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Any legit cafephile (someone who really loves coffee) would want to know where to go for the world’s best coffee. After all, is there anything more enjoyable than sitting by a street café enjoying the brew while people watching? It’s one of my best pastimes when traveling.
Indeed, coffee is possibly the world’s most popular beverage. For centuries, we have consumed coffee as the perfect pick-me-up in the morning, or at just about any time of the day. As a coffee lover, definitely consider visiting places with a strong a coffee culture.
Here is a list of five cities where you can find the world’s best coffee. Start your day at any of the cafés, sample their offerings, and then explore the city as much as you can. These are certainly worth visiting for their tourist sites alone, but coffee lovers would enjoy the added perk.
Drink cappuccino in Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy has a huge coffee culture. Some of your favorite styles of coffee were born in this vibrant, bustling city. Small cups of espresso were first brewed here, as well as cappuccino. You will still find a huge coffee and cafe culture in this city to this day, with the streets filled with cafes and vendors offering a massive range of coffees. Most will taste a lot better than the coffee you find in the cities and towns you are used to.
Rome is also rich in world history, and you can spend some of your time in this city visiting sites like the Roman Colosseum with a freshly brewed cup of coffee in your hand.
Enjoy the world’s best coffee — Kopi Luwak in Java, Indonesia
The island of Java in Indonesia has become synonymous with coffee, so much so that many people call any cup of coffee a java. This small and idyllic island became one of the world’s largest coffee producers centuries ago, and still provides some of the world’s best beans for coffee lovers around the world.
One of Java’s most famous beans is kopi luwak. This is the famous “cat poop” coffee that many of the world’s coffee connoisseurs think is the best brew on the planet. Take a look here to find out more about the history of cat poop coffee and what makes it so special.
Try the egg coffee and coconut milk coffee in Hanoi, Vietnam
I like eggs, and I like coffee. But combined? No way!
That is, until I tried it Hanoi. The Vietnamese call it ca phe trung, and it’s made with beaten egg yolk, condensed milk, and espresso. Some even add sugar to it. While the combination sounds odd, the taste is absolutely delicious. It looks great, too, kinda frothy and creamy. Egg was used to substitute for milk back when milk supply was scarce.
The best place to have this is Cafe Giang in the Old Quarter in Hanoi.
Another different kind of coffee in Hanoi is coconut milk coffee. Like the egg coffee, I was wary about tasting it, too, but I need not have worried. It was delicious and best to have as a cold drink. Called cot dua ca phe, it’s made with coffee grounds, coconut milk, and (again), condensed milk and blended.
The best place to enjoy coconut milk coffee is Cong Ca Phe in the Old Quarter.
Visit the birthplace of Starbucks — Seattle, Washington, USA
This west coast city is the American capital of coffee. A hot cup of coffee has long been a staple of American culture, but Seattle took it to the next level. This city gave the world the Starbucks coffee brand with the first shop opened here in 1971, and the Seattle style of the coffee shop soon took the world by storm.
You can find a wide variety of coffee shops there today, including some excellent independent shops that offer beans and brews from all around the world.
Savor the intangible heritage of Vienna, Austria
Coffee and the cafe culture is such a huge part of Viennese life and history that UNESCO listed their coffee shops as a part of their intangible heritage in 2011. Coffee shops in Vienna are often wonderfully ornate and decorated and provide the perfect place to relax and enjoy a brew. The locals often enjoy a cup of melange, which is strongly brewed espresso served with steamed and frothed milk and well sweetened.
If you want to have a taste of the world’s best coffee, head to these cities and enjoy not only their tourist attractions but also their brew. As a coffee lover, there is really nothing that makes you appreciate a place better than a cup of warm coffee.
What other cities can you recommend for coffee lovers?
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