Coffee culture

In the late 20th century, espresso became an increasingly dominant drink contributing to coffee culture,[2] particularly in the Western world and other urbanized centers around the globe.

In the late 17th and 18th centuries, coffeehouses in London became popular meeting places for artists, writers, and socialites, as well as centres for political and commercial activity.

Les Deux Magots in Paris, now a popular tourist attraction, was once associated with the intellectuals Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir.

[4] Elements of modern coffeehouses include slow-paced gourmet service, alternative brewing techniques, and inviting decor.

Many coffee shops offer access to free wireless internet for customers, encouraging business or personal work at these locations.

The term coffee culture is also used in popular business media to describe the deep impact of the market penetration of coffee-serving establishments.

[8] By 1414, the plant was known in Mecca, and in the early 16th century was spreading to the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt and North Africa from the Yemeni port of Mokha.

Later, in the early 16th century coffee was forbidden by conservative imams but a fatwa by the Grand Mufti Ebussuud Efendi overturned this ban.

The Dutch also introduced it to Japan in the 17th century, it remained a curiosity until the lifting of trade restrictions in 1858 (the first European-style coffeehouse opened in Tokyo in 1888).

[22] Café culture in China has multiplied over the years: Shanghai alone has an estimated 6,500 coffeehouses, including small chains and larger corporations like Starbucks.

By absolute volume, the United States is the largest market for coffee, followed by Germany and Japan, with Canada, Australia, Sweden and New Zealand also being large coffee-consuming countries.

Countries in Northern and Western Europe consume the most coffee per capita, with Finland typically occupying the top spot with a per-capita consumption of 12 kg (26 lb) per year, followed by Norway, Iceland, Denmark, The Netherlands, and Sweden.

The coffee enjoyed in the Ottoman Middle East was produced in Yemen/Ethiopia, despite multiple attempts to ban the substance for its stimulating qualities.

"The Excessive Use of that Newfangled, Abominable, Heathenish Liquor called COFFEE has Eunucht our Husbands, and Crippled our more kind Gallants, that they are become as Impotent, as Age.

Vienna's coffeehouses are prominent in Viennese culture and known internationally, while Paris was instrumental in the development of "café society" in the first half of the 20th century.

The artists, musicians, intellectuals, bon vivants and their financiers met in the coffee house and discussed new projects, theories and worldviews.

[32] This multicultural atmosphere and culture was largely destroyed by the later National Socialism and Communism and only persisted in individual places that remained in the slipstream of history, such as Vienna or Trieste.

[34] Espresso based drinks, including but not limited to café au lait and caffè crema, are most popular within modern French coffee culture.

In Germany, Netherlands, Austria, and the Nordic countries, strong black coffee is also regularly consumed during or immediately after main meals such as lunch and dinner and several times a day at work or school.

In these countries, especially Germany and Sweden, restaurants and cafés will often provide free refills of black coffee, especially if customers purchase a sweet treat or pastry with their drink.

[citation needed] A coffee break is a routine social gathering for a snack or short downtime by employees in various work industries.

"[37] John B. Watson, a behavioural psychologist who worked with Maxwell House later in his career, helped popularise coffee breaks within American culture.

Also, the fact that it is one of the easiest ways to make a living after the fall of communism in Albania, together with the country's Ottoman legacy, further reinforces the strong dominance of the nation's coffee culture.

[citation needed] In Esperanto culture, a gufujo (plural gufujoj) is a non-alcoholic, non-smoking, makeshift European-style café that opens in the evening.

Esperanto speakers meet at a specified location, either a rented space or someone's house, and enjoy live music or readings with tea, coffee, pastries, etc.

[56] Fika is a social institution in Sweden and the practice of taking a break with a beverage and snack is widely accepted as central to Swedish life.

[57] 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 may even be considered impolite not to join in.

In the television show Friends, the main cast gathers at the fictional coffee shop Central Perk in nearly every episode.