Rome, Italy

Ah, Rome! The cobblestone streets, the ancient buildings, the tourist attractions, the aqueducts… none of this is complete without a good Italian coffee in hand. Not to mention, who has the energy to get through all of those attractions without a hit of caffeine first?

Not only is coffee a must in Rome, but it is also incredibly well made. As the birthplace of drinks like Cafe Lattes and Cappuccinos, Rome has historically deserved its spot on this list. Coffee is a natural part of everyday life in Rome. Frothy espressos are drunk only in the morning, and never after a meal. Plain espressos are reserved for the afternoon and evenings to ensure that nothing disrupts the experience of the coffee- especially not milk!

As the saying goes, when in Rome do as the Romans do, and by that of course, they mean follow their coffee orders!

What to Order: A Caffe Espresso or Cappuccino. Enjoyed best with a good view and absolutely no food.

Havana, Cuba

In her song Havana, Camila Cabello laments having lost half of her heart in Cuba. To what? Some might assume a man, but we believe it was lost to the perfect cup of coffee that nowhere else in the world has been able to replicate.

Cuba’s coffee farms that reside in the Sierra Maestra Mountains produce some of the most sought after Arabica Beans in the world. Freshly roasted, locally grown and bursting with sweet flavour, if you ever needed a reason to visit Havana, these coffee beans are it.
Havana’s locals are immensely proud of their magnificently rich coffee culture and love inviting tourists to indulge. Get the complete experience by visiting great coffee brewers and witnessing their traditional brewing methods of roasting beans onsite.
What To Order: Cafe Cubano (an espresso with sugar). Pair it with a street vendor's churro and you’ve got yourself a sweet sweet date.

London, England

If there is one beverage the UK is traditionally known for, it is definitely tea, and not coffee. In the highly unlikely chance you didn’t host a tea party for your dolls, sipping with your pinky finger up and speaking in an English accent at one stage in your childhood, it is quite possible that you were living under a big rock.

Fast forward to the present day and London has finally graduated from a booming tea culture to a world-renowned tea and coffee culture. The rise in popularity to cafes and good coffee in the UK is largely due to the Americanisation of the West and popular sitcoms centred around coffee shops (Central Perk, anyone?). Despite the catalyst, London now sure knows how to do a coffee well.

London takes the credit for introducing the Flat White (an espresso with steamed milk) to the rest of Europe due to it’s Commonwealth ties with Australia and New Zealand. London also hosts the London Coffee Festival yearly, which sees over 7,000 guests participate in the festivities.

What to Order: Given they are taking the credit for the Flat White, it is the obvious order choice. Pair your coffee with some scones and you’ll have a truly modern English experience.

Melbourne, Australia

Okay folks, strap in for this one. Melbourne is not only the coffee capital of Australia, but coffee capital of the world. That’s right, there is no better place to go as a coffee lover. Forget Starbucks- from hole-in-the-wall in tiny lanes, to open-air (and sometimes floating) and warehouse conversion cafes, Melbourne is not only full of unique coffee spots, but the culture and experience that comes with it is unbeatable as well.

Prepare to be impressed beyond flavour with your Melbournian coffee. Latte art is a big thing amongst baristas. Think swans, hearts, flowers and more! A proper Melbourne cafe’s coffee menu is l-o-n-g. Flat whites, long blacks, cappuccinos, espressos, batch brews and pour overs- they’ve got it all and they do it all well.

If you are heading over to Melbourne and aren’t planning on drinking a coffee, we strongly suggest you have a coffee so that you can start thinking clearly again! From Northern suburbs hipsters to the inner city suits and the yuppies of the South, everyone can unanimously agree that a Melbourne coffee can not be beat.

What to order: A cold drip filter brew - pair it with an almond croissant and you’ll have yourself a wonderful experience.

Reykjavik, Iceland

When you factor in the size of Reykjavik, you’ll come to realise just how incredibly full with cafes and coffee shops it really is. However, just like Melbourne, Reykjavik’s coffee scene has not taken kindly to big brand coffee chains. Independently owned and family-run coffee shops reign king in this small capital city.

On average Icelanders drink about 9kg of coffee per year, putting them third in the world of biggest coffee drinking cities. There are specific names designated for coffees that are consumed at various times during the day; Morgunkaffi is the name of the morning coffee and Kvold Kaffi is the name of the one drunk at night.

Because of the size of the city and the amount of top coffee shops in comparison there is strong competition amongst baristas. The result? A really delicious coffee, and often even free refills!

What to Order: A Latte made with fresh, local milk and an Icelandic Skyr yogurt topped with fruits. Local produce reigns!

