Traveling means jet lag and jet lag means coffee (at least for many of us caffeine addicts). Luckily, you don’t have to be anywhere near a Starbucks or Portland, Seattle to get your fix.
In fact, coffee shops across the planet are jumping on the craft coffee bandwagon, attracting award-winning baristas and sourcing local or sustainably grown beans. Some are even growing and roasting them on-site. These are the shops that are home to the best baristas in the world, who roast their own beans, and occasionally grow them, too.
For aficionados who can detect the differences between coffees originating from Guatemala (floral and fruity) or Indonesia (woody, earthy, chocolaty) or differentiate between an ice drip or a Chemex brew, these respected and cutting edge cafes are worthy of a pilgrimage.
And even if you’re just passing through and need a boost, don’t settle. These are the top coffee shops on the planet.
Tim Wendelboe in Oslo, Norway
You don’t even have to enter Tim Wendelboe’s shop in Oslo’s hip Grünerløkka neighborhood to smell the coffee. The award winning barista’s eponymous shop is intimate and aromatic—thanks largely to the on-site micro-roastery. All the beans are fair-trade, too, as Wendelboe cofounded a green coffee-sourcing company, Nordic Approach. He’s even developing his own coffee farm in Huila, Colombia.
Sant’Eustachio Il Caffè in Rome, Italy
It’s a bit of a mystery how these coffee maestros pour their chocolate-y espressos. At this tiny café near the Parthenon, all the magic is performed behind a behind a mystifying screen. Order a cappuccino or espresso from either the counter or a table up front. You can even take a bag of the house-roasted beans home, but it’s near impossible to recreate the in-house experience.
49th Parallel in Vancouver, Canada
Fans of 49th Parallel know the coffee shop has been quietly cranking out some of the finest coffee in the world from their roastery in Vancouver. Not only do they transform their carefully sourced beans into filtered coffee and espresso drinks (stick around to sip your order from one of the signature blue mugs), but their beans are sold in coffee shops around the world. Plus: there are doughnuts. Venture out of your classic-glaze-safe-zone to try the seasonal rings, which can be filled with lemon curd, glazed with mango, and or topped with strawberry crumble.
Viva Espresso in El Salvador
El Salvador produces some of the finest coffee beans in the world, yet Viva Espresso’s Alejandro Mendez was the first barista from a coffee-growing country to win the World Barista Championship in 2011. Viva Espresso currently has a few outposts around San Salvador, which all serve locally grown coffee.
The Coffee Academics in Hong Kong
The Coffee Academics are coffee connoisseurs in bow ties. Inside the brand's Scotts Square flagships, visitors can enjoy destination-inspired drinks (an Okinawa Islands import is espresso with dark brown sugar) in a global setting. Exposed brick walls and a gleaming chandelier over a marble communal table make the space inviting (and a bit more upscale than your average coffee bar). On nice days, you can even take your coffee to the street-side patio for a bit of people watching.
Truth Coffee in Cape Town, South Africa
Vintage bicycles, tin accents, and gears give Truth Coffee a distinct, steampunk-vibe. But it’s not just a pretty space. Their menu includes trendy coffee beverages (the flat white and an 18-hour cold brew) as well as unusual creations like the Sunrise Espresso: a double shot of espresso served with a splash of orange juice.
Café Ekberg in Helsinki, Finland
Coffee (and also saunas and heavy metal) is an integral part of every day life in Finland, and studies suggest residents may consume as many as 10 cups a day. Finns are devout coffee enthusiasts, and while many new, trendy shops have opened, Café Ekberg is the old mainstay. They’ve been in operation since 1852, and the café and bakery are still owned and operated by the Ekberg family. Pair a cup of black coffee with a champagne cork-shaped sponge cake.
The Café at The Grounds in Sydney, Australia
Don’t be distracted by the abundant fruit and vegetable gardens, or even by The Grounds of Alexandria’s residents (a barnyard pig, Kevin Bacon; goats Goldy Horn and Margoat Robbie). This sprawling complex, which boasts a full-service restaurant, florist, markets, and more, was founded on coffee. Beans just feet from where baristas serve coffee dripped, pressed, and filtered with a number of contraptions. But for something a bit decadant, try the Affogato: espresso sweetened with tiramisu ice cream (made in-house), popping candy, and milk chocolate.
