Best Coffee in the World? Where else but Italy?

It would be hard to imagine Italy without coffee. Italian coffee is an art form with many customs and traditions. It is the main part of the national breakfast and the home to coffee drinks that have taken the rest of the world by storm. Italians managed to invent a coffee culture unequaled anywhere else in the world, even despite the fact, that the coffee itself was discovered in South Africa.

Nowadays there are many coffee roasters present in the country, processing imported green coffee.

In 2011 Italy took third place (behind Germany and Belgium), in the classification of the main roasted coffee exporters, with a volume of 2,5 million bags. The sector has held up mainly thanks to exports, which now account for 60% of total turnover.

This positive trend confirms the increasing appreciation for the Italian coffee from foreign markets.

If we look back in history, coffee was first shipped from the Middle East to Venice. At that time it caused a furore. Coffee consumption soon spread to Rome and the rest of Italy, with imports arriving at the ports in Naples, Bari and Sicily. It became an important staple in the Italian cuisine, evolving in a culture that is still relevant today.

If you want to taste probably the finest coffee in Italy, you should visit Trieste. The Italian port bristles with life and has a fascinating history.

During 2011 the Port of Trieste was able to keep the first position for the import of green coffee.

Trieste’s love-affair with coffee goes back many years, to the time of the maritime trade routes.Its tax-free port status coincided with the coffee craze sweeping Europe.

The port is considered to be the main hub of the coffee trade of this city in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, with exports directed more and more towards Eastern Europe and imports increasingly following routes in Brazil, India, Indonesia and Vietnam.

The port city developed a string of Viennese-style coffeehouses. You can visit still several of them, such as Caffè Tommaseo with its faded bello époque charm.

It is worth mentioning that in Italy the market of espresso machines for professional use is flourishing as well: in 2005 the turnover made up about €287m, of which €212m from abroad (thanks to Asian markets, the USA and Australia).

Basically, the sector of espresso coffee machines exports excellence to the rest of the world, also in terms of style and innovation.