Coffee is one of the most loved beverages of all time. For many, it is the first thing that they have in the morning to start their day. Coffee is as integral to the American culture as is rock-n-roll, Ford Mustangs or blue jeans. The United States can be considered as the birthplace of third wave coffee and the commercial coffee chain culture. As we celebrate this amazing beverage, let’s dive into the coffee culture of some of these U.S cities and get inspired to get out there and experience it for ourselves.
The caffeinated takeover came in largely from Seattle when the world’s first Starbucks opened on March 30, 1971. Its sign bore not a green mermaid but a brown one. Even when the international coffee company opened a Starbucks Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room only a few kilometers away, visitors still sought out the flagship location for photos of the original coffee brown logo. In fact, this is the only place you can buy a Pike Place Market Starbucks souvenir; you won't find the combined logo anywhere else. While Starbucks has helped shape the appeal of Seattle’s coffee culture, its local café scene today is thriving. The city claims to have more coffee shops than any other city in the U.S. So, whether you’re a coffee afficionado or you just want a nice cafe to lounge in for an hour or so, you’re in luck. In Seattle, a coffee isn’t just a coffee. Here, you’ll find a broad range of beans, milks, temperatures and pouring styles. Some menus feature single-origin coffees, with baristas happy to explain where your beans were grown and whether they’re roasted on-site. You can try the cozy C & P Coffee, or the lively Zeitgeist in Pioneer Square. At All City Coffee in funky Georgetown, you can share a table with an artist or a pilot just back from flying into nearby Boeing Field.
Home to Stumptown Coffee Roasters, one of the most popular coffee brands in the USA, Portland takes huge pride in their coffee. Since before Starbucks spilled across the map from Seattle, Portland’s coffee culture has kept locals caffeinated with a mix of independent roasters and small cafés, each brewing up espressos, Americanos and lattes with beans from around the world. You should definitely think of stopping by at any one of these coffee shops; Stumptown Coffee Roasters downtown, Heart Coffee in Southeast Portland, or Sisters Coffee Company in the Pearl District to get a mugful of Portland’s rich history for yourself.
To get a double-shot of island-style coffee culture, Puerto Rico is your place to be. Coffee has long been a point of pride for Puerto Rico.With a climate that is ideal for growing beans, the area around Utuado is the epicenter of Puerto Rico's coffee production. Haciendas are the local term for coffee farms, and the Hacienda Horizonte is a thriving coffee plantation in the highlands that also offers visitor accommodation, excursions, and tastings. Hacienda Café Gran Batey, a family-run coffee farm, invites guests to observe the entire process of coffee manufacturing, from bean to bag. At the Coffee Museum in Ciales, you can learn more about coffee production and sample some local brews at the on-site coffee shop.One of the local favorite Puerto Rico Coffee Shop is Caficultura, tucked inside a renovated historic building in Old San Juan, where you can sip chocolatito, a delicious hot chocolate jolted by an espresso shot. You can also indulge in a café con leche at Café Colao where expert baristas will assist you with your selection. Other local favorites include Café con Cé to relish devilishly good coffee and drinks or the Café Regina.
San Francisco leads the way in American coffee culture, ushering in a new era of premium coffee that’s locally roasted, sustainably sourced and expertly prepared. In fact, San Francisco’s been a coffee city since Buena Vista Café invented Irish coffee here in 1888. Since then, a host of local roasters have joined the scene.
Another place in the USA where one can follow coffee from bean to package is Hawaii. It was the first state in the USA to commercially grow coffee. A walk through the cloud forest farm of Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation – the largest organic coffee farm in Hawaii – shows how the aromatic Kona coffee is transformed from seed to cup. You can stroll the lush coffee fields of Greenwell Farms, at the 440-meter elevation Hualalai volcano, and tour its production facilities to see coffee in every stage of production. Hand-picked Kona beans and aromatic cups of brew are available from roadside stands and in restaurants. No matter what island you are on, you can easily find yourself on a tour experiencing a beautiful coffee farm.
Another city that is home to a rapidly growing coffee scene is Springfield, Illinois. One of the first specialty coffee shops and that too a local favourite in Springfield is Custom Cup which is a fair trade micro-roastery and charming coffee haven, that strives to serve the freshest cup possible. Whether you seek drip, pour over or cold brew, coffee beans are always roasted in-house then ground upon order. A rotating selection of coffee flavors entices even the most finicky coffee aficionados. You can sit down and savor a terrific cup of roasted coffee or grab a bag to-go.
Colorado Springs has a growing craft coffee culture with places like Urban Steam Coffee Bar & Café and Loyal Coffee sourcing fair-trade beans from small and sustainable farms around the world.