International Coffee Day is an opportunity for coffee lovers all over the world to celebrate their love for the bean (and the drinks that it can make). Coffee is the second-most consumed beverage on the planet after water, and it’s something that impacts billions of people’s lives positively every day.
When is International Coffee Day?
International Coffee Day will be celebrated on Tuesday 1st October, this year.
The International Coffee Organisation agreed on the date back in 2015 and has run the event every year since. Not surprisingly, the organisation chose the Italian economic hub of Milan to launch the first International Coffee Day, with the city, famous for its espressos, featuring heavily ever since.
A Guide To The Different Types Of Coffee
With Internationa Coffee Day on the horizon, it’s time to brush up on your knowledge of coffee. Do you know the difference between Cappucino and a Mocha? Let’s find out.
Espresso
The espresso is perhaps the most basic and famous of all coffee-derived drinks you can buy. To make an espresso, most baristas use a commercial coffee machine to pump hot water at high pressure through a hopper containing freshly ground coffee beans. As the water passes through, it takes on the flavour compounds and oils in the bean, giving coffee its unique taste.
An espresso is a small drink, usually only 30 ml. It packs a punch and, if using regular beans, contains a hefty dose of caffeine.
Latte
Traditionally, baristas made coffee by mixing it with hot water. As discussed, the beans infused the water, giving it their distinctive flavour. However, before long, people realised that they could turn coffee into a more decadent experience by adding milk.
A latte is essentially a cup of warm, foamy milk with an added shot of espresso. Most baristas will first warm the milk using a jet of hot steam and then add a shot of espresso, topping up the glass where required.
Cappuccino
A cappuccino is the same as a latte but smaller. Lattes were traditionally made up to between 200 and 300 ml. Cappuccinos are between 150 and 180 ml.
Flat White
Both cappuccinos and lattes use frothed milk. There’s foam on top, with the main drink underneath. A flat white is just warm unfrothed milk with an added shot of espresso – no foam.
Americano
Some people find espressos a little intense. The idea behind an Americano, therefore, is to water it down. An Americano is just espresso with added water, usually around 200 ml.
A black Americano is an Americano with no added milk, and a white Americano adds a small amount of milk (but not as much as a latte).
Filter
Both filter coffee and espresso coffee involve letting water pass through coffee grounds. The difference between the two methods, however, is how this is achieved. With espresso, you pass water through the beans at intense pressures and heat you couldn’t get without machine assistance. With filter coffee, water passes through the grounds under the force of gravity – nothing else – changing the taste of the drink.
Black filter coffee is one with no added milk; a while filter coffee adds milk.
Mocha
Mocha is a chocolate-flavoured version of a regular latte
Double Espresso
A double espresso is two single 30 ml espresso shots in a single drink – sometimes called a Doppio.
The Top Five Most Famous Coffee Shops In The UK
The UK is now a nation of keen coffee drinkers, eager to join the world with its own National Coffee Day. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that the country has many famous coffee shops. Here are the top five.
- Society Cafe In Oxford
You can find Society Cafe in the university town of Oxford on the high street, next to the university in the city centre. The coffee shop is independent and highly successful, owing to its links with some of the best coffee producers in the world. The cafe goes to great lengths to ensure the quality of its beans and their provenance: nothing but the best for Oxford students. - Store St Espresso In London
Store St Espresso has two locations in the city, serving coffee alongside a range of brunch options. You can find the coffee shop at 40 Store St in Fitzrovia or on Tavistock Square just north of the Great Ormond Street Hospital. - Trove In Stockport
Trove is a family business run by a husband and wife team, started in 2011. The shop insists on 100 per cent organic ingredients in all its coffee products. The centrepiece for the cafe is a large wooden table that’s been there since the beginning. - Mrs Atha’s In Leeds
Mrs Atha’s is another family-run firm looking to supply punters with the best coffee they ever tasted. The shop works with a variety of top-notch suppliers and baristas to deliver exceptional taste. - Tamper Sellers Wheel In Sheffield
Tamper Sellers Wheels offers a variety of coffee and brunches that will keep you coming back for more. It’s a great place to spend a morning chatting with friends.
Many of the best coffee shops in the UK use the Monsoon Estates Coffee company to source their beans. The founders started the business after noticing that foreign coffee tasted much better than in the UK. They decided to roast their own beans and then ship them to coffee shops all over the country, improving the taste of the coffee and, hopefully, delighting coffee aficionados.
The wholesaler roasts a wide variety of coffees from all over the world, including bean from Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea and Colombia. Budding coffee shops and other establishments, like the Ross & Ross Bar, now use Monsoon Estates Coffee to enhance the appeal of their brews.
If you haven’t prepared for International Coffee Day, then it’s time to get started. Now that you know about the different varieties of coffee and the best place to get them in the UK, you’re all set for a whirlwind coffee adventure come the 1st of October.
How will you celebrate the world’s favourite drink?
Let us know what you are planning via our social media pages.