How to speed up SSL coection establishment?

I have an OpenSSL setup on my Linux PC using Apache2.

NO, I haven't enabled DNS resolving. I have the certificate on the machine, LOCALLY.

Still, Chrome devtools tell me that Initial Coection took 1.64u2009s. That's a lot of waiting for me when it comes to refreshing the page after a specific time has passed.

How to speed that up or is that the way it's supposed to be?

PS: I'm using StartCom's free ssl.