Ireland is a place with a rich heritage, strong traditions and is full of culture. For such a tiny island, Irish culture is known all around the world – just check out the scenes in America on St. Patrick’s Day…
From the Titanic (top film, by the way), U2 and the likes of Liam Neeson, Colin Farrell and incomparable Sinead O’Connor, some pretty recognisable names have come out of Ireland, including in the food and drink industry too.
The reach of Guinness (and from that the Guinness Book of World records, which was originally thought up by Sir Hugh Beaver, the managing director of Guinness Breweries back in the day) has already put the Irish beverages and drinking culture well and truly on the map. That’s without mentioning the likes of Irish ciders such as Bulmers, Irish Whiskey and the festive favourite, Baileys.
But as much as we enjoy a little tipple, what about coffee?
Simply type ‘Irish drinks’ into Google (other search engines are available, although they’re not very good) and one of the first drinks you will see if Irish coffee, which would lead me to believe that there is a coffee tradition and a coffee culture of Ireland to explore.
With the World Barista Championship being hosted in Dublin in 2016 too, there definitely seems to be a growing coffee following in Ireland.
‘It seems like overnight we’ve become a country of coffee drinkers’
Independent coffee shop in Dublin
Much like in the rest of the UK, and the rest of the world for that matter, there has been a coffee boom in Ireland over the last few years.
In 2013 more than 3990 tonnes of coffee was consumed in the Republic of Ireland alone – that’s a heavy amount of coffee – and Bord Bia state that “coffee in Ireland is a growing phenomenon 75% of Irish consumers stating they drink coffee, and seven in ten drinking more than one cup a day” and the capital, Dublin has become saturated with cafes and coffee houses.
The trend seems to follow a similar pattern to that of other nations that have developed a strong coffee like of recent years: with investment from coffee chains and more cafes being placed all over Ireland, there has been a greater exposure to high quality coffee, which has led to interest in furthering coffee experiences and artisan coffee and roast houses have become a more popular meet-up destination for friends and a go-to for those in search of a hot drink.
Traditionally a Nation of Tea Drinkers
Much like the rest of the UK, especially England, Ireland was long considered a nation of tea drinkers but is the pendulum swinging towards coffee?
Ireland is still considered a tea drinking nation, per person consuming the second most amount of tea per year after Turkey. So where is the coffee boom?
The love and consumption of coffee very much rests with cafes and coffee shops. As mentioned above, the major Irish cities in both the North and the republic of Ireland have gained a heavy cafe presence. So far the trend seems to be drink tea at home, and head towards a cafe when you’re out and about. As is the case in most countries, the major cities are the trend setters, and the coffee love from Dublin has spread around the entire island.
What Next?
This article from Hospitality Ireland states that the coffee shop market in Ireland, for 2015, was valued at $111.5 and is growing every single year. The prediction is that with the growing popularity of coffee shops, and not just cafes that sell coffee, and the predicted growth in popularity of home brewing methods and pods, the market will grow by 20% by next year.
So it seems the next chapter for Irish coffee culture seems to be the increase of speciality coffee houses and an uptake in home brewing.
This isn’t surprising as this is a trend that many coffee drinking nations have followed: an enjoyment of coffee in a cafe leads to an interest in speciality coffee. The desire for quality coffee extends beyond being in a town centre and the attention turns to making good coffee using well-roasted coffee beans at home so people can enjoy high-quality coffee without paying higher prices or leaving the house.
How to Make Traditional Irish Coffee
We couldn’t talk about Irish coffee culture without paying some attention to traditional Irish coffee… Made up of coffee, whiskey, and sugar (all of which I’m sure are on many people’s ‘top 5 favourite things ever’ list) Irish coffee is a bit of a cult favourite.
Here’s what you need:
- 50ml cold double or whipping cream
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 50ml (or a standard shot – 45ml) whiskey, preferably Irish
- 150ml-200ml freshly brewed coffee
Here’s how to make it:
- Make yourself a hot cup of coffee
- Add the sugar and stir until it’s dissolved
- Pour in your whiskey
- Throw some cream on top
Simple!
If you’re visiting Ireland any time soon, check this out before you go so you know where the best coffee shops in Ireland are.
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