When you think of coffee, you feel about cafes churning out forthy shakes and cups of cappuccino. A cup of piping hot coffee and conversation always go hand in hand. Long before coffee outlets and chains in every part of the world, coffee was made and served with traditions and rituals. Be it in its making or how it is done and consumed, different countries worldwide have unique ways that endlessly amuse coffee. As much as you would expect, Coffee has never been a popular beverage in Asia. However, that is all changing. People in Asia have also started drinking Coffee regularly, which has boosted the entire Asian market for Coffee.
As you probably know, it was impossible to get a decent cup of coffee in the UK, and even now, something like 80 percent of all coffee purchased in Britain is instant. By the Eighties, most educated Indians had become aware of the difference between instant and real coffee, even if we did not always drink the real thing. This generation need not worry about finding real coffee. Ever since opened the first Barista all those years ago, Indians have had access to real coffee. Chains like Barista and Café Coffee Day have given Indians access to Western-style coffee. We now know the difference in common preparations. A recent model is Café Coffee Day, which follows a cheap and cheerful approach to the coffee market. The coffee is not terrific, but it is reasonably priced, and as the chain has expanded, I don’t particularly like Starbucks’ coffee, but who can deny the power of the brand? Because the Costas and Starbucks have arrived, Indians have access to the same sort of coffee they drink in America and London.
Treasures of Coffee brew
Asian countries are producing high-quality coffee beans that are gaining popularity worldwide. Countries like India, Vietnam, and Thailand have started to make specialty-grade Arabica coffee beans. These countries supply high-grade green coffees for roasters in Europe and North America. The demand for coffee has been increasing rapidly. The largest consumer of coffee in Asia is currently Japan. The government has a well-developed coffee culture, and numerous cafes and restaurants serve coffee. China is the second largest consumer of coffee in Asia, and coffee consumption is overgrowing. India is the third largest consumer of coffee in Asia. The country is now the world's seventh-largest producer of coffee.
India Coffee House
Coffee Production in India is in the hill tracts of South Indian states grown in three regions, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, forming the traditional coffee-growing region. Coffee is not native to India. Legend says beans were smuggled out of Arabia and planted in south India. Over time, south India became a centre of filter coffee, a robust coffee diluted with lots of milk. It is a beautiful drink and has a great cultural history behind it. But it is not coffee in the Western sense because it doesn’t work without milk. Roast with the most: South India is a centre of filter coffee, an excellent drink, Whatever its virtues, this kind of coffee never spread far beyond south India. It never reached the north, perhaps because filter coffee is not easy to make and requires specialized equipment and a degree of patience and skill. The coffee that spread all over India was not coffee at all. Instant coffee is, in essence, a tasteless, disgusting industrial product made possible by various factory processes. Its significant advantage is that any fool can mix a few spoonfuls of instant coffee with hot water and obtain a cup of a substance that looks a little bit like coffee.
South Korea: Asia's coffee culture hub
South Korea was home to Asia's second largest coffee market until China overtook it, and cafes have become an integral part of the social ecosystem. Although this market expansion is partly a side effect of Asia's overall economic expansion and rising disposable incomes, "the growth of the coffee category in the Asia Pacific is supported by the continuous development of coffee culture in the region." South Korea's coffee market has risen fast in the past few years despite the pandemic, thanks to customers who adopted cafes as their second home, office, or library. "Asian consumers are pursuing something more for their lifestyle, including drinking quality coffee. These consumers typically have a middle-class background and they have been exposed to the lifestyles in Western countries, such as meeting with friends at cafes via social media,". "Once they have adequate financial power, they just start realizing their lifestyle goals, including increasing their coffee consumption."
The Challenge Ahead
Today, even countries such as China which have traditionally favoured tea, appreciate coffee’s allure. As a sign of its growth, Whereas most people have tasted instant coffee at home in the past, Chinese people are increasingly buying into its social appeal. And developing more refined tastes for artisan blends in specialty coffee shops, arguing that the drink is the finest wine in China. There may be other options and many species of the coffee plant besides Arabica, The most well-known, Coffea robusta, is already used for some drinks, including instant blends. However, it is generally considered too bitter for most coffee lovers. But other varieties may be more suitable. There has been a 6% year-on-year growth in coffee demand in Asia, Which is around three times as fast as the rest of the world. Even so, the market in Asia is still very far behind that of more established coffee-drinking regions. The coffee industry in Asia has been rapidly expanding over the last decade. As Asian countries continue to grow economically, more people can afford a cup of Coffee or espresso. The primary challenge for the industry now is how to meet this demand without compromising quality. For the millions of people currently involved in coffee’s cultivation and production, and indeed for any of us who enjoy a morning espresso to kick-start the day.