Ahhh... sitting down for a cup of coffee made just right! What a deliciously selfish and stolen moment! Whether you?re a Starbucks groupie or you were blessed by being born in Europe where the aroma of coffee works better than most alarm clocks, a great cup of coffee can start a day off great or compensate for one that went all wrong!

But when you?re vacationing in a tropical paradise such as Mauritius and you?re surrounded by lush plantations of indisputably some of the best tea in the world, what is the coffee protocol? Do you even dare ask the waiter for a cup of your beloved java? Do you dare risk the humiliation, the crash of dishes, the offended stares, the whispers? Well, you can stop hiding the coffee in your socks... I?ve got some good news for you. Coffee is alive and well in Mauritius!

Back in 1715, Dufresne D?Arsel called in Mauritius on a voyage from Mocha (a small port on the Red Sea) where he had picked up a cargo of coffee bushes. His main mission was to establish the trade of coffee between Arabia and France. These coffee bushes were destined for Bourbon (an island south west of Mauritius now known as Reunion). The coffee trade was never developed in Mauritius as in Bourbon, which was exporting over 2,500,000 lbs of coffee by the end of 1744.

According to Gurib-Fakims? book, ?Mauritius through its medicinal plants?, two endemic coffee bushes grow in Mauritius; however, they do not contain any caffeine.

In the early 1970s, Arabica and Liberica species were introduced into Mauritius by Bel Ombre Sugar Estate. From these species, the brand ?Cafe de Chamarel? is still produced by the ?Sociéte de la Flèche?, Case Noyale, featuring regular ground and expresso coffee. This Mauritian coffee is sold alongside all the better-known international brands in all local supermarkets.

Generally, the 40 - 50 year old group is the most likely to buy coffee to be made at home. A small percentage even uses a coffee machine. In old times, coffee beans were roasted in a karay (large wok) and ground down on a stone or in a mortar with a wooden pestle. Boiling water was then poured over the ground coffee and, after straining, the rich liquid was creamed and sugared as usual!

Surprisingly though, the sales of instant coffee still outnumber coffee beans as younger Mauritians seemingly don?t have the patience to make coffee the traditional way. The only time real coffee might be brewed is after a large Sunday meal when company is around. Luckily you won?t have to wait for an invitation as there are cafes all over the island that?ll fix you a brew any way you like it!

So, you can come out from under the table, shake out those socks and relax... This truly is a paradise!!! Imagine, you can ask for real Mauritian coffee and even drink it!

<B>Angela Keessoondyal</B>