The coffee industry is continually booming, with a staggering 2 billion cups of coffee consumed worldwide on a daily basis. I personally can’t go a day without it; I always start my day with a cup of freshly brewed coffee (preferably from a local roaster) with some almond milk creamer. If I’m at a cafe, I will always order a latte, or a cold brew if it’s a warm day. I used to just be obsessed with those sugary drinks from Starbucks, but as I started traveling more and experiencing how the rest of the world drinks coffee, my palette matured. Thus began my journey of learning about how coffee is both consumed and produced in the rest of the world, and is what inspired this post. So sit back (with a “cuppa Joe” in hand) and enjoy this continental world tour of coffee.

Americas
Coffee was first introduced to the United States from Europe back in the 1600s. The first American coffee shops popped up in Boston, and quickly became very popular throughout the years, especially during times of war. During the American civil war, coffee was known as “the drug of the civil war”, as it gave soldiers the much-needed energy to keep fighting. Today, Americans are one of the leading consumers of coffee. We consume a lot in an effort to have the energy to keep up with high societal expectations, reflecting a modern-day society consumed by work and the need to move quickly. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve mindlessly downed a cup (or even two) before I had to rush out the door for a meeting. For many of us, coffee has become a means for our survival as opposed to a cultural, meaningful experience. As I’ve learned more about how people consume coffee in the rest of the world (and as you will too in this post), I’ve made a concerted effort to take a more ritualistic and wholesome approach to my coffee consumption, choosing to slow down and appreciate the moment.

While North America is one of the biggest consumers of coffee, South America is the biggest exporter. Because of their unique microclimates, most of the world’s coffee is grown in South American countries, Colombia and Brazil being the leading producers. Unlike the US, coffee drinking is more of a social experience, with people taking their time and chatting with each other while enjoying their cups. In South America, coffee helps build the foundation of social life. Also unlike the US where bigger usually equals better, coffee is enjoyed from a very small cup (similar to an espresso cup) and is typically taken without cream, though many people will add sugar. In Colombia they call this drink tinto, which in Spanish is a word for “ink”, and reflects the coffee having a resemblance of black ink. Another coffee drink consumed in Colombia is a café, which consists of only a little bit of coffee with a lot of milk. While tinto is consumed all throughout the day, café is usually served later in the evening or at night. Brazilians have a similar way of consuming coffee. It is typically consumed all throughout the day, in small doses. In Brazil, the most common drink is called cafezinho, which means “small coffee”. People make a point to serve this drink boiling hot, and with a lot of sugar since the coffee tends to have a very bitter taste (which occurs as a result of growing the coffee beans at low altitudes). Because coffee is consumed so regularly in South America, people tend to not drink the high quality coffee they export, but a lower quality one that is cheaper (but still delicious).

Asia (Southeast regions)
Asia produces around one-third of the world’s coffee, with Indonesia, Vietnam, and India being the top three producers. Indonesian coffee is unique in that the terrain is variable and mountainous, which makes for a very robust cup of coffee. Farmers also use a special processing method called wet huling, or “giling basah”, which results in a flavor profile that is rich, strong, and syrupy. In Vietnam, the coffee produced is primarily robusta, with the highest quality coffee beans grown in higher elevations. These robustas tend to have a chocolatey, nutty, and earthy flavor. Also grown in Vietnam are fruity and citrusy arabicas, but which are not as common as these beans are more difficult to grow. Another type of coffee one might encounter in Vietnam (which is quite strange) is called “weasel coffee”, where the coffee is made from beans that have been eaten and pooped out by an animal called an Asian palm civet. The animal’s digestive tract will start the fermentation process and change the chemistry of the coffee beans. Though it doesn’t sound very appetizing, the coffee is apparently very tasty, with hints of cacao and carmel flavors. I’m not sure I’ll ever get around to trying this coffee, as one pound costs up to $600. In addition, there are other ethical factors as the way the palm civet is treated is not humane at all. The animal is held in captivity while being force-fed the bean; as a result, the amount of stress put on the animal will often lead to its demise.

India also has a unique story; the first coffee beans were planted in a mountainous region of India by an Indian monk named Baba Budan who first discovered coffee while traveling through Yemen. Legend has it that he managed to smuggle the coffee beans thousands of miles back home to India by stuffing them in his beard. He chose to take exactly seven beans so people would see his choice as a holy act, as the number seven holds much significance in the Islamic religion. Several centuries later, these seven coffee beans would lead to India becoming one of the world’s top coffee producing countries. Today, much of India’s coffee is grown under the shade of canopy trees, which aids in the production of high-quality coffee by enriching the soil through the recycling of nutrients, as well as protecting the coffee plants from changing weather conditions. Because much of the coffee in India is grown alongside spices such as cardamom, vanilla, and pepper, the coffee may pick up flavor profiles reflecting this.

