Great coffee can be found all around the world, from the most rural areas and to the largest metropolitan areas in each country. People have been drinking coffee as a part of their regular morning routine for hundreds of years, and a lot of people hate to go a day without their cup of joe.
There’s a little bit of each country’s terrain, climate and culture reflected in their local coffee, which is why it’s a real treat to visit coffee shops as you travel in order to get a taste of the land.
Finding the Best Shops
If you’re planning a trip overseas for a cultural vacation, you’re probably looking forward to what kind of coffee each city has to offer.
Depending on where you’re traveling to and how long you intend to stay, you’ll want to ensure you have the proper visa and/or passport (and that you understand the difference between the two!) to avoid being denied entry. Once that is cleared, you should be free to travel around each city and around to other countries.
If you’re a true coffee fan, you’re probably looking for the most local coffee available wherever you go. Although Starbucks took over the coffee industry by being readily accessible in nearly every city and offering standardized drinks with a variety of milk options for those with allergies, all of their coffee is the same.
Each barista is trained to make coffee the same way, which leads little mystery for what to expect, as well as little variety.
Starbucks is also a familiar location anywhere you go, which is why tourists often flock to them in larger cities. They don’t have to struggle to understand a menu in a language they don’t understand, nor must they worry about feeling out of place in what could be a locals’ spot.
However, if you’re looking for the greatest coffee shops on earth, you’re gonna have to explore new places and let them do what they do best.
Millennial's are notorious for staying away from large chains and seeking out smaller businesses to support:
Even if it means they spend more money on a cup of coffee, millennial's feel it is their responsibility to spend money to support the values of local businesses and not corporations.
However, more often than not, coffee is less expensive when purchased locally than when purchased at a Starbucks chain.
Narrowing down the best coffee shops in the world can be a challenge because coffee shop preferences can vary greatly and factor in both coffee and atmosphere, which can be largely a matter of personal preference.
All the same, in no particular order, here is an objective list of some of the most notable coffee shops around the world.
Heart Coffee Roasters
Already found on many of the top coffee shop lists, and for good reason, Heart Coffee Roasters in Portland, Oregon is famous for its sweet, single-origin espresso, which can be ordered over a homemade coconut ice cream for a deliciously sweet and creamy coffee concoction.
Portland is filled with unique and local coffee shops so try as many as possible, but make sure to stop into Heart Coffee Roasters if you’re ever traveling through the Pacific Northwest.
The Coffee Collective
Way over on the other side of the world, the capital city of Denmark is home to a world-renowned coffee organization called The Coffee Collective. Existing as a small local chain in the heart of Copenhagen,
The Coffee Collective is known for hiring world famous baristas and for the work they put into creating the best coffee for their customers.
On Instagram, you can catch them posting story updates to their 72,000+ followers as they travel across the equator and into remote regions of Nepal and Colombia to sample coffee beans.
This beautifully designed and stocked cafe features an impressive lighter-style roasting, lots of atmosphere, and a friendly staff.
Addison and Steele
Sitting on the corner of Fitzgerald and Wasley St. in Perth, Western Australia, Addison and Steele serves up specialty coffee, breakfast, and lunch to fulfill anybody who makes their way in.
Working closely with Small Batch Roasting Co. in Melbourne, the coffee experts at Addison and Steele understand the coffee they serve and how to serve them for maximum flavor and consistency.
Said to be inspired by 18th century London and the Age of Entitlement, Addison and Steele offers a space for intellectual conversation and debate to be fueled by caffeine.
Rosetta Roastery
In Cape Town, South Africa, Rosetta Roastery coffee experts work to craft coffee that is brewed to precision with careful ratios of coffee and water, and specific time measurements.
The cafe is known for its Japanese slow-brewed iced coffee, which is one of many recipes that is perfected in-house.
As you order your coffee, you can watch it brew in the shop’s casual environment.
Café del Mural
Located on the Colombian coast of Cartagena, Café del Mural can be found hidden in one of the many small, colorful shops along the traditional narrow streets of the city, only minutes from the beach.
This shop’s walls are covered in murals, with small paintings hidden along most walls in and out of the shop. This cute and unassuming shop serves some of Colombia’s famous coffee beans prepared however you like them.
Their approach to coffee can be interpreted by a sign found in their café that reads, “El mejor café del mundo es el que más te gusta,” meaning, “The best coffee in the world is the one you like the most.”
Final Thoughts
Traveling to each of these coffee shops will give you insight into each country’s culture that you could never gain by sticking to a Starbucks coffee chain. As you travel, take note of the differences that each coffee shop has to offer and value them all the same, because the uniqueness they offer is what makes them special and worth coming back to again and again.
