Coffee is a lot more than an everyday wake-up ritual. It is deeply ingrained into city
and cultural identities everywhere.
This beloved drink has fueled revolutions, nurtured intellectual movements, and even
changed the pattern of social life around the world. Here’s 20 of the best coffee cities
around the world for true caffeine lovers.
Melbourne, Australia
It may have pioneered the flat white revolution, but Melbourne’s coffee culture is so
much more than this famous export alone. From the world’s most innovative cafes
hiding in the pockmarked laneways of this city, to master roasters like St. Ali and
Market Lane, locals debate the merits of their signature ‘magic’ – a perfectly
balanced double ristretto with silky steamed milk.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
In the birthplace of coffee, the traditional ceremony isn’t anything like drinking; it’s a
social bonding that ties people together through time-honored traditions. It is a
common sight to see guests gathering for hours as the host methodically roasts
green beans over charcoal, filling the air with an intoxicating aroma before grinding
them by hand and serving the intense, flavorful brew in small cups called ‘cini,’
accompanied by freshly popped corn and fragrant incense.
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Seattle, USA
This city that began the worldwide revolution of coffee remains at the leading edge of
new frontiers in brewing and roasting. Other than the green mermaid named
Starbucks, Seattle’s coffee scene is very much alive and humming within historic
Pioneer Square, where artisanal roasters like Elm Coffee Roasters create beautiful
beans, and the facility known as Coffee Works invites coffee enthusiasts to explore
the intimate art of cupping and roasting.
Vienna, Austria
Walking into a traditional Viennese coffeehouse is like entering a museum that comes to life, with marble tables and glittering chandeliers telling the story of centuries past. Rich Sachertorte and perfect Melange-flavored coffee – each a UNESCO-recognized coffee – paces you in surroundings where you can almost feel the intellectual spirit of Freud, Mozart, and legions of artists who found their muses over coffee.
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo’s Kissaten, or old-school coffee houses, brew coffee as a career-long path to
mastery. Anchored masters perfect their hand-drip techniques over decades, while
legendary spots like Bear Pond Espresso draw global coffee pilgrims to sample their
‘angel stain’ shots – an intoxicating creation served exclusively during tiny morning
windows when the conditions are just right.
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Portland, USA
Portland took that Seattle coffee foundation and turned it into an art form, with all the
trademark Portland quirkiness and obsessions over craft. Local roasters like
Stumptown and Heart are coffee royalty, leading the ‘third wave’ movement while
cultivating a culture where every neighborhood has its micro-roaster pushing the
boundaries of what coffee can be.
Istanbul, Turkey
In the city where mantic fortune-telling with coffee is still a treasured ritual, each cup
tells a story of centuries of accrued culture. Atmospheric cafes around the Grand
Bazaar serve thick, unfiltered Turkish coffee with lokum or Turkish delight, but
modern establishments blend time-honored brewing methods with contemporary
techniques.
Milan, Italy
The Italian coffee culture has a lot of unwritten rules that are best expressed in
Milan, where an ordered cappuccino after noon turns some heads. Here, local
baristas develop the pulling of espresso into a subtle art, perfect shots included, at
historic establishments such as the Caffè Cova, where standing at the bar for your
morning coffee is a ritual that has remained virtually unchanged over generations.
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Copenhagen, Denmark
The Danish capital leads the way in a lighter, brighter take on coffee, where attention
very clearly falls on bringing out the individual characteristics of each bean. From
globally acclaimed minimalist cafes like Coffee Collective and their scientific brewing methods to the treasured ritual of ‘fika,’ which elevates the Humble coffee break into
an integral social function.
Hanoi, Vietnam
The streets of Hanoi’s Old Quarter spring to life every morning with the rhythmic drip
of traditional Vietnamese coffee makers perched on tiny plastic stools. The city’s egg
coffee, a decadent mixture of strong robusta coffee topped with whipped egg yolk
and condensed milk, transforms an ordinary cup of coffee into something quite like a
dessert.
Wellington, New Zealand
The New Zealand compact capital manages to squeeze in more quality cafes per
capita than most global cities, each one ready to debate with the rest, the true origins
of the flat white. Locals such as Flight Coffee Hangar experiment with innovative
processing methods, and an annual coffee fest rounds up the most passionate
coffee artisans to share their craft.
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São Paulo, Brazil
This megacity in Brazil nods to its history of coffee production and its hip, modern
scene. There are classic cafes, where excellent single-origin Brazilian beans are
served in a setting little changed since the ancient days.
There are also avant-garde spots like Coffee Lab, which does elaborate tasting menus and even hands-on workshops showcasing the diverse regions in the country.
Seoul, South Korea
The cafe scene in Seoul has elevated coffee drinking to an Instagram-worthy art
form where aesthetics matter as much as taste. Multi-story themed cafes vie for
social media attention with their stunning designs and presentations, while traditional
houses offer unique Korean coffee experiences like hand-dripped pine nut coffee.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
The Amsterdam coffee story began with the world’s first coffee futures market in the
1700s, and that pioneering spirit survives today. Today, modern micro-roasters such
as Bocca Coffee continue the city’s tradition of trading with beans sourced from
around the world, while the culture of the ‘koffiehuis’ mixes pragmatism with Dutch-
style modernity in its approach to coffee craftsmanship.
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Taipei, Taiwan
Taiwan’s capital gives its own twist to the specialty coffee unique in its fusion of
Eastern and Western traditions. Local roasters experiment with distinctive taste
profiles on both imported and Taiwan-grown beans, while the famous themed cafes –
everything from cat to book cafes – turn the act of drinking coffee into an immersive
experience.
Montreal, Canada
Its unique position creates a cultural bridge between Europe and North America. Cozy cafes like Dispatch Coffee take the best from European cafe culture and combine it with North American innovation, and make them warm havens where you spend hours over skillfully crafted drinks no matter the bitter winter outside.
Oslo, Norway
Oslo is right in the midst of this shift in world thinking about the flavor of coffee.
Legendary roasters, such as Tim Wendelboe, have shaped global coffee culture with
a decidedly scientific approach to roasting and brewing, and the city’s cafes cultivate
quality over quantity.
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Mexico City, Mexico
From the country’s rich heritage of growing coffee, Mexico City celebrates its coffee
culture by embracing modern brewing methods. Traditional cafes serve up aromatic
café de olla spiced with cinnamon and piloncillo, while modern roasters highlight the
unique flavors of Mexican beans thanks to precise preparation techniques.
Cape Town, South Africa
Cape Town’s coffee scene unites great beans from across Africa with astute urban
settings. Innovative roasters such as Truth Coffee link dramatic steampunk
aesthetics with serious coffee credentials, while the carefully sourced varieties of
African beans get the spotlight that they so rightly deserve in this vibrant coffee
destination.
Kyoto, Japan
In Kyoto, tradition from the past is married to innovation with coffee in the machiya,
or wooden townhouses, and cafes. Cold brew towers, for which the city is famous,
make the drink with patience unparalleled – short of actually dribbling drop by precious drop – while centuries-old teahouses now proudly serve immaculately
crafted coffee alongside traditional matcha, connecting past and present.
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More Than Just Coffee
These cities prove that coffee is much more than just a morning pick-me-up but a
lens to view the local culture, history, and innovation.
From ancient ceremonies to innovative brewing techniques or simply an expertly
pulled cup, these destinations make sure that coffee is still one of the most
interesting cultural strokes from humankind.
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