Exotic To Espresso And More

Coffee around the world is amazingly popular – why is that? Well, one reason is that it is a beverage that has dozens of variations, most of which are extremely popular somewhere, but probably not everywhere. You don’t know the different ways coffee can be prepared? Well, here are the most popular ways to make and serve coffee, the most popular gourmet-style coffees.

Espresso might be the most widely strewn coffee style world-wide. It is made by steaming the grounds with a strong jet of steam. An espresso machine is a necessary piece of equipment to make espresso, but it gives delicious results. The liquid coming from the steaming process is served black, very hot, and very concentrated in a small cup. The taste is bitter, but 100% coffee, which makes the selection and roasting of the beans critical for good espresso. [N.B. this is the way I like it best!]

Cappuccino is a great way to get your morning coffee. Together with a measure of cream and spices (nutmeg and chocolate are the typical ones) you get a mild coffee that tastes like just the thing to start off your morning without jarring you awake. The cream or milk often is heated using a steam coil from the same machine that makes the espresso, and this has a typical, unmistakable, ripping sound that brings delight to cappuccino appassionati.

American coffee usually is not termed a gourmet coffee. It carries various denominators such as “dish water”, and the so-called sophisticated coffee drinker (“SCD”) makes fun of American coffee. For the SCD, American coffee is too weak, watered-down, full of things that don’t belong in “real” coffee like lots of milk and sugar (or artificial substitutes), and pieces of donuts and toast. But often, this is the same thing that his children consume (“eat” or “drink”?) for breakfast from a medium-sized bowl. “Gourmet”? I guess not, but still very popular!

Fancy coffees come from many places around the world and are typically geographically defined. There is Turkish coffee, Arabic coffee, and various sorts of different coffees from places like central Africa, South America, the far north on various continents, and also either blended with special spices, or laced with alcoholic beverages, or both. A widely popular so-called coffee in North America is made with chickory, a grassy vegetable, not a bean or berry at all, and other drinks are made from various other coffee-substitutes.

Then (but not finally – coffee is never finished!) there are the coffee deserts that are served cold, rather than hot. Typically the most popular local coffee is the basis for these – in North America it is served over ice cubes or crushed ice and sweetened, but as a cooling beverage rather than a desert. In Europe, it tends to be a stronger (again local) coffee poured over ice cream and served as a parfait. Of course, there are also various other concoctions served as deserts, like tiramisu, and alcoholic delights such as Bailey’s Cream Liqour and Tia Maria for afterwards.

Looking at what we just discussed, there probably are hundreds of different blends and styles of coffee that are served around the world. The real trick is to find the ones you like, and stick to them! Don’t just sit there, get to work!

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