Coffee Traditions and Rituals Around the World

Your morning cup of coffee is likely one of the most important daily rituals you practice. However, some countries elevate the consumption of this drink to an art form all of its own. Coffee rituals are found in cultures around the globe, including the area where it’s believed to originate. The cultural impact of this drink is greater than you might think. Learn about rituals that start with green and raw coffee beans or processes that infuse rich flavor and a thick mouthfeel or each cup. Soon you’ll have a multicultural appreciation for how coffee is loved by millions of people.

The Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony

As the suspected origin point of the first coffee trees, Ethiopia deserves the first stop on a world tour of coffee culture. It symbolizes hospitality and helps draw people together through a ceremony that often stretches out over multiple hours.

Coffee is most commonly prepared to welcome guests, but in some houses, a young woman performs the ceremony three times a day. First, raw and unwashed coffee beans are heated in a long-handled pan while aromatic herbs are burned as incense. A flat-bottomed coffee pot called a jerbena is filled with water and heated. Once the beans are cleaned and then roasted, they’re ground by hand in a heavy mortar and pestle called the mukecha and zenezena. The coarse grounds are boiled in the jerbena, then small cups are set out. The final stage of the ceremony is to pour the coffee from at least a foot above the cups in a continuous stream to fill all the cups, keeping the grounds trapped in the pot. Sugar may be added, but rarely milk.

Making Ethiopian coffee at home means starting with green coffee beans and roasting them yourself in a pan. Try practicing with small batches of beans to get the right tossing motion and heat level before the ceremony. Once the beans are roasted, consider using an electric grinder since hand-grinding is quite a lot of work. Any narrow and deep pot you already own will work for brewing the coffee, but you may find a strainer and filter set helpful for the final stage. Make sure you’ve invited some friends over since that’s the heart of this coffee ceremony.

Turkish Coffee Culture

As in Ethiopia, coffee symbolizes friendship and hospitality. They also use similar brewing equipment to create a rich and strong brew that is famous in many other countries. However, Turkish coffee is more than just strong. It’s also brewed in a ceremony that can become quite flashy.

A tall and narrow pot known as the cezve or ibrik is filled with filtered water and finely ground Turkish coffee. A set of small copper cups are also used for serving the coffee. The water is brought to a boil and the heat is maintained until a thick layer of foam forms on top. The coffee is poured off at that point until each cup is half full. Then the coffee is boiled for another 10 seconds or so before the final pouring.

Add 1.5 cups of water and a heaping tablespoon of coffee grounds for each cup you plan to serve. With practice, you’ll be able to keep the grounds at the bottom with the two-part boiling. Consider adding sugar to the entire pot of coffee if you take it sweetened for a new flavor and texture experience.

Italian Espresso Etiquette

Italy’s espresso is enjoyed in hundreds of countries, but nobody does it better than the home of this concentrated coffee drink. It’s simply ordered as coffee in Italy in most establishments. Espresso is usually drunk black and quickly while it’s still hot. Yet friends may gather at a coffee bar for hours to throw back multiple cups of the strong dark brew as they chat.

Choose between one shot, or a single, and a double shot, or doppio. If you find that a little too strong, ask for a long pull. This will include twice as much water for an easier sipping or blending experience. If you’re expecting an espresso-based blended drink like a frappe or cappuccino, make that clear when ordering. Sip espresso rather than throwing it back like a shot, even if you’ve ordered just a single ounce of concentrated coffee.

You’ll need an espresso machine or Moka pot to make this Italian drink at home. Make sure to use finely ground coffee designed for this purpose and practice your packing and tamping skills. Use filtered water to ensure minerals don’t block up the small openings in the espresso machine. Fill the basket or container of your espresso machine with grounds to get the perfect strength for each pull. Coffee shops tend to use about 20 grams of coffee grounds per ounce of water.

The Swedish 'Fika'

Fika is translated as coffee break in English. Yet that literal meaning misses out on the magic of settling down with a hot drink and taking your time to unwind for a bit. Like in most cultures, fika is often a ceremony that involves a close friend or some loved ones. You can’t underestimate the importance of sweet pastries to go along with the coffee as well.

This social ceremony is so important that even international brands like Volvo make sure to stop production and work each day for it. The key is to present perfectly brewed coffee and freshly baked snacks to show your care and attention to detail. It’s also a way to get together for discussions and conversations that aren’t too serious.

You need good cups or mugs, a quiet place to gather, and your favorite kind of coffee brewed up nice and strong. Set out a milk pitcher and a sugar bowl so your guests can serve themselves. A platter of Swedish pastries is necessary as well. Swedish cinnamon or cardamom buns are among the most popular pairings. Fold a fluffy yeasted dough with plenty of freshly ground spices and top it with a sprinkle of pearl sugar for a beautiful treat.

Japanese Coffee Siphon Ceremony

When the Dutch arrived in Japan in the 1700s to expand their trading opportunities, they brought along coffee and its culture. Coffee wasn’t widely imported until the 1950s, at which point canned coffee became the most popular format. Today, siphon coffee is popular and offers an alternative to the traditional Japanese tea ceremony.

