Coffee culture describes a social atmosphere
or series of associated social behaviors that
depends heavily upon coffee, particularly
as a social lubricant. The term also refers
to the diffusion and adoption of coffee as
a widely consumed stimulant by a culture.
In the late 20th century, particularly in
the Western world and urbanized centers around
the globe, espresso has been an increasingly
dominant form.
The formation of culture around coffee and
coffeehouses dates back to 14th century Turkey.
Coffeehouses in Western Europe and the Eastern
Mediterranean were traditionally social hubs,
as well as artistic and intellectual centers.
For example, Les Deux Magots in Paris, now
a popular tourist attraction, was once associated
with the intellectuals Jean-Paul Sartre and
Simone de Beauvoir. In the late 17th and 18th
centuries, coffeehouses in London became popular
meeting places for artists, writers and socialites,
and were also the center for much political
and commercial activity. Elements of today's
coffeehouses (slower paced gourmet service,
tastefully decorated environments, or social
outlets such as open mic nights) have their
origins in early coffeehouses, and continue
to form part of the concept of coffee culture.
In the United States in particular, the term
is frequently used to designate the ubiquitous
presence of hundreds of espresso stands and
coffee shops in the Seattle metropolitan area
and the spread of franchises of businesses
such as Starbucks and their clones across
the United States. Other aspects of coffee
culture include the presence of free wireless
Internet access for customers, many of whom
do business in these locations for hours on
a regular basis. The style of coffee culture
varies by country, with an example being the
strength of existing cafe style coffee culture
in Australia used to explain the poor performance
of Starbucks there.In many urban centers in
the world, it is not unusual to see several
espresso shops and stands within walking distance
of each other or on opposite corners of the
same intersection, typically with customers
overflowing into parking lots. Thus, the term
coffee culture is also used frequently in
popular and business media to describe the
deep impact of the market penetration of coffee-serving
establishments.
== Coffeehouses ==
A "coffeehouse or "café" is an establishment
which primarily serves prepared coffee or
other hot drinks. Historically cafés have
been an important social gathering point in
Europe. They were—and continue to be—venues
where people gather to talk, write, read,
entertain one another, or pass the time. During
the 16th-century coffeehouses were banned
in Mecca because they attracted political
gatherings.
In 2016, Albania surpassed Spain by becoming
the country with the most coffee houses per
capita in the world. In fact, there are 654
coffee houses per 100,000 inhabitants in Albania,
a country with only 2.5 million inhabitants.
Café culture in China has grown rapidly over
the years - Shanghai alone has an estimated
6,500 coffee houses currently. This includes
small chains and large corporations like Starbucks.In
addition to coffee, many cafés also serve
tea, sandwiches, pastries, and other light
refreshments. Some provide other services,
such as wired or wireless internet access
(thus the name, "internet café" — which
has carried over to stores that provide internet
service without any coffee) for their customers.
== Social aspects ==
Many social aspects of coffee can be seen
in the modern-day lifestyle. By absolute volume,
the United States is the largest market for
coffee, followed by Germany and Japan. Canada,
Australia, Sweden and New Zealand are the
other large coffee consuming countries. Tim
Hortons is Canada's largest coffee chain,
making millions of cups of coffee a day. The
Nordic countries consume the most coffee per
capita, with Finland typically occupying the
top spot with a per-capita consumption with
12 kg per year, followed by Norway, Iceland
and Denmark. Consumption has also vastly increased
in recent years in the traditionally tea-drinking
United Kingdom, but as of 2005 it was still
below 5 kg per year. Turkish coffee is popular
in Turkey, the Eastern Mediterranean, and
southeastern Europe.
Coffeehouse culture has a high penetration
in much of the former Ottoman Empire, where
Turkish coffee remains the dominant style
of preparation. The coffee enjoyed in the
Ottoman Middle East was produced in Yemen/Ethiopia
and despite multiple attempts to ban the substance
for its stimulating qualities, by 1600 coffee
and coffeehouses were a prominent feature
of Ottoman life. Various scholarly perspectives
on the functions of the Ottoman coffeehouse
exist. Many of these perspectives argue that
Ottoman coffeehouse were centers of important
social ritual, making them as, or more important,
than the coffee itself. "At the start of the
modern age, the coffee houses were places
for renegotiating the social hierarchy and
for challenging the social order".Coffee has
also been important in Austrian and in French
culture since the late 19th and early 20th
centuries. Vienna's coffeehouses are prominent
in Viennese culture and known internationally,
while Paris was important in the development
of "café society" in the first half of the
20th century.
In some countries, notably in Northern Europe,
coffee parties are a popular form of entertainment.
Besides coffee, the host or hostess at the
coffee party also serves cake and pastries,
sometimes homemade. In Germany, Netherlands,
Austria and the Nordic countries, strong black
coffee is also regularly drunk along with
or immediately after main meals such as lunch
and dinner, and several times at work or school.
In the café culture of these countries, especially
Germany and Sweden, free refills of black
coffee are often provided at restaurants and
cafés, especially if customers have also
bought a sweet treat or pastry with the coffee.
