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Coffee House · Explore the world, one cup at a time

Coffee around the world

Where each coffee is believed to come from. Origins are given only as firmly as the evidence allows: “commonly attributed” means widely told but not proven.

Austria

Viennese coffee house culture, with its long menus of milk and cream coffees, has been listed in Austria's national inventory of intangible cultural heritage since 2011.

Origin: Wiener Melange (well documented) · Einspänner (well documented). More food from Austria

Cuba

Origin: Cafecito cubano (commonly attributed). More food from Cuba

Ethiopia

Coffea arabica grows wild in the forests of south-western Ethiopia, which is widely regarded as its original home. The coffee ceremony (buna) is a central ritual of hospitality. The story of the goatherd Kaldi is a legend, not documented history.

Origin: Ethiopian coffee (jebena buna) (well documented). More food from Ethiopia

Greece

Origin: Greek frappé (well documented). More food from Greece

Hong Kong

Origin: Yuanyang (coffee with milk tea) (well documented). More food from Hong Kong

India

Coffee has been grown in the hills of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu for centuries; filter coffee with chicory and boiled milk is a South Indian staple.

Origin: South Indian filter coffee (commonly attributed). More food from India

Indonesia

Coffee was planted on Java by the Dutch in the late 17th century; 'Java' became a nickname for coffee itself.

Origin: Kopi tubruk (well documented). More food from Indonesia

Ireland

Irish coffee — coffee, whiskey, sugar and floated cream — is a drink for adults; it is usually credited to Foynes airport in the 1940s.

Origin: Irish coffee (contains alcohol) (commonly attributed). More food from Ireland

    Contains alcohol — adults only, never a default

    Italy

    Pressure espresso machines and the espresso bar developed in Italy in the first half of the 20th century; the moka pot is an Italian design from the 1930s.

    Origin: Espresso (double shot) (well documented) · Ristretto (commonly attributed) · Lungo (commonly attributed) · Cappuccino (well documented) · Caffè latte (commonly attributed) · Caffè macchiato (well documented) · Affogato (well documented) · Moka pot coffee (well documented) · Caffè d'orzo (roasted barley coffee) (well documented). More food from Italy

    Japan

    Japanese coffee shops (kissaten) are known for careful hand-brewed pour-over and for brewing hot coffee straight onto ice.

    Origin: Japanese iced coffee (flash-brewed) (commonly attributed). More food from Japan

    Mexico

    Café de olla — coffee simmered in a clay pot with cinnamon and piloncillo — is a traditional home and market coffee.

    Origin: Café de olla (well documented). More food from Mexico

    South Korea

    Origin: Dalgona coffee (commonly attributed). More food from South Korea

    Spain

    Spanish cafés have their own vocabulary of milk coffees: café con leche, cortado and, in Valencia, café bombón.

    Origin: Cortado (well documented) · Café bombón (commonly attributed) · Café con leche (well documented). More food from Spain

    Türkiye

    Turkish coffee culture and tradition was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2013.

    Origin: Turkish coffee (well documented). More food from Türkiye

    United States

    Origin: Nitro cold brew (commonly attributed) · Chicory coffee (café au lait style) (commonly attributed). More food from United States

    Vietnam

    One of the world's largest coffee producers, growing mostly robusta; slow phin-dripped coffee with condensed milk is everyday café fare.

    Origin: Cà phê sữa đá (Vietnamese iced coffee) (well documented) · Vietnamese coconut coffee (cà phê cốt dừa) (commonly attributed) · Cà phê trứng (commonly attributed). More food from Vietnam

    Shared, modern or of uncertain origin

    Café drinks made in many countries, and coffees whose origin isn’t documented — such as Arabic coffee, the shared heritage of the Arabian Peninsula, or the many modern lattes.

    Coffee Studio

    Your Beans. Your Brew. Your Rules.

    Build your own coffee — beans, roast, grind, brew method, strength, milk, sweetness, flavours and serving — and get a practical recipe with dose, ratio, temperature and time.

    Open Coffee Studio