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My Favorite Coffee Around the World

Coffee Drinkers of the World!

Location: Around the World

This is one of our favorite blog posts from 2020. Enjoy it again or for the very first time.

Lucky am I that I have tasted coffee all over the world, in fact, in 110 countries. Wow that is a lot of countries and a lot of coffee. I’ve been able to narrow down my favorite coffee around the world. I do love coffee and although there has been many countries where the coffee was downright lousy or non-existent, luckily there have been many countries where it was delicious and abundant.

Enjoying Cyprus coffee

Cyprus

We are currently hunkered down on the island of Cyprus, where coffee rules. Cypriot coffee is much like the coffee of Turkey or Greece, and is usually made in a Cezva, a metal cooker with a long handle and a pouring lip. The coffee in Cyprus is arabica coffee and is ground so fine it is almost like a powder. Traditionally cooked in sand over an open fire, many traditional houses will still make the coffee in a machine that uses sand very hot, then place the Cezva into the sand and bring the coffee to boil twice.

I had never seen coffee made in this manner and it was something fun and new to see.

Brewing over the hot sand

Cyprus is another of a long list of countries who know how to make good coffee, even though they don’t grow their own beans. Many countries with the best coffee don’t grow beans. It’s all in the way it’s prepared.

So I thought today I would share with you all my favorite coffee around the world, in addition to Cyprus. Some of the worlds best and most delicious. Whatever you call it; java, joe, mud, cuppa, brew, cafe, octane, rocket fuel or juice – here is my favorite coffee around the world.

Coffee in France
Espresso in France 2007

France

I visited France in 2007 and despite the Starbucks phenom in the USA, France was the place I had my first and most memorable cup of real good espresso. And I didn’t have just one. I drank so many cups of espresso during my ten day visit to Paris and northern France. I learned how much I love a deep, dark rich cup and I have loved it ever since.

Italian coffee
My husband enjoying coffee in Italy

Italy

Most people think of espresso as Italian, and certainly they are credited with the invention of the espresso machine. I loved this amazing coffee here as well, and was a bit confused by the social etiquette surrounding your morning coffee. Most baristas were kind and assisted this silly American.

Ethiopian coffee
Ethiopian woman preparing the coffee

Ethiopia

My 2008 trip to Ethiopia remains one of the highlights of my travel life, and learning the complicated process the Ethiopia Coffee ceremony encompasses is one of the most interesting things I have ever seen. Ethiopians strongly claim their country as the birthplace of coffee, and they take the ceremony of coffee very seriously. You can’t be in a hurry for your morning cuppa here…but it is very much worth the wait.

Zanzibar Coffee

Zanzibar

The beautiful island country of Zanzibar (actually a self-governing island of Tanzania) has many coffee plantations as well as beautiful and interesting spice plantations. On a tour of one of these plantations we learned a lot about the coffee culture of Zanzibar and enjoyed drinking the rich dark brew at Zanzibar Coffee next to our hotel.

Moroccan Coffee
Coffee at Rick’s Cafe in Casablanca

Morocco

There are so many things I love about Morocco, including the food, and the coffee is high up on that list of favorite things. We drank it in all parts of the country and it was rich and delicious no matter where we were. Moroccans could be found drinking it morning and night, but for me I had to stick to the morning, or I would have been awake all night long.

Greek Coffee
Coffee in Greece

Greece

Another country that really knows how to do coffee is Greece. Like other European countries coffee often comes with a “biscuit” for dipping, and a cup of beautiful dark coffee in the afternoon was my favorite mid-day treat.

Breakfast in Qatar

Qatar

This photo does not do justice to the coffee we had in Qatar. We transited through Qatar and spent only one night, and enjoyed on the morning of our departure what I can say is hands down the best breakfast I have ever eaten…including a pot of delicious brewed dark coffee.

Vietnam Coffee
Almost always served in a glass cup in Vietnam

Vietnam

We spent a month in Vietnam and really grew to love the coffee there. Often served with sweet milk, but you could order it without, the local coffee was almost always served in a clear glass cup without a handle.

Guatemalan Coffee
Coffee in Guatemala

Guatemala

When we returned home after our month in Guatemala we brought with us six pounds of coffee…now one of my favorite coffee around the world. The production of coffee is big in many Central American countries, but of all the countries we visited we liked Guatemalan coffee the best.

Vietnam Coffee
A special latte made to look like me in Vietnam

So there you have it, my favorite coffee around the world. I can’t wait to continue my coffee culture research when we can start traveling again and continue our ’round the world travel. Coffee makes me happy!

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14 Comments

  • Reply Nancy Williams

    I love this post! I love coffee and could definitely do a tour around the world just to try coffee!

    August 3, 2019 at 6:48 am
  • Reply Lisa

    No matter where I am, coffee is my one necessity. Great post and I must say that my favourite has to be Vietnamese coffee.

    August 3, 2019 at 6:13 pm
  • Reply Mona

    I love this article so much. Every where I travel I always seek out the best cup of coffee. Morocco’s coffee was my least favorite so I’m shocked (but glad) you enjoyed it! Based on this article, I’m really excited to try Guatemalan coffee hopefully in the near future!

    August 4, 2019 at 10:22 am
    • Reply Laureen

      Enjoy! Thanks for commenting!

      August 4, 2019 at 10:31 am
  • Reply Julie

    Cool post! Have you tried Malaysian coffee?

    August 4, 2019 at 11:32 am
    • Reply Laureen

      We are headed to Malaysia this fall so I will!!!

      August 4, 2019 at 5:52 pm
  • Reply Angela

    My husband and I are both coffee lovers and often search out independent coffee shops before we arrive in a destination so we can get our hit of caffeine!

    April 3, 2020 at 8:37 am
  • Reply Heather Markel

    Perfect post to go with the cup of coffee I’m having right now! I greatly miss the coffee in Africa and in Vietnam, thanks for the photos. 🙂

    April 3, 2020 at 6:35 pm
  • Reply Rhonda Albom

    I wish I read this before we were in Vietnam, as I didn’t choose to drink coffee. My favourite coffee is the one my husband makes, after that, it’s the laneways in Melbourne, Australia (atmosphere as much as flavour).

    April 4, 2020 at 3:05 am
  • Reply Jay Artale

    I just came back from France and fell on love with cafe Longe. Which is the French version of an americano but not as much water.

    April 4, 2020 at 5:06 am
  • Reply Bree

    110 countries and coffee! wow. I love my coffee but often I have tried one and then its no yuck. USA was the worst, but then everyone has a type of coffee they love or hate. When I learned to make coffee’s for our cafe and restaurant I owned it was certainly an eye opener. One customer would come in and ask for the coffee to be bitter! Who like bitter coffee. That was an art to getting it bitter but bitter it became for him. He came in every day while we had the cafe/restaurant!

    March 19, 2021 at 5:52 pm
    • Reply Laureen

      Haha. You are so right! To each is own!

      March 20, 2021 at 5:40 am

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