Coffee plays a large role in much of history
and literature because of the large effects
the coffee industry has had on cultures where
it is produced or consumed. Coffee is often
mentioned as one of the main economic goods
used in imperial control of trade, and with
colonized trade patterns in "goods" such as
slaves, coffee, and sugar, which defined Brazilian
trade, for example, for centuries. Coffee
in culture or trade is a central theme and
prominently referenced in much poetry, fiction,
and regional history.
== Coffee utensils ==
Coffee grinder
Coffee pot, for brewing with hot water, made
of glass or metal.
Coffeemaker
Coffee cup, for drinking coffee, usually smaller
than a teacup in North America and Europe.
There are many different kinds of coffee cups.
A saucer is placed under the coffee cup.
Coffee spoon, usually small and used to stir
in the cup.
Coffee service tray, to place the coffee utensils
on and to keep the hot water from spilling
onto the table.
Coffee canister, usually airtight, for storing
coffee.
Water kettle, or coffee kettle, to heat the
water.
Sugar bowl, for granular sugar or sugar lumps
or cubes.
Cream pitcher or jug, also called a creamer,
for fresh milk or cream.
== Coffee break ==
A coffee break (or "fika", as it's commonly
referred to in Sweden) is a routine social
gathering for a snack and short downtime practiced
by employees in business and industry. The
coffee break allegedly originated in the late
19th century in Stoughton, Wisconsin, with
the wives of Norwegian immigrants. The city
celebrates this every year with the Stoughton
Coffee Break Festival. In 1951, Time noted
that "[s]ince the war, the coffee break has
been written into union contracts". The term
subsequently became popular through a Pan-American
Coffee Bureau ad campaign of 1952 which urged
consumers, "Give yourself a Coffee-Break — and
Get What Coffee Gives to You." John B. Watson,
a behavioral psychologist who worked with
Maxwell House later in his career, helped
to popularize coffee breaks within the American
culture.Coffee breaks usually last from 10
to 20 minutes and frequently occur at the
end of the first third of the work shift.
In some companies and some civil service,
the coffee break may be observed formally
at a set hour. In some places, a "cart" with
hot and cold beverages and cakes, breads and
pastries arrives at the same time morning
and afternoon, an employer may contract with
an outside caterer for daily service, or coffee
breaks may take place away from the actual
work-area in a designated cafeteria or tea
room.
== By country ==
=== 
Albania ===
In 2016, Albania surpassed Spain by becoming
the country with the most coffee houses per
capita in the world. In fact, there are 654
coffee houses per 100,000 inhabitants in Albania,
a country with only 2.5 million inhabitants.
This is due to coffe houses closing down in
Spain due to the economic crisis, and the
fact that as many cafes open as they close
in Albania. In addition, the fact that it
was one of the easiest ways to make a living
after the fall of communism in Albania, together
with the country’s Ottoman legacy further
reinforce the strong dominance of coffee culture
in Albania.
=== Esperantujo ===
In Esperanto culture, a gufujo (plural gufujoj)
is a non-alcoholic, non-smoking, makeshift,
European-style café that takes place in the
evening or at night. Esperanto speakers meet
at a specified location, either a rented space
or someone's house, and enjoy live music or
reading aloud while having tea, coffee, pastries,
etc. There may be payment with money expected
as in an actual café. It is a calm affair
in direct contrast to the wild parties that
other Esperanto speakers might be having elsewhere
at the same time. Gufujoj were originally
intended for people who dislike crowds, loud
noise, and partying.
=== Italy ===
In Italy locals drink coffee at the counter
as opposed to asking it to go, serve espresso
as the default coffee, don't flavor espresso,
and don't drink cappuccinos after 11 AM.
=== Sweden ===
Swedes have fika (Swedish pronunciation: [²fiːka]),
meaning "coffee break", often with pastries,
although coffee can be substituted with tea
or even juice, lemonade or squash for children.
A sandwich, fruit or a small meal may be called
fika as the English concept of afternoon tea.
The tradition has spread through
Swedish businesses around the world.Fika is
a social institution in Sweden and the practice
of taking a break with a beverage and a snack
is widely accepted as central to Swedish
life.
As a common mid-morning and mid-afternoon
practice at workplaces in Sweden, fika may
also function partially as an informal meeting
between co-workers and management people,
and it can even be considered impolite not
to join everyone else for fika.
== Education and research ==
An American college-level course entitled
"Design of Coffee" is part of the chemical
engineering curriculum at University of California,
Davis. A research facility devoted to coffee
research was under development on the UC Davis
campus in early 2017.
== In media ==
Coffee culture frequently shows up in comics,
television, and movies in a variety of ways.
TV shows such as NCIS show characters constantly
with espresso in hand or people distributing
take-out cups to other characters. The comic
strips Adam and Pearls Before Swine frequently
center the strip around visiting or working
at coffee shops.
Daily Mail writer Philip Nolan stated that
the spread of the coffee culture in Ireland
is largely accredited to American television
shows Friends and Frasier, saying, "We saw
it reflected in the lifestyles of our TV favorites
the Friends gang in Central Perk drinking
coffee instead of alcohol; Frasier and Niles
having latte and biscotti in the [Café] Nervosa;
every cop on TV being called out on a 911
just as he ambled back to his car with Dunkin'
Donuts and a cup of strong, black coffee."
== See also ==
List of coffeehouse chains
Cannabis culture
Coffee in world cultures
Coffee culture in former Yugoslavia
Coffee service
