Ah! that perfect brew

The coffee industry in the UAE is booming, though the tradition of serving the beverage is much older.

Given enough coffee, I could rule the world.
- Author unknown

Ah! Glorious coffee. Few can resist it and fewer still can deny its overpowering effects.

According to legend, an Arabian goat herder named Kaldi found his goats dancing joyously around a green-leafed shrub with bright red cherries in the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. Kaldi soon determined that it was the beans in the cherries that were causing the peculiar euphoria and after trying it himself he learned of their powerful effect. Monks at a local monastery soon used the beans to stay awake during extended hours of prayer. As the tradition was shared with others, coffee was born.

Today, coffee means big business all over the world. The UAE is no exception. The plethora of coffee houses located all over the country testifies to the fact that the industry is booming, though the tradition of serving coffee is a much older phenomenon than most would imagine.

An invitation to drink coffee in the Middle East is unique. According to custom, when a ruler is receiving a subject in private audience the ruler will ask if the visitor would like some coffee and the visitor should refuse. The ruler may insist but the more strongly he does, the firmer must be the refusal. This dates back to a time when a visitor to a Bedouin tent could be using the host's only cup by accepting.

Most business houses around the Middle East carry on this tradition in a varied form. Meetings often start with a tiny cup of cardamon-flavoured coffee poured from the traditional metal pot or dallah.

Coffee houses are on every second corner of the UAE. With limited leisure activities in big cities, people spend their time in coffee houses, and often hold important meetings and social gatherings there.

Mike Hoff, Business Manager of Starbucks Coffee Middle East says, "Over hundreds of years a rich coffee culture has grown across the Middle East, and this reflects in the UAE coffee practices as well. Today, coffee has taken on a new dimension with a diverse range of flavours and atmospheres in which consumers can enjoy some of their favourite coffee beverages."

In an ever-evolving coffee industry, aficionados delight in new techniques developed to suit their coffee cravings. Hoff says, "If there is any area of coffee culture that is considered the most personal, it is coffee roasting."

Coffee styles in the UAE vary from one café to the next as new and more inventive ways of presenting the bean-based beverage are added to the menu. When Costa Coffee arrived in the UAE in 1999, it had four or five outlets. Today it has 19 stores, which serve around 1.5 million cups every year in the UAE alone.

Piers Burton, Head of Retail Leisure and Business Development at Costa Coffee says, "Our exhilarating growth is a reflection of how the UAE has grown. Residents stand to benefit from the sale of international brands thanks to the cosmopolitan life that the emirate offers.

"We benefited from being secure in prime locations, namely at Deira City Centre, where everyone sees the shop and they recognise the brand and acknowledge what is being offered."

He adds, "The coffee culture in the UAE is such that we have only one thing to keep in mind, location, location location. In this part of the world people don't drive for miles to get a cup of coffee, so we have to accept that a visit to a coffee shop is incidental. It depends on leisure time available."

Many coffee chains have shifted focus on developing coffee houses in designated housing communities where people have leisure time on their hands. Another popular trend is Wifi enabled café s. These are havens for those whose sole ambition is to be hooked up to the

internet while downing their favourite coffees. While some coffee houses have taken to the idea of developing WiFi sections, others have resisted.

Burton says, "I don't believe it is a good idea for a coffee shop. If I had to set a table of four with a laptop, I am suddenly losing four seats. It's a unique selling point for certain places such as the Internet City but the Costa ambience speaks for itself. We don't intend to portray ourselves as places of work but venues which promote leisure."

Indispensable machines

Going to a café where a trained barista or barman can brew the perfect cuppa is the easiest way of tasting coffee at its best, but there are many options for those who want to perfect the art of making coffee on their own. Coffee machines have become as important a household item as any. Michel Farah, Administrative Manager, Moka General Trading, deals with selling coffee machines.

He says, "Many people are buying coffee machines for their homes. They find the machines practical and cannot imagine life without them."

The coffee lover has the last word. Sharjah resident, Devyani Scaria has grown up in a home where coffee has always been treated with respect. She believes in only drinking pure coffee and is fascinated by the variety of brands available. She says, "I can't live without coffee."

HANDY TIPS
What to look for in a coffee maker

Here're some important features to look for when buying an electric coffee maker. When you're shopping for a coffee maker, it is handy to know what features are available in typical machines so you can find exactly what you need.

Pause n' serve
This is a popular feature that is included in most machines. One can remove the coffee pot before the brewing cycle is complete, without having coffee drip all over the heating plate. The opening under the filter is low and touches the top of the pot. The valve closes when you take out the coffee pot.

Digital controls
This encompasses a variety of features, such as LCD display screens, clocks and a timer (a necessary feature for some). Another popular part of the controls package is the auto-off, a fabulous feature for absent-minded people who are tired of scorched coffee pots. Also, lighted buttons can be nice if you make coffee in the early (and still dark) morning. It is easier on the eyes than lighting up the room to find the buttons.

Water filter
Some high-end coffee makers have built-in water filters to take out any chlorine or iron taste from their tap water. It's a nice addition, though it adds extra maintenance and cost when replacing filters.

Permanent coffee filter
You can buy a permanent coffee filter if your coffee maker doesn't come with one.

These fine-mesh plastic or metal filters are cheaper than paper in the long run and are more environmentally friendly. People with delicate palates will notice an improvement in taste too, since it is eliminates the paper flavour.