Despite all of the diversity in coffee production, Asia has actually never been a major coffee drinking region, at least compared to the rest of the world. However, the demand for coffee in Asia has increased dramatically. As coffee has become more affordable for people in recent years, more and more people turning to coffee for their daily morning boost. Japan now consumes the most coffee out of any other Asian country, with new cafes popping up regularly.

Europe
Just like the Americas, Europe is also a big consumer of coffee. Perhaps the most well-known variation of coffee is the espresso (and also one of my favorites). Espresso originated in Italy in the late 1800s as an effort to speed up the overall brewing process. Espresso is a very strong and highly concentrated cup of coffee, so it is typically taken in small doses, but still consumed throughout the day. Espresso is also very versatile and many other delicious drinks are made from it, such as the cafe macchiato, cappuccino, and cafe affogato. Espresso is also very common in France, however they call it café express and unlike the Italians they usually save the espresso for the afternoons. In the mornings, the French usually drink straight black coffee, or will have coffee with milk (aka the café au lait).

A quite random and interesting fact I’ve learned through my research is that Finland actually consumes the most coffee per capita in the world, which equates to 26.45 pounds of coffee per person per year. Finnish people take their coffee very seriously. They consume it at every meal, which can add up to eight cups a day per person, and it is usually rude to turn it down when offered. There’s even a labor law that states people must take two coffee breaks a day during work days. The reason for this seemingly obsessive culture surrounding coffee actually makes a lot of sense. Since Finland is so far from the equator, it doesn’t get much daylight, so people need the coffee to be able to stay awake and to keep warm.

Middle East
Coffee consumption in the Middle East dates back to the 1200s, where members of the Muslim community started to use coffee to help them stay awake during long sessions of prayer. Eventually, coffee houses started to become very popular places to frequent, where people of all classes would get together and play games, talk, and watch performances. These places eventually came to be known as the “schools of the wise”, as they became hubs of both storytelling and the sharing of information. Perhaps one of the most popular coffee beverages in the Middle East is called the Turkish Coffee, and is served in a small cup with a layer of foam. The foam is known as the “face” of the coffee, and it is an essential part of the drinking experience. The Turkish coffee has a lot of ritual surrounding it; for example, some will practice fortune-telling by attempting to interpret the grounds left at the bottom of the cup, once the coffee is consumed.

Africa
African coffee has quite a long history, as it was first discovered in the 9th century in Ethiopia. The most popular legend surrounding the origin of coffee is that a goat farmer named Kaldinoticed that his goats were behaving strangely and had much more energy than usual. Only after closer inspection did Kaldi notice that the goats were eating coffee cherries from a bush nearby. Kaldi then took the cherries back to his people and told them of their superpowers, and then the rest is history. Before people started consuming coffee as a beverage, they would turn the coffee beans into a paste by grinding them up and mixing them with butter or animal fat. Travelers would then take this as a snack on long journeys to help them have energy. Coffee has become such an integral part of Ethiopian culture that people often express their connection to coffee through language. A common saying in Ethiopia is “Buna dabo naw”, which means “coffee is our bread”. Coffee is so essential to the culture that in certain households, there is a coffee ceremony that takes place multiple times a day and can last up to three hours.

Australia
Australia, the origin of the flat white, is said to possess some of the world’s best coffee, tasting smooth, bright, and with notes of caramel. Australians take great care in the sourcing, roasting, and brewing processes to make sure the coffee is of the best quality. The quality of the coffee there is so good that not even Starbucks has been able to make any foothold in the continent, as people much prefer to enjoy their daily cup in independent coffee shops. If you are looking for a unique and next-level coffee drinking experience, perhaps you may want to visit Melbourne, as some even call it the coffee capital of the world.

Antarctica
I didn’t think I would have much to say about coffee in Antarctica, considering the continent is almost uninhabitable to humans (and I’m pretty sure the penguins don’t drink coffee). But believe it or not, the continent is home a popular cafe called The Coffee House located in McMurdo Station, which I’m sure is an interesting place to meet new people and complain about the cold. As Antarctica is understandably short on supplies, the cafe uses dry milk for their lattes, but will occasionally get shipments of fresh milk from New Zealand.

From quaint cafes on the bustling streets of Paris, to villages tucked away in the Colombian jungles, coffee is widely celebrated around the world. As a contributor to the coffee economy, I think it is important for me to keep learning about coffee, and also share my knowledge with others so that everyone may learn to appreciate coffee as a culture. For many, coffee is what brings people together. So let’s start a conversation! How do you take your coffee? Let us know in the comments!