I still remember entering Trianon Cafe for the first time, with its gorgeous high ceilings and its hardwood walls full of larger-than-life paintings from a bygone era. Located in the heart of Alexandria, Egypt, this lavish cafe was opened in 1905 by a pair of Greek immigrants, and as soon as you step through its doors, you can’t help but feel like you’re stepping back in time. The place just immediately captures your imagination and your senses, especially as you take in your first sniff of one of the most beautiful aromas on Earth— freshly ground coffee.
I love coffee (as in L-O-V-E) and have made it my unofficial mission to try as many spots to have some wherever I live. But it’s not every day that you step into a coffeehouse as stunning the Trianon. When the waiter asked me what I wanted to order, I chose a hot latte and then asked the waiter what dessert he recommended. He said I should definitely try the Om Ali, a baked Egyptian pastry pudding filled with pistachios, raisins, and coconut flakes that is soaked in milk and then topped with cinnamon. I said sure, that sounds great… and sure enough, it was! The coffee was good too. And to this day, the Trianon remains one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever taken a coffee break.
Did you know that coffee was first drank in Yemen in the 15th century? By the following century, coffee had reached the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey before finding its way to Italy in 1600. Only then did drinking coffee catch on in Europe. And everywhere coffee went, people loved it, and they modified it to suit their own tastes. In my own case, I didn’t start drinking coffee until my girlfriend from Japan got me hooked on it. And yes, she and I are still drinking a lot of coffee as a married couple until this day, but the main difference between now and back when we were students is that now I’m making lattes for us every morning using freshly ground coffee beans from the northern hills of Thailand, brewing them in an Italian-made Bialetti moka pot that we purchased at a grocery store in Egypt. Yes, talk about global interconnectedness!
No doubt about it, coffee is loved by folks all over the world, and maybe you’ll agree that “coffee break” is one of the best 2-word phrases ever invented. The good news is, it’s easy to get good coffee almost anywhere these days, but it’s always especially nice when you go to your place. The kind of place where you know the staff, and the staff know you and your order too. A place where you feel relaxed and comfortable, maybe even cozy. And while I usually try to support independent coffee shops over the big companies, there are even chain stores where the staff will take that extra step to make you feel like you’re not just another customer. Certainly the higher ups at Starbucks knew early on that there’s a benefit in having staff ask customers for their name when they order a beverage rather than just giving them a number. They want you to feel a sense of belonging. And in a super competitive business like coffee, that feeling matters.
Of course we don’t always have time to sit and enjoy coffee. So seeing the demand for “coffee on the go”, a Japanese company named UCC created the first commercially successful canned coffee in 1969. One of the things that surprised me most when I first lived in Japan was seeing both hot and cold canned coffee in vending machines. And as anyone who has ever been to Japan can attest, these vending machines are everywhere, even on suburban streets, making a coffee break possible anytime.
But wait, there’s more! Today in Bangkok, you can step up to a vending machine and order a hot cappuccino or an iced blended coffee or one of over 100 other coffee & non-coffee drink options (!!!) and then customize your drink (sweetness level, number of espresso shots, etc)… and in a few minutes or less, you have a coffee that looks like it came straight from your favorite neighborhood cafe! Yes ladies and gentlemen, the future of the coffee break is already here! And it’s perfect when you need an energy boost and have just a quick break from your class at Bangkok University… 🙂
Before signing off, I want to share a cute little story about a memorable coffee break I took in Cambridge, Massachusetts, when I worked for MIT. I was sitting at a table having a coffee when I saw a mother walk in with her young son in hand. He was probably 3 years old and had a big smile on his face. As he came close to my table, I couldn’t help but flash a big smile his way. And he smiled back at me with the cutest grin ever and stopped at my table. He then looked up at me and asked, “Are you waiting for your Mommy?”
His mom laughed out loud and I let out a big chuckle too. Grinning from ear to ear I replied, “Yes, buddy, I’m waiting for my Mommy.” And it was true, though my mom visited me a few months later. 🙂