Coffee culture from around the world that will make you fall in love with it all over again!

Known to have originated from the land of Ethiopia, coffee has made its mark all over the world and reports show that thousands of cups of coffee are consumed each day. Relaxation, enjoyment or endearment, whatsoever your excuse might be, coffee has become the most beloved beverage of all the time. It is said that the trade of coffee began from the ongoing trade and migration from Africa to England, and spread to other Asian countries. This spread of coffee through many continents and its underlying cultures gave birth to different coffee rituals in different countries. The Italians began to have their coffee early in the day as an espresso to help the fast-paced lives, on the other hand, the Ethiopians liked their green beans brewed slowly in clay pots and poured into their cups. From chefs creating delicious desserts with it to alcohol-infused cocktails, coffee is everywhere. If you are also a coffee lover, here are 7 interesting rituals and culture of various places that you would like to know about:

The Italian way of coffee, without a doubt, is espresso. The meaning of espresso in Italian is ‘fast’ and is the go-to drink for Italian people. The Italians like to begin their day early and a nice round of espresso is a must to kick start their day. The coffee shops are called cafe bars in Italy and another interesting thing is that you would not need to ask for “an espresso to go” because that’s how it is consumed. People order their espresso and drink it while standing and get going.

Unlike Italy, coffee means relaxation for Swedes. People here believe that coffee is not something you can have while you have your eyes stuck on the computer all the time. It is meant to be enjoyed and requires you to take a moment to savour it. Coffee is a way for the Swedes to chill and catch up with each other with some sort of sweet accompaniment like cinnamon buns.

The Vietnamese like their coffees robust and thick and that might be because of lack of electricity in Vietnam in the early days. The use of Robusta beans brings out a delicious nutty flavour in the thick- concentrated coffee. The people of Vietnam believe that the culture of coffee is an extension of themselves outside their homes and hence, they have many rounds of coffee throughout the day.

Dark roast Kopi beans roasted with butter and sugar over charcoal is the way to go about coffee when it comes to the Malaysian coffee. This way of roasting coffee beans before using them to make a smooth blend has been in use since ages. In the cafes around Malaysia, coffee is a must along with breakfast, lunch and dinner. Kopi beans are known to be greener than our regular coffee beans and are less caffeinated. After the brewing process, the coffee emits a nutty, creamy flavour and texture.

Ethiopia produces the largest amount of coffee around the world and yet exports the least. The reason is simple, they consume so much coffee themselves that it is nearly impossible for them to export and yet meet the requirements of their people too. The elaborate coffee ceremonies in Ethiopia are famous all around the world. The coffee is roasted, grounded and brewed in a slow process in front of the guests using a special clay pot called jebena and is then enjoyed by everyone later. There are three levels of coffee obtained with this process. The first one is called Abol and it is the strongest one and takes up most of the condensation. The same coffee grounds are brewed again to obtain tona, the second round. For the last round, more water is added to the brew and is called the Baraka.

Hospitality and coffee are the backbones of Turkish culture and that is the reason they both go hand in hand. People from Turkey believe that coffee is so important in their culture that even to define the colour brown, they say ‘Kavarengi’ meaning brown in colour. The Turkish way to brew coffee is to heat up water and coffee together in a brass vessel with a long handle over an open flame. The coffee and this culture of brewing the coffee came in Turkey with the Ottoman empire and is known to have spread across the world from here.

Brazil is known to be one of the largest producers of coffee in and around the world and that is because of the land and climate that Brazil has to offer. The unique Brazillian coffee is ultra-sweet and bitter in taste and is consumed by almost everyone here. The people from Brazil claim that you can get free coffee in Brazil everywhere you go. It’s like serving water at some places. If you go to the dentist, you are likely to receive a cup of coffee or if you go to a gas station, you can always have coffee for free. Such is the coffee culture in Brazil.