I look forward to a good cup of coffee with all the anticipation of the true addict. When it comes to the black stuff, I’ve got a broad palate and will quaff a tiny espresso macchiato with as much gusto as a bucket-sized latte.
The local doctor put us onto her finest offering, a powerful, brooding drink laced with sweet cream- Helen Raine
It has to be top quality though or my day will fall as flat as a badly frothed cappuccino. On my travels, I’ve spent some considerable time tracking down decent coffee.
These establishments made the grade; you need never make do with a Starbucks again.
Maria’s Café, Las Terrazas, Cuba
Hidden in the mountain range of Sierra del Rosario is the sustainable village of Las Terrazas.
The area was cleared for large scale coffee production in the 18th century and much of the wildlife was destroyed.
The Cubans have lovingly restored it and the jungle is now alive again to the sound of bird song. Luckily for coffee aficionados, they kept some of the original coffee plantations.
Maria’s Café uses beans harvested just a stone’s throw away and bucks the Cuban trend for making bad coffee. The local doctor put us onto her finest offering, a powerful, brooding drink laced with sweet cream. Unbeatable.
Sicily
You don’t have to go far to find some of Europe’s best coffee; just jump on a ferry to Sicily. The Sicilians are serious about coffee, from the breakfast cappuccino to the post-lunch espresso wake up call.
There are some outstanding coffee shops even in the port of Pozzallo, but for the pinnacle, head to Caffé Spinnato in Palermo which has won awards for the quality of its coffee, served under shady umbrellas by uniformed waiters.
Their blend is heavier on the Arabica beans rather than the Robusta (see if you can taste the difference) and try the correttos, a shot of espresso with grappa. Tel +39 91 58 32 31.
Istanbul, Turkey
The English word coffee comes from the Ottoman Turkish ‘kahveh’. The Turks introduced the stuff to Europe and they still deliver a devilishly good brew.
Forget about filters and frothers, Ottoman style involves putting extra fine coffee grinds, water and sugar in a special brass pot called an ibrik. Brewing it is an art, and the kiraathane (coffee house) off Divan Yolu in Istanbul does it to perfection. Throw in authentic Turkish rugs, low seats and a hookah pipe, and your Turkish coffee experience is complete.
Savour the flavour and make sure you don’t drink the dregs at the bottom of the cup; you can use them to tell your fortune.
Hawaii
The Kona region of Hawaii’s Big Island is justifiably famous for coffee. Around 700 independent farmers grow coffee in an area less than 35 kilometres long.
The climate and volcanic soil produce a blend so extraordinarily good that it’s commercially viable for small scale farmers to hand pick only the very best beans and to dry them in the sun.
Coffee can be stamped ‘Kona’ if it includes 10 per cent Kona beans, but 100 per cent Kona coffee is in a different league. At Greenwell Farms near Kealakekua, friendly staff will let you taste around seven or eight of their coffees. Unless you have the palate of a barbarian, you will be able to taste the difference in the 100 per cent Kona brew so expect to leave clutching a bag of some of the very best coffee on earth. Tel +1 888 5925662
The island of Kauai is equally huge in coffee terms. Kauai Coffee Company in Kalaheo has the biggest plantation in the US and produces an astonishing range of roasts. At their visitor centre, you can try over 20 different coffees for free, although after the sixth, your taste buds tend to give up.
There’s also a maze where you can lose your children remarkably easily in multiple rows of coffee bushes. Tel +1 (808) 335-081.
With so much home grown coffee around, it stands to reason that Kauai is also home to the world’s best iced coffee experience.
The owners of the Little Fish Coffee Shop in Hanapepe have invented the Jitterbug. It involves two shots of fantastically flavoursome espresso, crushed ice, chocolate and milk. Drink it in their sun-kissed courtyard, cooled by the trade winds and surrounded by huge Hawaiian tiki carvings. Tel +1 808 3355000
Dublin, Ireland
Given the inclemency of Ireland’s weather, it’s no wonder the Irish pour whiskey into their coffee. The very best Irish coffee involves mixing a good dose of alcohol and sugar into black coffee, then pouring heavy cream on top.
The idea is not to stir it, but to drink the coffee through the cream. Beware of cheap imitations which commit atrocities such as dousing the coffee with Baileys or putting squirty cream on top.
L. Mulligan Grocer’s version on Stoneybatter is a safe bet; keen to rescue the Irish coffee from mediocrity, they held tastings to decide on the best cream, whiskey and coffee for the task. They chose Glenisk, Kilbeggan and El Salvador respectively and now make quite possibly the best Irish coffee in the world. Tel +353 1 6709889.
Canton, Ribadeo, Spain
At the heart of the little Galician town of Ribadeo, the Canton café has been pouring coffee with a dose of town gossip for years. You’ll be served two little white jugs, one of wondrously strong coffee and one of warm milk.
I swear this coffee has medicinal properties; it’s certainly been known to cure even the most stubborn of hangovers. So sit back, watch a slice of Galician life unfold around you and enjoy café con leche as it should be.