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When the war ended, coffee started to seep “third place” was invented in the late 90s in the
into civilian life. Furthermore, attributed to Brazil’s U.S., its cultural influence seems bigger than ever
independence which allowed it to produce more before. While coffee shop owners are selling time,
coffee to the world as well as Northern European experience, and services to customers, they enjoy
immigration to the U.S. predisposed to having the space, conversation, and interaction. You may
coffee, the Americans experienced an unprecedent- find that America has been playing a key role in
ed growth of coffee drinking in the 19th century. all three waves of coffee. Still, as Ramage pointed
By 1990, the U.S. became the greatest coffee out, any wave is just one expression of what it
market around the globe and kept ahead since means to drink coffee in America, and all three
then. According to Statista, the States imported waves co-exist.
about $5.72 billion worth of coffee in 2018, win- Hence, we can see how coffee has been linked
ning it the crown of coffee importer worldwide. to American state building, society, and globalism.
Coffee has become such a common beverage
in America. When talking with Kyle Ramage, Germany’s unexpected affection for cof-
2017 U.S. Barista Champion and Owner of Black fee It may surprise us that Germany, better known
& White Coffee Roasters, he said, “We just drink for their fantastic beer, is the world’s second-largest
tons of it. I can’t imagine a day my Dad didn’t coffee importer, right behind the U.S.. The devel-
drink coffee when I was a kid… It’s like the way opment of coffee had a slow start in Germany. It
Italians think about espresso is how Americans arrived later at the country compared to most of its
think about filter coffee.” Coffeehouses are a large neighbors around the Europe. It was not until in
part of American culture. Since the concept of 1721 that Berlin opened its first coffee shop to serve
the general public. Additionally, as Germany did
not possess colonies that could supply coffee to the
nation, it had to import coffee at considerable price.
During the period of Frederick the Great, coffee
was roasted exclusively for the upper class. Till the
end of the 19th century, the legal constraints on
public coffee consumption was removed, and there-
Photo / Kae Ng
after coffee demand increased rapidly and coffee-
houses began gaining popularity.
Kaffeeklatsch, a special German word refer-
ring to “gossip over cups of coffee”, originated
around the 1900s as a coffee ritual that women
met their friends, drank coffee, and chatted. The
habit is still going strong today. Though a late
starter, Germany led coffee culture in some ways.
Drip coffee was invented in 1908 by a German
lady Melitta Bentz. Gottlob Widmann, followed
that up by creating the electrical drip brewer in
1954. Coffee today is one of Germany’s national
beverages, yet it is seemingly unconsidered to
German identity compared to beer, it already
spilled over into people’s minds and lifestyles.
For over five hundred years coffee has been
linking people of different continents and regions
by cultural, religious, trade, and immigration
transmission. It is a long-standing manifestation
of global connection and local experiences. So a
humble cup of coffee, there is a world of history
as well as native stories in that noble cup.

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