Out of Africa

Down in the crypt of Fortnum & Mason I waited. Empty bottles of the world's most sought after wines lined the antique shelves... Petrus, Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Chateau d'Yquem... I was in heaven. But, I was not in the crypt for a wine tasting, this time I was joining a small group for an African coffee workshop!

Together we learnt about the life of the coffee bean and how it evolves into coffee. I tend to take wine tastings for granted, discerning the nuances and subtleties between a New Zealand and Loire Sauvignon Blanc, and coming up with suitable terms to best describe the little grape, but with coffee I was back to square one. Sniffing, swirling, tasting... all the elements of a wine tsting, but, what did I get on the nose? On the palate? Roast caramel? Leather? Chocolate? Citrus? Floral notes? Me.... I got coffee. And coffee. And, yes... coffee!

Our little beans came all the way from the east African countries of Kenya and Tanzania to the Geisha monutains in Ethiopia. One legendary coffee - a very special treat we were told - came from a particular part of Panama. Very special indeed. Our host was so excited at sharing this speciality with us, that we oohed and aahed along with him. Indeed... it smelt like, er... coffee. And tasted like coffee. At least it was not the rare Indonesian Kopi Luwak that has reputedly passed through the digestive system of a civet!

Coffee tasting at F&M.

What was interesting was comparing tastings of the same coffee, but using different brewing methods. How some techniques resulted in a smoother, less bitter finish and others brought out a stronger roast element.

I am not much of a coffee drinker. I adore the smell, but hot drinks have ever really been my thing. But I have noticed that, as a social group, we no longer purchase jars of Nescafe or Kenco 'gold' instant, but brew a ground cafetiere style coffee. Next up the ladder is buying the roasted bean and grinding for an even fresher result, but for now I will try out my Jubilee Blend Coffee, which is a special new blend of coffee that uses the finest beans from old and new members of the Commonwealth in celebration of the Queen's Jubilee. A little Fortnum & Mason treat for me. At least now I will appreciate the effort and time spent to make this blend, to create a coffee with aromas and flavours fit for a Queen. God save our Queen!