicancoffee. LocatedontheBigIslandofHawaii’ssunny aheavenlycupofKenyancoffee. KohalaCoast,Mauna Kea beach Hotel centrAL/soutH AMericA wasfoundedbyLauranceS.Rockefellerin AsiA Openedin2011,trump ocean club® 1965.Fourdecadeslatertheluxurybeach TuckedinsideHotel Mulia senayanin international Hotel & tower Panamaisa resortreceivedaUS$150millionupgrade. Jakarta,TheCaféoffersworld-classcoffee, 70-storymixed-usedevelopmentdesigned FromthelegendaryMaunaKeaGolfCourse includingfourvarietiesofthekopiluwak: tolooklikeaship’ssail.DonaldTrump’sfirst tooceansidetreatmentsattheMaunaKea Ranau,Medan,AcehandFlores.Witha CentralAmericanrealestateinvestment,the Spa,it’saperfectplaceforadreamtropical lovelyviewofacascadingfountainanda PanamaCitywaterfrontpropertyfeatures getaway.AndtheBrazenHazenKonacoffee warmatmosphere,itisoneofthemost threerestaurants,allofwhichservefresh, plantationislessthananhouraway.PL sought-afterspotsinthecity.Inspiredby locallygrownPanamaniancoffee. theearth’selements(fire,water,wood), thecaféandgastronomicrestaurant euroPe For further information and reservations, showcasesanoasisofstyleandflavorful OverlookingItaly’spicturesqueGulfof visit PreferredHotelGroup.com foodthatistheperfectcomplementtothe Trieste,savoia excelsior Palaceisaturn-of- cafédiningexperience. the-centuryhotel(builtin1912)that’sbeen 42 preferredlifestylesmagazine.com.

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