The Serious Business of Coffee
"There
are so many coffee houses on Upper Baggot Street no fewer than 21 operators
that we call it Little Seattle", said Brendan McDonnell, opening
a fascinating symposium on the current state of our coffee culture, organised
by Bewley's, for whom Mr O'Donnell works.
It was a provocative venture. Brian Kennedy, of The Coffee Club, who runs four outposts in the city, said the only way for operators to survive in the current climate "is to be passionate about coffee. Being coffee-driven will mean that you will survive. You must put coffee first".
This was a point echoed by Kelly Mullarney, executive chef of Dublin's Shanahan's on the Green. Mr Mullarney worked with Brendan McDonnell over a period of weeks to perfect the patent brew they serve in Shanahan's. "Better coffee augments the experience", he told us. "And staff must have a full understanding of the process of making and serving coffee. The beverage must exceed the guest's expectations". To this end, Mr Mullarney actually brought all his staff out to Bewley's roastery to see the whole process at work, and Shanahan's employs a full-time barista.
Don Holly, chairman of the US Speciality Coffee Association, gave us the benefit of his considerable experience of the coffee culture in the States. He pointed out that the history of coffee houses is long and distinguished, and was frequently subversive. Both Lloyd's of London and the New York Stock Exchange grew out of coffee houses. He stressed the eternal lessons: train your staff; be passionate about what you do; appreciate that quality has unlimited demand; and always give yourself time to think.
We pitched in a little, talking about how coffee is, to us, an art form, which demands that each detail must be expertly seen to, and this was echoed by Don Holly, who said that in Italy each barista sees each cup of coffee as destined for a particular customer. We also said that coffee is, quite frankly, a drug, and thus demanded adequate respect in order to give us that very best hit, that magic moment when this great drug pulls all our senses together.
Competition
Our very special prize this month is a limited edition collection of 6 Illy espresso cups and saucers, and 250g of Illy coffee, courtesy of Richard and Joan Martin's company, Food Solutions, who are the Irish importers of Illy Coffee. Illy coffee is regarded by many as the Rolls Royce of Italian coffees, and since 1992 the company have been commissioning an annual collection of illustrated cups from various artists, both world famous and upcoming, "to the one who will put it to his lip to renew a pleasure that, however small, is part of our daily life".
Matteo Thun designed the cup itself, and the artist Mimmo Paladdino has illustrated the collection we have to give away. This set belongs to one of the Illy limited edition sets, which are numbered and signed by the artist. The value of the set now is around £75, but as the years go by these cups increase significantly in value, with cups from recent years being sold for $75 per cup.
The Illy blurb says of this collection: "Within the limited space offered by the cup, Paladino represents the creative evolution of a style that is characterised by a mixture of myth and iconography, tradition and innovation. Monochrome and polychrome, the sometimes soft, sometimes geometrical brush-strokes commit to history a day-to-day-ness that is anything but banal". Hell, they're gorgeous, and they make any cup of espresso so much more of a pleasure.
To win the prize, answer this question: What are the two principal varieties of coffee bean grown and harvested throughout the world?
Email Sally with your answer.
To find out more about the Illy Collection view: www.tasses-d-artistes.com
email John and Sally | read other articles in this issue
text © John & Sally McKenna
illustrations ©
Ken Buggy
