One of life’s great pleasures is sitting in a cosy cafe sipping a double latte as you quietly take in your surrounds. A young man and woman nervously chatter, their charming awkwardness tells you it’s a first date. In the corner a college student types furiously on her laptop, most likely finishing up her term paper. Over by the window, a young fellow stares out dreamily at the passerby, perhaps hoping that he had a date with him. Meanwhile, a smiling old codger reads the newspaper, the only person in there who ordered drip coffee!

Yes, cafes are a wonderful place to be, a space where you can be quiet and contemplative, or chattily connected to your fellow human beings while you all sit on the ubiquitous original Bentwood chairs that seem to be the preferred choice of furnishing for every eatery in the world! Whether you are in Paris, New York, Tokyo, or Sydney, you can relax and sip your coffee in luxury at a cafe. 

So, how did this wonderful cafe tradition come to be? It really began with the coffee that lent its name to the establishments it would inspire. Coffee first arrived in Europe back in the 17th century, when it was shipped in from the Middle East to the busy port city of Venice, where only the wealthy could afford to drink it! This was ironic since back in the highlands of Ethiopia where it originated it was a drink brewed to keep humble goatherds awake at night while they tended their flocks! 

There was something special about the black brew, the caffeine high and the bitter taste that could only be tamed by the addition of milk and sugar made it a resounding success. Coffee quickly became extremely popular, and pretty soon everyone was drinking it, so much so that special coffee houses or cafes began to spring up on every street corner, a tradition that is still going strong to this very day, just walk down any city street anywhere and you will see for yourself!

In Western Europe, the cafes became social hubs that attracted the likes of students, artists, writers, and anyone with an artistic or intellectual bent. The movers and shakers of London used cafes as meeting places to hold their never-ending discussions about business and politics. In this way, cafes grew to be an essential component of European society. 

Along with its namesake coffee, cafes spread out across the world, to North and South America, Asia, and Australia. You can still find poets and revolutionaries in cafes, but they are now likely to be sitting next to a mom out for an afternoon away from the kids meeting her friend for a nice long chat over a cup of coffee, or an office worker grabbing their break time caffeine high to get them through the rest of a hectic day!

Over to you

So, if you have some time that needs killing and want a bit of pick me up, just walk down the street to your corner cafe and enjoy the pleasant ambience as you watch the world pass by the window. Another double latte, please!