7 Bucket List Trips for Coffee Lovers
Are you a coffee addict? From coffee's birthplace to a coffee theme park, these spots should be on your bucket list.
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The Birthplace of Coffee
Go back to where it all started. Ethiopia is considered the birthplace of coffee and home to one of the most popular varieties - arabica. In the 17th century, traders brought the secret of coffee to Arabic countries and Europe, where it quickly became one of the most popular drinks. Plan a trip and learn about the history and growing process of coffee with tour companies like Intrepid Travel and FANOS Ethiopia.
Vienna Coffee Houses
Cafe culture is a big point of pride for Austria’s capital, so much so that UNESCO declared the Viennese coffee houses and coffee culture as an "intangible heritage" in 2011. When you visit, park yourself in one of the many traditional coffee houses, such as Café Central (pictured) which opened in 1876, order your drink of choice and do some people watching.
World Latte Art Competition
Did you know there was a World Latte Art Championship? World Coffee Events manages the World Latte Art Championship as well as many other coffee-focused competitions like World Barista Championship, World Coffee Roasting Championship, World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship and more which are all hosted at rotating locations around the world each year.
The Original Starbucks
The original Starbucks in Pike Place Market in Seattle is a popular tourist attraction where you'll often find musicians performing near the entrance and a line of coffee drinkers out the door. While there's nothing particularly out of the ordinary at this Starbucks location, it's pretty cool to see the humble beginnings of the now billion-dollar company. While Starbucks certainly put Seattle on the coffee map, there’s plenty to offer coffee snobs beyond the origins of the popular chain establishment. From Elm in the Financial District to Analog in Capitol Hill, the coffee scene is alive and thriving in Seattle.
Cat Cafes
Do you love coffee and cats? Combining two of the best things in life, cat cafes are exactly what they sound like: therapeutic spaces where visitors can enjoy a warm beverage and pet and play with feline friends. While the first cat cafe, Cat Flower Garden, opened in Taipei, Taiwan in 1998, they spread to Japan and really took off. Cat cafes have spread to Europe and North America, too.
Coffee Theme Park in Colombia
The National Coffee Park (Parque del Cafe) is a theme park located five minutes from the town of Montenegro and about 20 from the capital city Armenia. The park features a cable car, global coffee garden, a roller coaster, food stalls based on coffee, Colombian folk architecture and other attractions. The park was founded in 1995 by the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia.
Spa With Coffee Baths
Have you ever said that you love something so much you could just take a bath in it? Well, at Hakone Kowakien Yunessun, you actually can bathe in coffee, among other liquids like red wine, green tea and sake. This unique spa, known as a hot spring amusement park, is located about an hour and a half from Tokyo.