Wednesday, Nov. 04, 2009

Coffee flavors life

Coffee gives untold legions reasons to perk up in the morning, stay up late at night and simply sit to enjoy the intimacy coffee lends to conversations both serious and silly.

It is a universal language served up in the container of choice and in the setting of choice at whatever temperature one desires.

Coffee has steadfast friends, with more than half of the nation's adult population consuming it daily.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture also reports that nations around the globe, from Angola to Zimbabwe, will help produce an estimated 127.4 million bags of one of the world's most popular beverages. More than 400 billion cups are consumed annually.

"You can sit down and have coffee any time of the day," said Cheyenne Melville, manager of Jumpin' Java Espresso Co. in Shallotte, N.C. "It is a good social activity that brings people together. I think that is why people love it so much."

Legend has it that coffee came to be when an Ethiopian goat herder named Kaldi noticed his goats dancing about in a field. They were eating red berries off a dark green shrub. Kaldi decided to try some, and after a while, he began feeling mighty fine himself. The goat herder then took some to a nearby monastery. The monks loved the berries, too. They thought it was a gift from God so they could stay up all night and pray. However, the head monk thought it was much ado about nothing. He tossed Kaldi's berries into the fire, and the scent wafted through the monastery. The head monk told others to fetch the beans from the fire. Coffee won him over that day, then proceeded to wow others.

Coffee had arrived. There are variations to that legend. What isn't debatable, however, is the mass appeal coffee has today.

"Coffee unites people," said Joshua Campbell, a Myrtle Beach resident and an owner of Cashua Coffee, which is roasted at a Florence facility. "Nobody is too good for coffee. Business deals are made over coffee every day. World leaders meet over cups of coffee and discuss issues that affect the world. Just like people at work meet at the water cooler, they meet over the coffee pot."

In many ways, coffee is like ice cream - there is a flavor out there, somewhere, that almost anybody will like and appreciate.

Cashua Coffee, for instance, roasts coffee from Indonesia and Kenya as well as Nicaragua, Brazil, Costa Rica and other parts of South America.

"We have coffee from around the world," Campbell said. "We have eight or 10 different blends."

Numerous varieties from more than 70 producing coffee nations, as well as an array of syrups, keep coffee from ever becoming boring.

Earlene Jackson and Edie Pope prefer treating themselves with coffee that is flavored and sweet.

They met at Croissants Bistro & Bakery last week for Pope's birthday, found a table at its center, sat down and eventually enjoyed white chocolate mocha topped with whipped cream and cinnamon.

Each received her coffee in a sturdy, 16-ounce mug and enjoyed the steamy, sweet sensation first by way of spoons and then by way of slow sips.

"Mmm," Pope said. "This is so good. It's dessert."

Pope used to go out for coffee regularly but enjoys most of her coffee at home, where her husband makes her fresh pots every morning.

Croissants Bistro & Bakery in Myrtle Beach is one of Jackson's favorite places to drink coffee. She and her friends are picky about their coffee and its presentation.

"We judge our restaurants by the coffee," Jackson said. "Don't come to me with a cup of coffee in a Styrofoam cup. If you do that, you have lost me forever. It's like drinking a glass of wine out of a plastic cup. If people serve coffee in a Styrofoam cup, you know they don't think much about their coffee."

Men, including her husband, Jackson said, detest drinking coffee from glass mugs.

"They want the good, ol' ceramic mugs," she said.

The containers are nowhere as important as what coffee lovers deem most crucial: the taste.

Enticed by the aromas in the same way children are thrilled by the scent of chocolate chip cookies baking, coffee connoisseurs are adamant about how their coffee connects with their palates.

"I like the coffee to taste like it smells," said Joyce Portis, a Myrtle Beach resident.

And good coffee, Kay Dyer believes, doesn't have to be expensive.

If you look, tasty java isn't hard to find.

"When I drink coffee, it has to be great coffee," said Dyer, who lives in Myrtle Beach. "I think McDonald's has excellent coffee because you can get all kinds of lattes, and it's very inexpensive."

Melville spoils herself by experimenting and enjoying the combinations she can concoct by using some of the 30 different syrups available at Jumpin' Java Espresso Co.

"Right now, we are doing a gingerbread latte, with gingerbread, brown sugar, cinnamon and caramel," she said. "It is really delicious. We have a pumpkin spice brew, and I drink it all day long. I drink it black. The flavor is roasted right into the beans, and it is really great."

Nevertheless, coffee lovers believe the best coffee is coffee shared with those they love.

"The fellowship you can have over cups of coffee is super," said Heidi Vukov, owner of Croissants Bistro & Bakery. "When you have friends or family sitting with you, you truly enjoy your coffee."