Hafiz Mustafa Turkish Coffee

As coffee and coffeehouses became an integral part of social culture, coffee became the only drink in the world to have spawned a whole related culture.

Ever since the first coffeehouse opened in Istanbul in 1554, coffee has had a tremendous impact on art and culture. Countless artists, students and teachers have come together in coffeehouses to read books, perform plays and hold lively discussions. This situation is not confined to Istanbul; throughout the world, coffeehouses serve as meeting points for intellectuals and coffee has long been the favourite drink of artists. For many years, coffee has been the chosen beverage of artists; for artists and thinkers such as Alexandre Dumas, André Gide, Molière, Victor Hugo, Honoré de Balzac, Voltaire, Ludwig van Beethoven and Immanuel Kant, coffee was much more than a drink: it was a lifestyle.

Coffee has served as a platform for friendship and conversation all over the world and has been a source of inspiration for many works of art.