Photo: Neebeday

According to coffee legend and lore, the bean we so cherish would be nothing without a series of events which unfolded long ago in the Middle East. The liquid now synonymous with mornings is thought to have been cultivated first in Ethiopia, where it caught the eye of mystics and then Arabian traders who exported it around the world. So it goes without saying that Egypt, one of the region’s main trade hubs through the centuries is coffee-central.

But times in the ‘Oriental’ city are changing and coffee in Cairo is not immune to the sweeping pressure of globalization. From local brew to the imported stuff, Cairo has something to offer everyone who wants to watch the evolution of a centuries old tradition.