Coffee is enjoyed around the world! However, coffee culture isn’t always the same. In this blog, let’s look at how people drink coffee in different countries.
America
Let’s say that you are an American. Coffee is probably a big part of your morning routine.
That first cup of coffee puts your feet on the ground, gets your head in the game, and helps you navigate the oftentimes bumpy road through your day.
You or someone you know likely hits the snooze button, frantically runs to the kitchen, grabs a disposable paper cup, and then races over to the nearest coffee chain store to place an order.
Here, people drink a latte, a cappuccino, or perhaps a frozen blended coffee concoction with syrup, milk, and whipped cream on top.
Italy
To Italians, coffee is a serious thing. Getting the perfect cup by dutifully using quality beans and expensive machines is important.
Italians stop at the bar for an espresso more than once a day—it’s typically knocked back standing at the counter. The traditional espresso drinks are taken black, no milk, and “when in Italy, there is no such thing as an afternoon cappuccino,” a self-identified coffee geek explains. “Pausing for that afternoon espresso break is the ritual part of the day.”
Vietnam
Now picture yourself in Vietnam, enjoying an iced coffee on a hot day.
Café sua da, or Vietnamese iced coffee, is the drink du jour: dark roast coffee brewed over ice with sweetened condensed milk as a cooling top layer.
When Vietnam was a French colony, they adapted the drink to Vietnamese taste, and it quickly became a national custom. Vietnam’s practical and smart farmers produce amazing coffee, but to turn the beans into a café sua da requires, interestingly enough, a metal drip filter prepared and placed directly over the glass.
I drink café sua da any time of day, and on any trip to Vietnam I almost never go an afternoon without one. The sweet, creamy, caffeinated drink serves as both a cooling agent and a much-needed shot of energy in the midst of the tropical midday heat.
Melbourne
Though some Aussies may still balk at the idea of ‘real’ coffee with intense flavor and complexity, Melbournians have gone absolutely nuts for tiny locally-owned roasters and high-quality brews.
Their typical coffee shop uses only the best beans and expert baristas. They take their coffee seriously! Milky coffees, flat whites, cappuccinos, and frothy lattes crowned with designs of milk art abound.
Melbourne’s sophisticated tastes ensure that it has always had a hand in pushing the coffee envelope. The city hosts an annual coffee festival focused on local roasters and the best talent in the city.
Turkey
Turkish coffee has a muddy appearance and feels thick and almost syrupy when you drink it. Unlike espresso, you don’t get a top layer of foam. Instead, the grounds sink to the bottom. There is a tradition that the coffee grounds left at the bottom of your cup can reveal to you what is in store for you in the future.
Ethiopia
An Ethiopian coffee ceremony can last up to three hours and includes the burning of frankincense, the roasting of fresh beans over coals in a skillet, the percolating of the roasted beans in a clay jebena pot, and a snack to nibble on while you wait.
