Havana: The World's Best City For Coffee
When you love coffee, you love coffee. And if you are a true coffee aficionado, there are some cities around the world that are known for their coffee and are definitely worth the visit if you are looking to learn more about the beauty and art of a cup of Joe.
The Daily Meal recently ranked the World's 10 Best Cities for Coffee. To develop our list, The Daily Meal considered the number of coffee shops in each city, the city's ranking on lists created by sources like Travel & Leisure and the BBC, and the growth of the city's coffee culture.
At the top of that list is none other than Havana, Cuba.
Some consider coffee in Cuba to be its own food group. After a drop in Cuban coffee production due to bad weather and government cut-backs, the economy and industry is now growing again to meet demands. In town, many coffeehouses grind beans source locally and directly from the Escambray and Sierra Maestra mountains, making it some of the best coffee a connoisseur can get. Former British MP and Treasury Minister Phillip Oppenheim loves Cuban coffee so much, he has invested millions in making sure Cuba restores itself as the world's biggest coffee exporter. Since Havana is Cuba's capital city, and one of the BBC's picks for best coffee cities, it's only natural that the boom in tourism and economy will hit here first. The city is fueled by café cubano, a full-bodied espresso with sugar that accompanies nearly every meal. Havana's Old Town is peppered with cafés like Café El Escorial and Café de las Infusiones where the traditional coffee drink is perfectly made and on offer, alongside over a dozen other cups. Guests checking out one of Cuba's busiest squares linger for hours.
Fabiana Santana contributed to this article.