5 Great Coffee Cities You Should Visit

With the thermometers plummeting over the weekend, it felt like an opportune time to daydream of breaks away from this sceptred isle. Given our preference for coffee, it seemed only natural to think about a caffeine-infused getaway or two.

Loaded up on a potent mixture of espresso and wanderlust, the pages of guidebooks were digested, the internet was scoured and the brightest, best and most-travelled minds were consulted.

At the end of a rigorous afternoon of research, all that remained was a list: A list of some of the cities to go to on a coffee-themed holiday

It is time to grab your passport, book some time off work and arrange your accommodation!

Portland, Oregon (United States)

Oregon’s biggest city is often seen as sitting in the shadow of Seattle when it comes to coffee, but Portland’s coffee scene is just as (if not more so) vibrant than that of its more illustrious neighbour.

Home to a whole host of eminent third-wave coffee roasters and famous for its brilliant locally sourced culture, Portland can be somewhat overwhelming to the uninitiated. As Jon Shadel writes, “Portland offers so much craft coffee that there’s always a new roast to taste or an undiscovered café around the block.”

The obvious advice would be to plan in advance of making your trip to the Pacific Northwest. Do your research, work out where you want to head and which coffee shops/roasteries you have to visit and go from there. Alternatively, you could take in the best that the city has to offer by joining in on a customised coffee tour.

Away from coffee, the City of Roses has a wonderful blend of historic and modern architecture, a number of picturesque parks and plenty of cultural institutions. It is also slower-paced, making it the ideal counterpoint to the hectic and non-stop buzz that covers other West-Coast cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle.

Oslo (Norway)

Something amazing is happening in Scandinavia when it comes to coffee. Be it Stockholm, Reykjavik, Copenhagen or Helsinki, the Nordic countries are absolutely killing it. But, standing at the top of the tree is Oslo, home to some of the coolest trends in the industry.

It is a city where “dedicated roasters, world champion baristas, and other drink fanatics obsess over progressive brew methods [and] bean origins.” In short, it is a veritable paradise for coffee obsessives.

Norway’s capital roasts lighter than any other country, town or place that we are aware of – and that is a good thing. With its own distinct approach to coffee and home to tons of influential roasters, it gives people a chance to explore new things and set themselves a new reference point when it comes to single origins and micro-lots.

And while you are there, don’t forget to take in the sights of the millennia-old Viking artefacts and Edvard Munch’s most famous work, The Scream, which is housed in the National Gallery.

Tokyo (Japan)

Coffee in Tokyo is as diverse as it is incredible, so you are sure to find something in the Japanese capital that percolates your interests.

Coffee’s popularity in the world’s most populated city has grown exponentially recently, with many leading lights within the industry referring to 2010 as something of a year zero. Since then, numerous award-winning coffee shops have appeared and even some of the biggest and best of the American third-wave scene have made the trip across the Pacific, adding to an already blossoming scene.

Then there is the city’s offbeat personality. According to 2014’s figures, there are some 5.5m drinks vending machines in Japan. Strategically positioned in metro stations, street corners and on busy commuter routes, these are incredibly popular with the Japanese population and offer a ridiculous range of cold canned coffees.

Perhaps more well-known than canned coffee is Tokyo’s (and Japan’s) fondness for themed coffee shops. If you can think of it, it probably exists. Within the city limits, you will be able to find cafes paying homage to cats, trains, robotic strippers, prisons and everything else in-between.

Purists may turn their noses up at the proposition of drinking a branded cold brew or enjoying a flat white in the company of famous anime characters, but when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

Istanbul (Turkey)

Straddling the Bosphorus and rooted in both European and Asian antiquity and culture, Istanbul is a thriving historic city that has plenty of selling points when it comes to coffee tourism.

The most obvious place to start would be to discuss Turkish coffee and its origin within the palaces and stately homes of the Ottoman elite.

Long before it became an embedded within our western culture, coffee was an important aspect of life in the Ottoman Empire. Shortly after Ozdemir Pasha, a former Governor of Yemen, introduced coffee top the region, coffee shops started appearing. The first one to open in Istanbul was Kiva Han and within no time at all, countless others popped up.

Turkish coffee itself refers to a specialised way of making coffee. Instead of using an espresso machine or a filter device, coffee is prepared in an ibrik (alternatively known as a cezve), a small and ornate metallic coffeepot. The coffee beans are finely ground and then added to this vessel along with a pinch of sugar, a dash of spice and water, mixed, and then brought to boil over an open flame. Once the thick liquid begins to bubble it is ready to be drunk, grounds and all.

For those that are interested, there is an exhibition about the culture and history of Turkish coffee on show at the Topkapi Palace.

Wellington (New Zealand)

Coffee, especially the flat white, is so ubiquitous in New Zealand that is it the nation’s unofficial drink. At the heart of the country’s highly touted caffeinated lifestyle is Wellington.

What is surprising about Wellington is its size. It might be New Zealand’s capital, but it has (per 2015 estimates) a population of fewer than 400,000, making it more comparable to the likes of Coventry, Wakefield or Hull than say, Leeds, London or Manchester. However, its small size has enabled it to develop a real passion for the good stuff.

“There is a lot of interaction between consumers and professionals, which helps our industry to improve and grow,” explains champion barista Nick Clark.

If there is an archetypal Wellington coffee shop, it will probably have large windows that face out onto the street (ideal for people watching), a perfect mix of brew bars and state-of-the-art espresso machinery and plenty of outdoor seating to admire the nearby bays and mountains.

Most striking of all, however, is just how unassuming it is. It might not be at the forefront of coffee thinking, but the city is evolving. And, doing so at its own pace means that it has retained a charm that many other places have lost over the years. Because of this slow-and-steady approach, Jordan Michelman writes, “you’re seeing coffee enthusiasts and professionals from around the world seek out Wellington as a training ground.”

Last updated by Damien Wilde on Thursday the 21st January 2016