After five years of penning a wine column it sometimes is difficult to find a new topic to write about so, this week, I will cheat and write about coffee instead of wine. Since there are many similarities between coffee and wine connoisseurship, why not?

My earliest memories of coffee were of a stainless steel thermos fitted with a screw-on red plastic cup and filled with steaming hot espresso brew; that thermos always accompanied the older guys when I tagged along on their duck hunting trips and after a few hours of hunting in the icy cold rain along the estuary, the exotic aroma of the searingly hot coffee in that thermos was nothing short of magical and mystical to me.

The fanatical zeal and the rigid idiosyncrasies of coffee lovers is a fertile field for industrial psychologists. If you have ever stood in line at a Starbucks trying to order a simple coffee while the uncompromising coffee-heads in front of you spell out their exacting demands in a language understood only by them, you know what I mean.

Like wine, coffee has been around for a long time. Cultivation dates back to the 15th century in Ethiopia. Arab invaders are responsible for the earliest migration of coffee from the African continent and its introduction to India, where the seeds were acquired by European traders for planting in their colonies in Asia.

There are two principal species of coffee tree, the arabica and the robusta. Arabica is a bush native to Ethiopia and robusta is a small tree that originated in Central Africa. Both species produce a small cherry-like fruit that contains coffee beans. Arabica makes a finer coffee but robusta is more resistant to disease so it is easier to grow.

Both species like to grow in warm, humid places and the quality of the coffee bean is dependent on the elevation where the plant grows. Like grape growing, in most growing areas there is one coffee harvest per year. A coffee plant can product about one kilogram of beans, enough to make about 120 cups of coffee.

Coffee making is labor intensive. Coffee beans are usually hand picked in order to ensure they are not under ripe or too old, they are then dried in the sun and shelled and roasted by hand. Each coffee producing country has its own grading system based on quality of the coffee bean. At a minimum, all countries reference the elevation where the coffee is grown and the coffee species, as well as the degree of roast.

The coffees we buy in the market are selected by professional coffee tasters whose work is remarkably similar to the winemaker in ensuring quality, style and consistency. All good coffee begins with good beans, like wine begins with good grapes, but it is the skill of the roaster and processor that ensures the coffee reveals it full flavor without being bitter or sour.

The quality of the grinder used to prepare the bean for brewing is essential in making quality coffee. Once a coffee bean is ground it will begin to lose its flavor in about 20 – 40 minutes, taking on a sour taste. Ground coffee also quickly adsorbs aromas and flavors. One of the biggest problems I see in the coffee sold here on Phuket is staff that avoid cleaning their coffee grinders and that leaves coffee in the grinder for hours or even days. This guarantees that the coffee made at that outlet will taste sour and bitter, which wastes the hotel’s money and disappoints the guest.

Light roasts like Brazilian and Espresso are preferred for espresso making while darker roasts are used for making coffee blended with milk, like cappuccino and latte, or if taken straight. There are many ways to brew them all, ranging from elaborate and expensive machines to simple stove top pots. The correct choice for any individual depends upon the quantity of coffee and frequency of brewing, the cost and personal preference.

In retail coffee settings most people are familiar with the espresso machine, which forces water and steam through finely ground coffee. For the consumer brewing coffee at home, brewing pots and plungers are more common. Whatever the method of brewing, selecting the correct grind of coffee bean is essential in order to get a good cup. Espresso makers require coffee that is finely ground while drip filters and plungers work best with a medium grind.

In my opinion, the coffee plunger makes the best coffee. Also known as a cafeti่re, it is an inexpensive, simple and extremely effective way to extract the best flavor from coffee by simply adding ground coffee and boiling water that has been allowed to cool slightly and then pushing down the plunger after a short wait.

Like wine, where coffee is grown influences the taste and quality. Brazilian and Columbian beans make a mild coffee and are ideal for espresso, while the classic coffee for home brewing has always been Costa Rican, which is mild but rich and slightly crisp on the finish. Personally, I like Guatemalan coffee, which is mild but also has a slightly sweet taste. Other Central American and Mexican coffees are usually mild, as well. Hawaiian coffee has a uniquely floral taste that is very uplifting, but also a bit expensive. Indian coffee, when you can find it, is very rich, deeply flavored and creamy. It is too powerful for espresso making but makes a great after dinner coffee. Jamaica’s Blue Mountain is a bit pricey but makes a very well balanced and rich evening coffee. Indonesian coffees like Java and Sumatra are usually dark roasts and very powerful coffees, whereas the African coffees like Kenya have a distinctive acidic bite on the finish. Look for Vietnamese coffee; it is extremely rich and powerful and dirt cheap.

When choosing a coffee remember that arabica beans offer the best quality but they are more expensive than robusta. Some other helpful tips include:

Keep your grinder clean and dry.

Select the correct size grind for the brewing method or machine you use

Only grind as much coffee as you need and do so immediately before brewing.

Aerate the water you use to make your coffee because oxygen in the water helps extract flavor from the coffee.

Never use boiling water to make coffee; let the water cool a little first.

If you store coffee beans in the freezer do not thaw them before grinding.

Whether you are trying to fight off the chill of winter duck hunting with a steaming hot cuppa or take the heat out of summer with an iced coffee, enjoying coffee can be either a shared or personal experience of taste sensation and a feeling of well-being that unites people of different cultures just as much as wine.

I’ll drink to that.