Have coffee, will travel

Lonely Planet’s latest tome is a riveting guide to the world’s best coffee experiences and an invaluable Coffee 101, writes

THERE are books. And then there are BOOKS! And what landed into my eagerly outstretched hands recently definitely belongs to the latter category. It’s every coffee aficionado’s dream read and would definitely sit well with those who enjoy travelling the world through the pages of a book.

Lonely Planet’s (LP) latest tome, hot on the heels of their successful Global Beer Tour book, is called Global Coffee Tour.

The second in the LP “Food” series, this book takes the reader on a fascinating tour of all the interesting and quirky coffee enclaves around the world. The spotlight is cast on more than 150 shops/cafes/ watering holes, roasteries and plantations in 37 countries across six continents, each one selected, I’m assuming, based on various criteria — and not necessarily for the best pour or prettiest coffee art.

Turning each page with the kind of reverence most often reserved for holy books, I was expecting to see and read about a) the godfathers of the coffee scene or b) hipster coffee spaces or c) a lowdown on current hot baristas! But no. If there’s one thing that’s great about the LP series, it’s the consistent effort to give us something that’s not run of the mill.

I delighted in the visuals and stories of modest kedai kopi contained within some scruffy shophouse; buzzy watering hole in a dusty capital; simple breeze-block breakfast joint-turned-coffee-magnet tucked metres away from the beach. Get the picture? It’s all about discovering and uncovering gems down the less trodden paths. LP’s single — no, make that double — coveted nod to our part of the world falls on the humble Ipoh kopitiam Sin Yoon Loong, which is credited for bringing to life the famous “Ipoh white coffee”, described so lyrically as “...coffee that’s creamy that it tastes almost soup-like.”

Despite its less-than-stylish setting “... plastic seats spill from a chipped-tile interior onto the pavement.”), Malaysian foodies continue to pile into this kopitiam, thinking nothing of jostling over a plastic chair, just so they can have their fix of the delicious white coffee.

The second LP nod is reserved for Black Bean Coffee and Tea in Kuching, Sarawak, a popular craft coffee haunt located in the heart of the old colonial city, which is as miniscule as they come with only three tables for patrons to “chup”. Despite the modest setting, it gets the thumbs up from the LP team for the coffee that’s used here, which is grown in Sarawak plantations surrounded by Borneo’s ancient rainforest. The bean’s name? Sarawak Liberica, cultivated by sustainable small farmholders.

My favourite country, New Zealand, located in splendid isolation at the bottom of the South Pacific, is also spotlighted, with the focus trained on the bigger cities such as Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch.

Patea, situated on an isolated stretch of the North Island’s west coast, breaks up the party of the “big boys” with Devil’s Cup, a cafe and art gallery that operates out of an 1874 bank building and whose Bank Blend espresso comes highly recommended.

Myextensivetravelsaroundthisbeautiful country have shown me that a great cup “o joe” can be had literally anywhere you go here. Whether it’s from a modest hole on some remote rural stretch or a cosy haunt on the side of fork on the road, taste and quality are always consistent.

Cafe culture is mainstream in New Zealand and Kiwis are privy to superior brews even from their neighbourhood cafe. It’s no wonder then that around the world, Antipodean-trained baristas are hot property while NZ-style cafes are popping up everywhere.

A lot of research has definitely gone into putting together this delightful tome. There’s much to absorb and you’ll find yourself pleasantly lost in all the fascinating history, personalities and passion behind each caffeinated creation.