My TOP 10 Places to Travel for Coffee
I do get a lot of questions about which places I would recommend for certain types of activities. We recently started a series for Digital Nomads, but I soon felt we needed to expand on that to:
- My TOP 10 Places to Travel for Coffee
- My TOP 10 Places to Travel for Food
- My TOP 10 Places to Travel for City Beaches
- My TOP 10 Places to Travel for Sightseeing
- My TOP 10 Places to Travel for Temples & Pyramids
- My TOP 10 Places to Travel for Honeymoon
- My TOP 10 Places to Travel for Nature
My TOP 10 Places to Travel for Coffee
Coffee is a fantastic drink that has really taken off in the United Sates in the last 20 years. Coffee is grown in a long list of countries, but- strikingly - most coffee producing countries aren't actually equipped with a coffee drinking culture.
So where in the world does a coffee lover have to travel to?
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the epitome of Ethiopian coffee culture. Ethiopia is a major coffee producer and the country is addicted to perfect macchiatos; this is the standard drink and is available in a number of coffee shops (like To.Mo.Ca) and in many restaurants. In Ethiopia you can just askanyone to make you a coffee and it will almost always turn out delicious.
Bandung
Bandung is a city in the mountains of Java, Indonesia. It's one of the most urban cities in the countryand the competition of local coffee shops to brew and prepare local beans here is intense. There are so many great places inBandung that it is hard to choose and it's also incredibly cheap.
New York
Third wave coffee has been all the rage for some time in the US now and New York has the population density and moneyed customers aplenty. The more established cliques in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn won't disappoint.
Melbourne, Australia
Believe it or not, but I have yet to make it out to this coffee heaven in the Southern Hemisphere. I have been to a number of places in Asia that were described to me as 'just like in Melbourne', pinning my hopes on a coffee paradise. But is it true?
Seattle
Seattle enjoys great fame as a coffee destination; owing to the city's depressing winter climate, coffee consumption is high. I had trouble finding spots that wowed me last time I visited, however.
Hanoi
Hanoi Old Town is basically a huge cluster of cafes that are mostly frequented by locals. Coffee in Vietnam is very different and often contains condensed milk or even egg, but it is very delicious nevertheless!
Bangkok
Bangkok is just an emerging coffee destination. On my last visit I took the time to only research coffee in Bangkok!
Singapore
Singaporeans (and the many expats there) take coffee seriously and it shows with the many great coffee shops around town. As with many places in Asia, it's more about atmosphere and a place to work than great coffee, but exceptions do apply!
Mexico City
Mexico produces a good amount of coffee beans every year and the wonderful Mexico City (I really liked my time there) has seen a growing trend of entrepreneurs moving into this field.
Kigali
Kigali is one of the most livable cities in Africa. Rwanda is a small country but it produces lots of coffee beans. While there isn't a lot of different venues here, the coffee is always locally sourced and prepared to perfection (which often takes a looong time in Rwanda).