Japanese siphon coffee is primarily enjoyed alone, unlike tea. A special vacuum pot is heated with water and coffee grounds separated in different chambers. The heat and pressure force the water up through the coffee grounds, at which point they’re stirred with a bamboo spatula. A layer of grounds builds up to create a natural filter as the coffee drips back down. Then it is served with a flourish to the customer and any desired sugar or milk is added to the glass.

Practicing your stirring skills and learning to use your vacuum siphon pot is the key to replicating this experience at home. Make sure your butane burner has plenty of fuel and add cold or preheated water to the base of the brewer. Set the filter in the top section and wait until the water rises up into it to add the coffee grounds. Stir twice, once when first adding the grounds and again after it begins bubbling. Brew between 90 and 100 seconds only and then let the coffee filter down before pouring it.

Viennese Coffee House Culture

Viennese coffee houses have shaped the city’s entire culture. They are elegant and refined places where fine Austrian pastries are served alongside coffee to the most intellectual members of society. The exchange of information and networking opportunities helped the city grow its cosmopolitan reputation over the last few centuries.

Kaffeehauskultur, as it is known in Vienna, is officially recognized by the UNESCO organization as being a unique cultural experience. It’s part of the literary history of all of Europe and offers a chance to step back in time to the height of the 1700s and 1800s. Common details include rich interiors, marble-topped tables, and menus that include all sorts of surprises.

Wiener Kaffee is perhaps the most popular type of Viennese coffee. Start by brewing three shots of full-strength espresso. Add it to a heatproof glass or mug, then mix in ¾ cup of boiling water. Spoon a large dollop of whipped cream to the top, then sprinkle a little unsweetened cocoa powder over it. Pair this with the famous Sachertorte, a dessert combining dark chocolate cake with apricot jam and a chocolate glaze.

The Cuban Café Cubano

Coffee is part of the rations allotted to every citizen in Cuba, so it’s no wonder it’s considered one of the backbones of hospitality there. Coffee is grown on the island and is finely ground for brewing as espresso. While it’s called a Café Cubano outside of the country, most residents only know it as coffee or espresso.

It’s not enough just to brew up espresso and call it Cuban. The key is to share it, especially with guests or someone you know is having a hard time. Sharing it allows you to extend your hospitality and socialize with your friends while enjoying the coffee.

Making a Café Cubano is easier than you might think. You need a Moka pot or other simple espresso maker for the brewing step. Add water and grounds to the espresso maker as you would normally, but you need to set aside about 1 tablespoon of sugar per cup of espresso you’re brewing. This creates an extra thick foam known as espuma. When you first begin to percolate the espresso, mix a few tablespoons of it into the sugar. Blend them together into a frothy mixture, then pour the hot coffee in and let it foam up. Pour into individual cups and enjoy it.

The Unique Cafe de Olla of Mexico

Cafe de Olla is related to coffee, but it’s slightly different. First, it’s brewed in a clay pot, or olla. Second, unrefined brown sugar known as piloncillo is used to sweeten it along with cinnamon, star anise, and cloves. The resulting brew is warming and unique.

You can use a clay olla de barro for this recipe, but any large and heavy-bottomed pot will also do. Add eight cups of water, six ounces of piloncillo or brown sugar, two sticks of cinnamon, 2 star anise pods, and 2 whole cloves. Brew the spices and sugar together for five minutes of gentle simmering. Take it off of the heat source and add the ground coffee. After about 5 to 10 minutes of brewing, strain and enjoy.

The French Café Au Lait

One of the first coffee drinks to feature milk was the French Café au lait. However, mixing coffee and milk was only considered acceptable as part of breakfast. That made this sweet and light drink a part of French breakfast culture centuries ago.

A French Press is the key to brewing a filtered coffee that goes perfectly with milk. The drink is often served in a shallow bowl rather than a mug or cup. It’s a drink you’ll usually enjoy at home rather than out in a coffee shop. The key is mixing just enough milk in to lighten it to a creamy caramel color, but not too light.

To enjoy your own French coffee experience, brew up a cup of strong coffee with your French Press. Steam milk in a pot or steamer until it is nearly boiling. Mix equal parts coffee and milk, then sweeten if desired.

Moroccan Spiced Coffee

Not just spiked with warm cinnamon, Moroccan coffee features six or more spices to give you a unique taste experience. There is also a ritual element as the coffee is often taken from raw beans to a fresh cup all at once. However, you can start with roasted beans and add your own spices if that is easier.

Use whole coffee beans in a medium roast. Add about a teaspoon each of whole black pepper, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, and cracked nutmeg, then grind to a fine powder. Brew the coffee and spice mixture in a Moka pot, Morrocan dallah pot, or a French Press. Serve very sweet to complement the spices.

Summary

With so many diverse ways to enjoy coffee, you’ll never run out of new ways to experience your favorite drink. Explore these experiences with respect and care to get a worldly coffee break without ever leaving home.