Sunday, December 14, 2025 | Jumada al-akhirah 22, 1447 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Where the world meets for coffee

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Somewhere, right now, someone is falling in love with a morning, with an idea, with themselves again over a cup of coffee. It always begins this way. Coffee doesn’t care who you are or where you come from. It simply invites you to pause, sip and be present.


Coffee is more than just a drink. It is a ritual that threads through humanity — a language spoken in the hush of early mornings, in the laughter of cafés, in the bold plans sketched between sips. As Jackie Chan once said, “Coffee is a language in itself.” So, let it speak to you.


The daily coffee ritual is deeply personal. Some grind fresh beans each morning; others visit their favourite café. The coffee you drink says something about you. Are you a simple who takes it black, a creative who orders oat milk lattes, or a traditionalist who enjoys a slow espresso? Coffee choices have become a form of self-expression — a kind of personal branding in a cup.


People choose their favourite cafés not just for the quality of the coffee, but also for the ambiance, music and décor. Modern coffee shops have become popular hangouts, remote workspaces and meeting hubs, especially for the younger generation.


In fact, coffee culture fosters connection. First dates, job interviews and deep conversations with friends often happen over a cup of coffee. Even how people interact with coffee reveals how deeply it is merged into their lifestyles and attitudes.


There is a quiet magic in the moment you hold your morning coffee. Not just in the rising heat or the bitter-sweet taste dancing on your tongue, but in the invisible journey that brought that cup to you. Before it ever reaches your lips, your coffee has already crossed oceans, borders and the lives of many strangers. That alone makes it sacred.


Long ago, in the sun-spotted mountains of Ethiopia, a young goat herder named Kaldi wandered with his herd. His goats, usually slow and sleepy in the afternoon sun, suddenly jumped to life after chewing on strange red berries from a nearby plant. They kicked, danced and leapt like wild flames, filling the mountains with their joy.


Curiously, Kaldi tasted the berries himself, and the world sharpened, his heartbeat drummed steady and strong, and his spirit felt awake. He ran back to his village, handfuls of berries and eyes wide with wonder.


The elders were doubtful, and the religious were fearful. They threw the berries into the fire and then something miraculous happened. The scent rose like a phoenix: smoky, bold and sacred. The air grew thick with a fragrance so rich and deep it felt like music. They pulled the roasted beans from the coals, ground them with stones, boiled them in water, and drank the world’s first cup of coffee under a sky blooming with stars.


Coffee is present in life’s ordinary and extraordinary moments — it is connection in liquid form. Whether you enjoy it black, with cream and sugar, or iced with oat milk, coffee has a way of bringing people together. So, when you sip your next cup, remember that you are holding more than liquid. You are holding centuries of connection, stories of resilience, and the quiet power of a global community reaching out — one cup at a time.


Yet behind every comforting cup is a story rarely told. Hands, often worn and weather-beaten, work long before dawn to harvest these beans — the hands of farmers who may never taste the drink they make possible. They carry the earth’s gift through heat and hardship, their lives shaped by climate and the shifting tides of global markets.


So tomorrow morning, when the sky is still dim and your eyes are soft with sleep, remember that you are not just making coffee. You are holding history, ritual and resilience.


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