Croatia coffee culture – sacred and secret meanings

Hello coffee lovers, this is story about my people about me and something that is hard to express with the words - sacred and secret meanings of Coffee.
Like 99% of Croats I am also coffee addict! This fragrant dark liquid is the lifeblood with which we measure our time, quality of life and our social ties
We do everything around coffee, we meet for coffee at various occasions and with different agendas;

Connecting people

• „Let’s go for coffee“ is the most widespread invitation to socialize and is not just usual chit-chatting over coffee it is is also perfect for closing business deals.
• Going for coffee doesn’t stop us from exchanging espresso for an alcoholic drink.
• Saturday morning coffee in downtown is all about seeing the world and being seen.

Opens doors to people’s homes

• Come for coffee is a genuine invitation to visit someone’s home.
• While espresso may be the coffee of choice in a cafe, at home, we still like to brew Turkish coffee.
  Coffee makes things happen
• Coffee makes a perfect gift when you visit someone’s home or to give to the doctors.
• „Coffee is on me“ This favour could be worth much more than the price of coffee, but ‘coffee on you’ is a way to acknowledge you owe one now. It’s a currency with the highest exchange rate.

Measure of value

• If times are hard and the money is short, we express it in the coffee currency „ I don’t even have money for coffee“

Measure of time

• If we can’t make time for coffee, we’re seriously fucked!
• Even Croats complain of Croats –„they’re doing nothing but drink coffee“ – we say for the layabouts. But really, there’s no need to rush. Everything always gets done, and it’s usually via, over and because of the coffee.

Covid 19 – today

Today I am drinking my coffee at home, no Coffee house is open and I miss all the „old“ rituals.