5 International Tours and Experiences Coffee Lovers Shouldn’t Miss
Everybody loves coffee. It’s a global unifier, something we can all agree on. It’s also one of the most traded commodities in the world, second only to oil. When you sip your morning brew, you feel energized and ready to take on the day. Suddenly, navigating a foreign country and communicating with the locals doesn’t seem so difficult.
If you’re a traveler who loves coffee, visit some of the most famous coffee capitals in the world. Not only can you enjoy bold, rich flavors akin to your favorite cup, but you can discover new flavor combinations that will rock your taste buds.
5 Amazing Coffee Trips and Tours
If you want to experience some of the best coffee destinations in the world, consider taking a trip to a farm or plantation.
Costa Rica Coffee Tours
If you’re planning a trip to Costa Rica and have plans to visit La Fortuna, don’t miss out on the North Fields Coffee Tour. A guide will walk you through flora and fauna of the plantation, pointing out local wildlife.
You can make your own coffee by picking, roasting and grinding your own beans. Guests also have the opportunity to taste chocolate and sugar cane juice.
India Coffee Tours
If you want to discover the hidden gem of coffee tourism, head to India. On a tour of Chikmagalur, in the foothills of the Mullayanagiri range, you can tour Mercara Gold Estate Coffee Plantation and discover the coffee production process. The estate is also home to spice plants like cardamom, vanilla, cinnamon, and kokum.
Vietnam Coffee Tours
Located in central Vietnam, east of Nha Trang is Son Pacamara Coffee Farm. The bumpy road to the entrance ensures you’ll meet an authentic and genuine experience. A local guide will walk you around the grounds and teach you how coffee goes from bean to cup.
Puerto Rico Coffee Tours
Puerto Rico, one of the United States’ own territories, is home to a variety of coffee varieties. Plantations exist across the island, with one of the most well-known including Sandra Farms Coffee, a boutique grower nestled in the mountains. Learn traditional roasting methods that are eco-friendly and try some of the delicious homemade chocolate.
Hawaii Coffee Tours
Another U.S. destination with unforgettable coffee tours is Hawaii. At the Kula Beans Coffee Farm in Maui, coffee is grown at 2,000 feet in the volcanic soil of Mount Haleakala. Guests can tour the farm, learning the art of coffee from seed to cup, while also sampling coffee and fresh banana bread.
Coffee Capitals of the World
If you’re a coffee lover, don’t relegate yourself to the same cup-of-joe again and again. Instead, visit some of the most famous coffee shops in the world. Discover how others take their daily brew and try out flavor combinations you would never have imagined.
Try a latte sweetened with organic agave nectar and spiced with ground black pepper at The Coffee Academics in Hong Kong. At Dreamy Camera Cafe in South Korea, order an iced Americano you can drink from inside a camera. Or try an espresso and cappuccino combo brewed by the World Barista Champion at Coffee Collective in Copenhagen.
If you want to try some renowned coffee in the United States, consider Blue Bottle Coffee in Oakland, California. The shop’s take on New Orleans iced coffee comes with roasted chicory and organic cane sugar. Or visit Stumptown Coffee Roasters in Portland, Oregon, known for its 12-hour brew with a natural chocolate infusion.
As a general rule of thumb, places where coffee beans are grown, like Brazil, Vietnam and Columbia, are considered the best countries for coffee. Brazil, the world’s largest coffee producer for over 150 years, produced 2,595,000 metric tons of coffee in 2016 alone. Coffee plantations cover roughly 16,777 square miles of the country.
The best countries in the world for coffee include:
- Brazil
- Vietnam
- Columbia
- Indonesia
- Ethiopia
The U.S. isn’t a significant producer of coffee, but you can find plantations in Hawaii and California.
Where Can I Find The Best Cup of Coffee in the World?
If you want to find the best cup of coffee in the world, head to where the java is grown. The top growers in the world include Brazil, Vietnam and Columbia. Countries like Mexico, Peru and Kenya also have an impact on the coffee market.
Visit a plantation in Costa Rica or India to see how coffee is made. Walkthrough jungle-like vegetation and pick, roast and grind your own beans to craft the perfect cup.
If you’re more interested in drinking coffee than learning where it comes from, head to one of the top coffee shops in the world, like Dreamy Camera Cafe in South Korea, Kaffeine in London or Coffee Supreme in New Zealand.
For a cup of coffee, you can only find one place in the world, head to Supreme Roastworks in Oslo, Norway. It’s here that Odd-Steinar Tøllefsen, winner of the World Brewers Cup, can make you a signature drink. Tøllefsen says the key to making a great cup of coffee is focus and accuracy.
If you’re a coffee-lover, why not try brews from around the globe? You can learn precisely how coffee is made and even discover a new flavor you can’t live without. From the mountains of Costa Rica to the jungles of Vietnam, the best spots for coffee are waiting for you all around the world.
