On the 1st of August, the Swiss celebrate their national holiday – probably with Swiss coffee.
A good occasion to see how our neighbors drink their coffee. First of all, some information:
- In the 17th century there were already coffee houses in Switzerland. The first were located in the border cantons of Geneva, Neuchâtel and Basel.
- The city of Basel forbade the coffee house owners even to give the “subjects” coffee. But they defend themselves, and did not dispense with this miraculous drink.
- Even if no coffee grows in Switzerland, the coffee industry now accounts for 1% of the Swiss gross domestic product (GDP).
- In 2013, Switzerland exported coffee at an average price of $ 18.75 the pound. In other countries, the value was $ 4.
- The reason for this are Nespresso capsules, which contain only 5 g of completely overpriced coffee and are damn popular worldwide.
- Measured in terms of volume, Switzerland is only the fifth largest coffee exporter, but it was in the lead in sales of $ 1.98 billion in 2013.
- Thanks to the favorable tax and economic environment, foreign companies moved their offices to Geneva or Zurich, both hubs for raw material trading.
- More than two-thirds of the world’s green coffee trade goes through Switzerland.
- It is not surprising that the coffee roaster scene is also booming in Switzerland: about 5 new roasters are launched each year.
- The Swiss also love drinking coffee – per year more than 1000 cups per head.
Swiss Coffee Preparation
Since 4 languages are spoken in Switzerland, there are large regional differences in how to order their coffee.
- A Kafi or Café is a coffee.
- The Café Crème is an extended espresso with a dash of cream – similar to France
- Café Mélange is a coffee with whipped cream. The cream is usually served separately in a small bowl.
- If you order a Schale (bowl) you get a milk coffee.
- The Kafi Luz, Luzerner Kafi or Kafi Zwetschgenoder is a thin coffee with liquor* and sugar. The whole is served in the glass.
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- Kafi GT or short GT, is a mixture of coffee, liquor* and coffee cream.
- Schümli Pflümli is a thin coffee with liquor* and sugar. It is served with topped whipped cream in a coffee glass.
- If you want something to eat for your coffee, simply order a Café complet or Kafi complet. Then there is either a full breakfast or dinner with milk coffee, bread, jam and cheese.
If you are traveling in Switzerland, here is a map of Swiss coffee roasters.
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