Taipei, Taiwan

Hidden behind Bubble Tea mania is a booming coffee scene in Taipei that deserves some serious recognition. For the past 60 years Taipeins have taken the humble coffee bean and created an independent coffee shop scene that offers an eclectic selection of hot and cold coffees.

Often roasting beans on site, these indie cafes take great pride in the quality of their coffee for locals and visitors to enjoy. Tawainese baristas and coffee roasters are incredibly skilled at roasting beans to a delicious medley of flavours that holds up as top notch against the rest of the world.

Much like Melbourne, coffee art is a seriously big deal in Taiwan. From animals to smiley faces, latte foam art is popular and stunning to look at... sometimes even too nice to drink! The delicious flavours mixed with the carefully made art puts Taipei firmly on the list for best places to drink coffee.

What to Order: Ask your barista what their specialty is and try something new. We highly recommend visiting Cafe Dogs and Cats so you can enjoy your coffee creation with a side of purring cats in the world’s first ever cat cafe!

Vienna, Austriap

Coffee in Vienna is no casual affair. Think chandeliers, grand ceilings, velvet chairs and waiters in a shirt and vest. Cafes in Vienna are beautiful, grand and called the country’s public dining rooms.

Ordering a coffee in Vienna requires concentration and more than a moment to study the menu. Menus are often long and full of fancy terms and artisan blends. Take special notice of what the drinks are called when ordering. For instance, cappuccinos are called Melange, which is a steamed coffee with frothed milk.

Adjoining the specially named coffees are fresh cakes, cookies and pastries. Unlike the Romans, the Viennans love to sit and indulge in the coffee drinking experience with a side of cake. Soak it in, this is the sweet life.

What to Order: The Vienna special, Melange, of course. Order with a big slice of your favourite cake.

Istanbul, Turkey

Adapted from the Greeks and inspired by the Americans, Istanbul’s coffee culture is a mix of the countries that influence the city the most. A traditional Turkish coffee is not for the faint hearted- one cup and you’re sure to feel a rush of caffeine. The coffee grinds are very fine, boiled with water on a stove top in a small metal pot or ‘Briki’ and served without milk (or at the very most, only a dash). Turkish coffee is strong, black and full of heart- not for the new coffee drinkers.

While coffee in Turkey is used as a vehicle for socialisation, it also has strong cultural significance. Before a wedding the parent’s of the groom visit the family of the bride to receive their blessings. During this ritual, the bride is tasked with making everyone a coffee with sugar except for her fiance, who receives salt instead. If he drinks the coffee without wincing, he is considered manly enough to be her husband and the blessing is given.

Coffee is also used to tell the future using the coffee grinds of a finished cup. The patterns within the grinds inform the teller of the drinker’s fortune.

What to Order: A Turk Kahvesi and something sweet to go with it like a Rose Water Lokum.

Bali, Indonesia

Relatively new to the gourmet coffee trail, Bali’s coffee beans are grown in the high altitudes and have a unique flavour that is chased worldwide. Indonesian coffee beans are earthy and translucent emerald coloured, a quality that Japanese coffee lovers admire.

Bali coffee beans are rich in aroma, featuring smoky wooden notes and a full body. The unique growing conditions include mineral rich volcanic soil and traditional practises that involve manure, shade growing and a wet harvesting process.

Due to the proximity to Australia and being the number one travel destination for Aussies, Bali’s cafes have taken on the best that Melbourne’s coffee has to offer resulting in a rich, tropical cafe scene.

What to Order: An iced espresso frappe will cool you down nicely. Enjoy with a club sandwich by the pool.

Feeling brave? Order a Coffee Luwak. Known in the west as ‘cat poop’ coffee, we’ll let you look up the rest.

Vancouver, Canada

Vancouver’s coffee culture has been booming ever since the early 1970s. Unlike Melbourne and Reykjavik, Vancouver’s coffee boom was due to the introduction of Starbucks. The large coffee chain was able to ship coffee from Seattle at an affordable price.

Luckily, Vancouver’s coffee scene has evolved from its Starbucks start. Now, Vancouver’s coffee scene is full of thriving independently owned cafes. Locals and tourists regularly look beyond large chains like Starbucks, opting for artisan local microbrews instead.

No matter what you’re in the mood for, Vancouver’s coffee shops will have you covered. From organic, fair trade and original, you can be sure that whatever you order will be ethically sourced and delicious.

What to Order: A split, which is two drinks. An espresso with a small macchiato on the side. Pair it with a meal and enjoy it leisurely.