The coffee capitals of Europe, included in this list, are guaranteed to have something to surprise the one who can not start the morning without a cup of a drink from fried grains.
Even the notorious coffeemen do not perceive coffee only as a way of satisfying the need for caffeine. In any city in any country, coffee houses are the center of cultural communication for both locals and tourists.
1. Rome, Italy
Italians are fans of high-quality food, since in the cheapest pizzeria guest will not be served dishes from yesterday's billet or with the addition of artificial flavors. Food perfectionism of this people affects everything about coffee. Among the owners of local coffee houses, there is an unspoken contract: no cup of beverage sold should look like it was saved and diluted with water. Residents of Italy - adherents of minimalism: they prefer black coffee without excess in the form of sugar or latte-penki.
2. Istanbul, Turkey
On the border of Europe and Asia, Istanbul, known for its rich, fragrant grain coffee, was located, for which a unique method of cooking was developed. Tasters of all countries in the world forget that in Turkey there is not a single coffee plantation, and praise it as a gold standard for the recipe. In Istanbul coffee houses, the water before cooling is strongly cooled, the grains are turned into flour: the union of the two components occurs exclusively in copper old Turks. To spoil the taste, it is enough to put the Turk on fire: in Istanbul, the drink is cooked on heated sand. To boil it is brought several times, while avoiding strong foam: there is a belief that at the time of its appearance, coffee "dies".
3. Vienna, Austria
The street of coffeeshops in Vienna is included in the list of world heritage, compiled by UNESCO. The city boasts coffee shops in the central square: it is believed that they preserve the special atmosphere of the ancient district. The Austrians are even ready to argue with the Turks for the right to be called the pioneers of a drink from roasted grains in Europe.
Coffee became fashionable in Vienna in the middle of the XVII century: more often than other guests they were treated by an emigrant from Poland named Franz Kolshitsky. When the fame of his culinary abilities spread far beyond the borders of Austria, the authorities gave him a home. Franz turned it into a coffee shop - the first in the history of Vienna. Guests were offered a choice of several varieties of grains, so that they could choose a favorite. Very soon some of the visitors complained of bitterness in taste - and then Kolshitsky went on a trick. Adding cream and honey to the drink, he created Viennese coffee, which today can be found in the menu of any cafe.
4. Reykjavik, Iceland
Icelanders did not show much interest in coffee while Europe went crazy over it. About 10 years ago the situation radically changed: several shops selling both grains and a takeaway drink opened in the city. It was so high-quality that between the sellers began a competition for the attention of customers. Gourmets are stretching to Iceland for the sake of the fact that it is there that you can taste coffee according to old recipes strictly observed even in small establishments. If in other European cities an unfamiliar cafe can disappoint a tourist, Reykjavik's coffee houses are completely safe in this regard.
5. Venice, Italy
While the Turks and Austrians quarrel for the title of the first coffee country on the continent, the Venetians modestly remain silent about their merits. Twenty years before the Pole Kolshitsky established the coffee business in Vienna, the merchants of Venice already fought with the clergy for the opportunity to trade in grains. The priests opposed the fragrant drink, arguing the ban on the sale of its exciting properties, depriving the person of sleep. The last argument in the fight against traffickers was the myth that coffee is the black blood of the Turks, which carries the threat of Islamic religion.
6. Dublin, Ireland
The capital of Ireland is more known for alcoholic pubs than coffee houses. But the culture of drinking whiskey and ale quickly bored the Irish, so they decided to come up with something new. A drink without alcohol would be unpopular: how can they be warmed by cold rainy evenings? The burden of the invention of a cocktail, which would suit both coffee lovers and fans of strong whiskey, took over the bartender of the city airport Joe Sheridan. In 1942 in Dublin, several flights were canceled at once, and Joe prepared a mixture of whiskey, cream and coffee for tired and frozen passengers. Sheridan, invented by him, called "ayrish coffee". Any of his contemporary colleagues gladly shares the details of this story with tourists.
7. Oslo, Norway
In Norway, coffee is too frivolous: it is experimented on in so many ways that visitors perceive local recipes as a mockery. In the cafeteria of Oslo, there are three types of coffee. One of them is cooked from green beans, the second is heavily re-roasted. And the third formula, at first glance, is able to cause the taster not to delight, but a fit of nausea or indigestion. The surprise that it evokes is replaced by pleasure at the first sip. On it, ground coffee is mixed with a raw chicken egg and thick honey. Visitors to the coffee shops are served with a special strainer to separate the protein from the drink.
8. Paris, France
This city is quite advertised by travel agents and the media, so that it could be expected of some kind of dirty trick. Impression of Paris spoil the institutions that serve low-quality instant coffee, compensating for its taste with a variety of sweets. Daily in the network there are negative reviews from visitors to coffee houses of Paris, seemingly descended from the pages of glossy magazines. To drink the best coffee in the city, you need to look for restaurants on the outskirts, whose holders are emigrants. France can be ranked among the coffee capitals of Europe only on the basis that it sets the standard of how not to cook it.
9. Helsinki, Finland
Dry statistics say that no country in the world consumes as much caffeine as the inhabitants of Finland. The average Finn a day drinks at least 5-6 large cups of coffee: this is twice as much as in the rest of Europe. Given this fact, the drink is prepared for take-out everywhere: in grocery stores, bars and even boutiques. In Helsinki, they try to maintain the basic coffee traditions, mixing them with high-tech to roasting and coffee making.
10. Amsterdam, The Netherlands
It seems that Dutch coffee shops can find anything but coffee. But under the criminal raid of legends about the sale of drugs from under the floor lurks one of the most delicious drinks in Europe. The secret of constant improvement of the skill of his cooking is hidden in the legislative system of the Netherlands: it prohibits any advertising of coffeeshops. Institutions have to earn themselves an honest name for tasty coffee and a system of shares. The latter, by the way, are relevant for budget tourists - in Amsterdam they can buy a set of coffee and cake for only a symbolic one euro.