‘Coffee culture' is an accepted part of modern society and although its origins are firmly rooted in the USA, ‘coffee culture' has taken off dramatically in the towns and cities of Northern Ireland in the past decade.

Coffee shops have sprouted up all over the place to service the demand as it appears that more and more of us seem to be uttering the words ‘do you fancy going for a coffee?'.

Initially most coffee shops were either locally owned or based in the British Isles, but given the market potential it wasn't long before the ‘big boys' got in on the act. Love them or hate them, the Seattle based company Starbucks arrived in Belfast a couple of years ago and have expanded throughout the province on the crest of a caffeine wave. I enjoy Starbucks coffee and was recently invited to participate in an ‘aroma lab' at their Victoria Square outlet.

The idea of an ‘aroma lab' is something similar to that of a wine tasting. Its aim is to allow you compare and contrast different types of coffee, both by taste and smell, educate you as to the many varieties available and provide suggestions as to what foods go best with particular blends.

It is the ambition of Starbucks that every customer has the best possible experience having entered their shop and getting the customer to know what they really like is part of the process.

We have all experienced the stereotypical American who when ordering food or drink know what they want down to the very smallest detail. The Northern Irish tend to be a bit more sheepish when it comes to ordering and are either overwhelmed by the choice that the menu offers, or the fact that they simply don't know the difference mean we accept a strong mug of 'whatever's on the board'. 

Starbucks have 87,000 combinations of coffee that you can order so it would appear daunting to pinpoint the one that best suits you, however their advice is fairly simple. Ask their staff questions (especially the coffee masters identifiable by their black aprons), try different blends, and then sample them with different foods.

Our coffee master was Jonny Ross (pictured above) and his knowledge of the bean was almost infinite. A chill'd out Coleraine man, Jonny has a knowledgable enthusiasm that could convert the most sceptical non coffee drinker to the joys of the Starbucks (caffeine-free, Herbal tea quaffing Sugahfix ed Katrina was even converted!) and if Starbucks commitment to the quality of their beans is as strong at the education of their staff then we were about to taste some fine coffee indeed.

After a palate-cleansing mug of green tea we got down to work.

The three types of coffee that we had on offer were Guatemalan, Ethiopian and Espresso, all top quality Arabica beans as with all Starbucks coffee.

Like wine - the county, region, soil type and slope of the mountain, right down to how high up the slope it is grown - can affect the quality of the bean. Latin-American blends tend to have the most robust flavour and a dry, nutty taste. Where a lot of the food on offer in coffee shops tends to be muffins, scones, chocolate cake etc - a Latin-American blend like the Guatemalan we sampled is actually complimented by nutty foods so a nut-based muesli bar or a bar with brazil nuts would be ideal perfect to put a spring in your step for breakfast.

In the lush mountains where the Ethiopian Arabica beans are grown there are lots of citrus trees and exotic flowers so this comes through in the flavour of the bean and so any bitterness was almost miraculously vanished with a bite of lemon drizzle cake. Food with citrus or floral elements are perfect with Ethiopian blend. For all those chocolate lovers out there the Starbucks Verona blend was created specifically to go with chocolate so if it's not brewing on the board and you fancy an indulgent chocolate brownie - ask for it specifically and you will be provided with a fresh cafetiere that is plenty for two people. And for those of you who enjoy nothing better than a nicotine hit along with your caffeine boost, French roast with its dark smokey taste is the blend to ‘die' for.

The espresso is a blend of the Starbucks house bean and gets its name from Italy and the fact that it is normally drank fast as a shot. The Espresso blend is used in the huge metal barista machine to make americanos, lattes and cappuccinos and the strength can be increased by adding an extra shot (or more). 

It was interesting to experience the effect that different foods, or indeed smelling flowers, brazil nuts and slices of lemon, had on both the taste and aroma of the coffees tasted. Obviously not every punter on the high street can attend an ‘aroma lab', however Starbucks coffee masters would be overjoyed to be asked and will accommodate customers who wish to taste different coffees on offer so long as its not at peak times.

In this modern era of ethically moral business practices, Starbucks are keen to promote their Shared Planet ethos. Although Starbucks also purchase coffee through Fair Trade, these small producers who are protected by the Fair Trade scheme could never provide the vast amounts of coffee required by a global company like Starbucks so they have developed the Shared Planet concept ensures that coffee is bought from farmers that are ‘good to their workers, community and planet'. This generally means that the farmers receive a price 50% higher than the norm which ensures Fair Trade standards for the workers but Shared Planet is also about quality and Starbucks are, in turn, provided with the highest quality bean.

In summary, although Starbucks are a large multi-national company that wish to maximise profits, the key to their success comes in the form of customer satisfaction. With a little bit more knowledge and experience, we can turn to Starbucks as an oasis of calm. Somewhere we can retreat to as we slide into recession, a place to relax, unwind, socialise, read and enjoy the merits of a bean that although originally from Africa has become a lifelong companion to so many throughout the World.