Croatian Coffee Culture
Drinking coffee in Croatia is mainly a social activity. When you go to a cafe, you don’t just go out for a drink. You meet with friends or colleagues to share gossip and updates on your everyday life. Staying for half an hour is considered rude and going to a cafe usually lasts for several hours. It’s a way to bond, reconnect and catch up with your friends! “Let’s go for coffee” is the most widespread invitation to socialize, but it doesn’t mean that you must order coffee. It could be any other drink such as beer or coke. We also ask you to “meet for coffee” when we invite you to our home, but you will most likely be welcomed with a full meal, followed by dessert. We judge the quality of our coffee very strictly and we’ll remember which cafes had good or bad coffee. There’s no Starbucks in Croatia and if you ask any Croatian why, they’ll tell you it’s not real coffee - because it’s too sugary and has too many flavours. We like to keep it simple, therefore, only additions “permitted” are sugar and milk. Of course, younger generations love Starbucks but as you grow up, you make a habit of drinking black coffee or coffee with milk.
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