How the world drinks coffee, and why it looks different on every block

Coffee culture is the part of coffee that happens before and after the brew. It's a café in Melbourne expecting you to know what a magic is, and a diner in South Carolina expecting you to want a refill. It's the roaster who prints the farm name on the bag, and the grandparent who still swears by a percolator.

This section covers those habits and the people behind them. Expect pieces on café traditions in different countries, what specialty coffee actually means on a menu, how neighborhood shops earn loyalty, and the trends that come and go (protein milk, anyone?). We write about big cities and small towns alike, from Seattle and London to the Grand Strand.

We're not here to tell you your order is wrong. If you like a caramel latte, drink the caramel latte. The aim is to explain why coffee looks the way it does in different places, so the next café you walk into feels a little more familiar.