Coffee Talk

There are conflicting views on drinking coffee, those for and those against. I fall into the former category as this favourite tipple of mine really helped me on a more serious front. I used to be a very heavy smoker and drinker and no matter what I did, after a hard days graft at the office, I invariably fell back onto my crutches, so to speak. I decided to take a completely different angle on my habits after leaving work. Instead of heading straight home to collapse into the sofa, clutching my first beer having already lit up, I started going round the shops. I found this kept my mind occupied by just browsing around and rewarded myself after this with a good cupp of caffeine in a nearby restaurant. I found it did the job and transformed me into a casual drinker and smoker.

The old view coffee vending machines was not very appealing when they first came into use. These were usually powdered and did not have the best of tastes. The manufacturers tried to cram in as many variables as possible: tea, hot chocolate, soups and all. Things have moved on since then and there are now some really specialized companies that take pride in delivering fresh coffee to the highest standard. Their back up service is second to none and many claim to repair any breakdowns within eight hours of being called upon.

I would not call myself a connoisseur of coffee but I know when I have drunk a good quality brew. There is something endearing about smelling freshly made coffee. One of the most favourite types is the roasted version that is on sale in many high street restaurants. For the more hardy palate, the expresso bean is the one that gives the best kick. Filtered versions are available with organic blends and some people are experts on taste and quality. Very much like the wine taster in some ways. Some of these people can tell which country a bean came from. The three main areas are the South Americas, Africa and south west Asia.

The earliest known use of coffee as a drink stimulant goes back to the 9^th century in Ethiopia. When you track the movement and spread, the humble coffee bean did not reach the likes of Turkey until 6 centuries later. By this time the beverage had long become a popular tipple in Egypt and coffee houses started cropping up everywhere. These places became general meeting places for tradesmen to meet and formed the first cartels. The coffee shop acted as a means of new people n the area being able to introduce themselves and their merchandise.