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the world’s top coffee cities
How many times a day does someone in the world bring a cup of coffee to their lips and take a sip? 100 million? 500 million? To paraphrase George Costanza inquiring about the cost of Jerry Seinfield’s suede jacket, “you’re not telling me 1 billion cups? Are you telling me 1.5 billion cups? You’re not telling me 2 billion cups? Are you telling me 2 billion cups?” Try somewhere around 2.25 billion cups of coffee drunk every day around the world. That’s roughly 821 billion cups a year. Yet, it’s only the sixth most consumed beverage in the world after bottled water, tea, milk, carbonated soft drinks and beer. Not even in the top three.
Some 12% of the world drinks coffee. Not so in the United States where 66 % of Americans drink coffee daily. But the top coffee drinking countries measured by the weight of coffee consumed are consistently the Netherlands, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Switzerland, Norway and Canada. Can you think of anything all these all these countries have in common? Could it be……long, dark, mostly cold winters with short days? You have to admit that it could be hard to get motivated for the day when there is hardly any daylight in winter as in Finland.
As for coffee’s nutritional properties, black coffee (no, we’re not talking about a Pumpkin, Peppermint, Caramel, extra whipped cream, extra syrup, extra large behemoth) has few calories, no fat, no carbohydrates and contains magnesium and potassium. There are volumes written about its possible health benefits but it may help with weight loss, heart health, diabetes, liver disease and maybe even COVID. On the down side, continuing with the Seinfeld references, remember what happened to Kramer after drinking too much coffee.
What are some of the top coffee cities in the world in terms of quality of coffee and the domination of coffee in the social life of its inhabitants?
Havana, Cuba: Cubans drink “Cafe Cubana”, which is an espresso shot sweetened with brown sugar whipped into the first and strongest drops of the espresso. The tradition of drinking Cafe Cubana has migrated with Cubans to America, particularly to Cuban-American communities in south Florida.
Tapei, Taiwan: Known as a city where tea has historically been king, Tapei has developed a thriving coffee scene with coffee cafes offering different atmospheres, such as no loud talking; live cats; and your host’s favorite, Rufous Coffee, (get it, Rufous!) which roasts its beans on site. Not to be flip but, when Chinese planes and warships keep circling your country, perhaps you need something a little stronger than tea to keep calm and carry on.
Vienna, Austria: While there were coffee houses in Mecca as early as the 1100s and the honor of having the first coffee house in Europe (1647) goes to Venice, Italy, it’s still Vienna that comes to mind when the phrase “coffee house culture” is uttered. Visitors to a Viennese coffee house could, can and still do spend hours reading, talking, playing games and just thinking, all over a cup of coffee, possibly accompanied by one of those famous Viennese pastries (the subject of another post, for sure). Some of the more famous old-time Viennese coffee houses include Cafe Central, Landtmann, Griensteindl and Demel.
Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.: Well, we had to mention the home of the green mermaid. Once again, dark, and in Seattle’s case, rainy weather, is a good reason to brew a cup of coffee. Coffee culture is everywhere in Seattle. Seattle’s first espresso bar, established in 1975, was Cafe Allegro, the birthplace of that green mermaid’s signature roast.
Rome, Italy: Romans love their coffee but it’s got to be done properly. Traditionally, there is no coffee-to-go. If you’re in a rush, drink it at the counter and, if not and you’re willing to pay a little extra, at a table. Cappuccino is only drunk in the morning with espresso best for the rest of the day, especially after a big meal. Later in the evening, you might want to try a caffe corretto, an espresso served with a shot of liquor such as brandy or grappa.
Trieste, Italy: Trieste is the link between the coffee houses of Venice and Vienna. Located in the north-eastern corner of the Adriatic Sea, Trieste was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, not Italy, when, in 1719, its port was declared a tax-free zone and coffee started to arrive, on its way to Vienna and Venice, among other places. Like Vienna, Trieste has a strong cafe culture and its own coffee drink, the capo in b, a mini cappuccino served in a glass. Oh, and did we mention that it is still the Mediterranean’s biggest coffee port and home to the famous Illy coffee, founded in 1933, as well as other coffee roasters. Also home to the Trieste Coffee Festival. Clearly a coffee town.
All right, you legal beagles, we’ve got an actual 1994 case you can find the cite for: Liebeck vs. McDonald’s Restaurants. No, your host is not going to give it to you. It’s the infamous hot coffee case that is often pointed to in the United States as the poster child of frivolous lawsuits. Well, perhaps you shouldn’t believe everything you hear from the media.
Stella Liebeck was a 79-year-old passenger in a parked car trying open the lid of the coffee she had just ordered in order to add cream and sugar. (How many times does this happen every day in the world?) She had the cup between her knees. When the whole cup spilled onto her sweatpants, she suffered third-degree burns; required skin grafts; and incurred about $20,000 in medical bills. The coffee had been served by McDonald’s at a temperature of 180 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit, a temperature which the jurors eventually heard is hot enough to cause third-degree burns in less than 10 seconds. At the time of Mrs. Liebeck’s injury, McDonald’s had already received more than 700 reports of injuries from its hot coffee and had paid some settlements. Mrs. Liebeck offered to settle the case for $20,000 but, after McDonald’s offered $800, the case went to trial.
At trial, the jury found that Mrs. Liebeck was partially at fault for her injuries, recognizing that, after all, she was the one balancing the coffee between her knees. The jury reduced the actual compensation for injuries awarded: $200,000, by about 20% or $40,000. But the jurors who heard the case were not amused by McDonald’s failure to recognize that they were serving their coffee dangerously hot; weren’t swayed by McDonald’s argument that, out of millions of cups of coffee served, 700 injuries were not that many; and awarded punitive damages to Mrs. Liebeck in the amount of two days’ worth of coffee sales at McDonald’s. Not a lot of money for McDonald’s but a large amount in 1994: 2.7 million dollars, the equivalent of about 5 million dollars today. The judge reduced the amount by 80% and Mrs. Liebeck and McDonald’s eventually entered into a confidential settlement. Coffee is still served very hot but most purchased cups of coffee now come with warnings: This coffee is hot!