Cold Brew

Cold brew coffee is brewed, well, cold. And, if that’s not enough to love, you can choose it fizzy or foaming. In theory, the brewing reduces acidity and produces a smoother coffee, making it a definite step up from the clichéd café frappé. In practice, you’ll need to be a coffee fan to enjoy the rich flavours of cold brew.

Au Lait

I recently came across this coffee-drinker’s guide to Europe, which describes France as the home of the espresso (!). The signature drink of France is, of course, the café au lait, a gloriously smooth and milky morning drink that’s the perfect way to start the day. Its Italian cousin, complete with foam, is, of course, the cappuccino – woe betide you if you drink one after breakfast time. If you like your cappuccinos, check out Kimbo for great Italian coffee beans to wake you up in the morning.

Pre-Digested

Indonesia’s kopi luwak – palm civet coffee – started the boom in coffees processed by way of an animal’s intestines. The logic of luwak coffee is that the civets, roaming free in the branches of the plantations, eat selectively, picking the best and ripest berries, so that what comes out is not only mellowed by their digestive tract but also started off as the best. Thailand’s ivory coffee – shat out by elephants – is north of north in marketing terms but does not benefit from the civet’s picky palate.

With Spices

One of the great joys of coffee in the Middle East – which is just not the same without sugar – is the rich spice mix added to the humble bean. Cardamom is the dominant spice in Turkish and Lebanese coffee, but other countries may lead with cinnamon, anise, clove or nutmeg.

As a Martini

The wonderful Dick Bradsell created the Espresso Martini for a model who wanted something that would “wake me up, then fuck me up”. With vodka, kahlua and espresso shaken enough to produce the crema foam, it beats the hell out the Bloody Mary as an “evening-after” drink.