Last week, the Review visited Casper & Gambini's restaurant and coffeehouse to listen to Wissam Shuman, who won an award for best barista in 2002, give a presentation on the history of coffee drinking and watch him demonstrate how to make the perfect cup of coffee.
PR and student marketing executive Firas Kazim briefed the Review about the history and success of C&G. "What first started as a delivery business in Beirut by 1996 had grown into a successful restaurant-coffeehouse franchise with branches in Beirut, Kuwait City, and now in Jeddah," he said.
The restaurant has a highly original ambience, built from simple, basic materials - brick, steel, glass, and wood. No flashy colors, no fashionable chairs, and no junk toys hanging from the wall. In a city dominated by the brightly-lit gaudiness of American-style franchises, C&G stands out.
"C&G is not only the first Golden Cup Award winner in the Middle East and North Africa, but also the recipient of the TOPS Award for excellence four years running," Firas said.
The kitchen prepares gourmet sandwiches, salads, daily specials and desserts.
Wissam Shuman, who is in charge of training the baristas, gave a fascinating glimpse of the origins of coffee in the region. "The story of how coffee growing and drinking spread around the world is one of the greatest and most romantic in history," he said. "It starts in the Horn of Africa, in Ethiopia, where the coffee tree probably originated in the province of Kaffa.
"There are various fanciful but unlikely stories surrounding the discovery of the properties of roasted coffee beans. One story has it that an Ethiopian goatherd was amazed at the lively behavior of his goats after chewing red coffee berries. What we know with more certainty is that the succulent outer cherry flesh was eaten by slaves taken from present-day Sudan into Yemen and Arabia, through the great port of its day, Mocha, now synonymous with coffee. Coffee was certainly being cultivated in Yemen by the 15th century and probably much earlier than that."
Occasional coffee drinkers used to stirring a spoonful of Nescafe into a cup of tepid water may be confused by the variety of flavors available, but once they understand the difference between the two most common types of beans, everything else will follow.
To finish off his imaginary tour through all things coffee-related, Wissam showed off his consummate skill in the art of coffee-making, down to creating imaginative designs in the foam crowning the perfect cup. Many in his audience were won over and left determined to come back for more.
Need to Know
. "Coffee is a mild stimulant that affects the central nervous system".
. "Caffeine is addictive, because human body does not develop caffeine tolerance".
. "Coffee is the seed of a berry".
. " Barista is the Italian word for the professional who prepares coffee drinks".
Arabica
. Grown of sides of mountain
. Harvested by hand
. Half the caffeine of Robusta
. Premium price
. Susceptible to disease
. Greater flavor
. More oil
. 8- 1.5 caffeine
Robusta
. Grown in valley
. Harvested by machine
. Double the caffeine of Arabica
. Low price
. Tolerant to disease and climate
. More bitter and less sour
. Less oil
. 1.7- 3.5 caffeine
