My first trip to a coffee-producing country was in 2008. I was traveling to Costa Rica, and right up there with surfing in Tamarindo and seeing the Volcan Arenal was what I considered a culinary must: sampling some fabled Costa Rican roast.
Imagine my dismay when, upon settling into a cozy local restaurant, and requesting a coffee, I received... Nescafe.
As I continued to travel to countries famous for their coffee - Peru, Tanzania, Rwanda - I realized that my experience in Costa Rica was no aberration. As many frustrated travelers come to find, the countries richest in coffee often produce almost exclusively for export, resigning themselves to drinking instant.
Not so in Ethiopia.
Coffee culture in Ethiopia - considered to be the drink's birthplace - dates back centuries, and continues to this day. In fact, according to the International Coffee Organization (ICO), domestic coffee consumption accounts for more than half of the country's production; unheard of in Africa.
Indeed, when I recently visited Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's bustling capital, I was overwhelmed by the abundance of good, strong coffee. And not just at "western" shops and restaurants, but on the street, at work, and in small local cafes. I tried the "macchiato"; not the kind we associate with Starbucks, but a shot of milk topped with ultra-strong espresso, served in a small glass and occasionally drizzled with cocoa.