Cafe Real Inc.

It really baffles me. From the little I know of the process involved to get a decent cup of coffee (whatever this means, more on that later), it really baffles me when I ask myself who first thought of it… And apart from the process coffee beans go through, who decided coffee was to be drunk hot or cold, with or without milk, brown, white sugar or no sugar at all…?

Wikipedia reports that the coffee bean plant may have been discovered in Ethiopia, and that the Arab world was the first to grow coffee extensively.  No evidence has been found showing that coffee was discovered before the 17th century.  Wikipedia also reports that the Arabians first made wine from the pulp of the fermented coffee berries; later they started roasting and brewing the beans.  I wonder if “coffee wine” still exists…  Maybe a topic for a later post.

So coffee is a relatively new kid on the block.  It’s quite incredible how quickly it has spread and how widely popular it now is across so many cultures.  Especially since there is no alcohol in it.  I would have thought alcoholic beverages tend to catch on more quickly…?

Talking of which, I thought I would finish by sharing a recipe for Irish Coffee.  This may appal purists, but hey, it’s a popular way of drinking coffee, and one I know I definitely like!

I actually went to this place last year and they do brilliant breakfasts too!

I do hope this complies with Irish Standard, I.S. 417 Irish Coffee published in 1988 !