Economically, tourism is the major industry that helps economic growth for every country. Counting from historical sites, cultural centers, resorts, malls, and restaurants, museums are one of the best bucket lists for all tourists. Generally, museums are classified into themes: general, natural history and natural science, science and technology, history, and art. There is no place as historic as museums. Thus, a coffee museum is a place you should visit at least once in your life.
However, what we focus on here is a bit different from the rest, it shows coffee culture as art. It’s the coffee museum. You can also join tours because when on tour you can ask questions relating to the coffee museum for more details from the tour guide.
On that point, we will be listing and briefing the details of the most famous coffee museums that you shouldn’t miss out on, The Dubai Coffee Museum and The Bolsa Oficial de Café.
Contents
Truth of Coffee Museum
Everyone loves coffee. Coffee lovers would know how much a drip of coffee means to them. No matter where you are heading to, coffee always has a place in your mind, gotta find a spot. And for that, you should stick around as it is going to tell you things you should know about the coffee museum. Tourists will be feeling various sensations from the stage of cultivation of the beans up to the merger of coffee as one of the national symbols.
History of Coffee Museum
Coffee has played a crucial role in the culture of the Middle East for decades. The traffic of coffee flowed from not only regional but also international throughout the city which was a remarkable coffee trade. The coffee museum began with coffee testing, drinking, and the development of objects. And the lower level of the museum is divided into areas of interest in the coffee beverage traditions.
At that time, they used traditional Ethiopian methods in roasting the coffee beans. Because Ethiopia is a whole topic of the courtyard. In the museum, there is a small room that displays items and antiques in the courtyard as well.
Dubai Coffee Museum
The Dubai coffee museum uprooted the reasons for the values of the coffee beans starting from roasting, grinding, time appliances, and loads of styles of coffee boots. The idea of this coffee museum was inspired, adopted first in the Middle East by the coffee devotee Khalid Al Mulla, who was the owner of the “Eastern Men and Business” coffee firm.
The address of this eccentric museum includes a coffee museum, a special souvenir shop, and a cozy café on Villa 44, in the Bastakiya district of Bur Dubai, you can search it up.
Inside this coffee museum, it also has literary room exhibits on coffee-based documents, 300-year-old antiques, and other objects. Including the Ethiopian clay coffee bins ‘Jebena’ and the Yemeni ‘Jasmine’ counterpart. Those pots were used to roast coffee beans and given to the Yemenis and the styles of those pots represent the earliest start date of drinking coffee in Ethiopia.
Interesting Fact of The Bolsa Oficial de Café (Coffee Exchange)
This coffee museum has an electric-style building installed within an area of 6000 m². It has been inaugurated in 1998 and has been more than just a tourist attraction, but at the late end of the 19th century, this was the exhibit of Brazilan export center. This museum is a whole package of attractions including permanent and temporary exhibitions, works of art, a coffee shop that serves the best coffee beans you could ever find in the country.
The floor sections of this museum aren’t different at all from the Dubai Coffee Museum. It does have the bidding hall which is the main special hall, the coffee shop, gift shop, document center, and exhibition rooms. Yet, the interesting one of all is the Bidding Hall.
The Bidding Hall
Coffee Museum isn’t only about coffee exhibitions, but also displays the bidding sessions for sacks of coffee beans. The room consisted of 81 chairs arranged on an upraise of jacaranda platform, and the stunning decorated geometric designs on the floors were designed and made of marble from Greece, Spain, and Italy and it also patterned in the form of the Star of David and a Masonic reference. The furniture was arranged in the art-deco style which represents the hierarchy of the old exchange orderly; 11 chairs for the presidents are placed in the very center of the row, secretariats on the sides, and the coffee brokers’ chairs of 70 are set on the surroundings.
The Exhibition Rooms
Or is called ‘The Permanent Exhibition’ room which displays the history ‘the story of Coffee in Brazil’. The story is about the relation between the cultivation of coffee and the development of Brazil. The exhibitions are divided into sections of the story about coffee, work, benefits from making coffee, and so on.
Why Should You Visit a Coffee Museum?
So, after hearing a brief history and some facts about the coffee museum. Here are the 5 reasons you should definitely visit the coffee museum at least once. Along with what you would get and understand from visiting the museum.
Museum Layouts
The coffee museum is a two-floor pack of rooms of different sections. Such as coffees, foreign and Middle Eastern antiquities, Majlis, gift shop, kid’s center, library, coffee center. And specialty history of Kaldi who brought the drink to the region.
The story began during the time when Kaldi was in the Ethiopian highlands decades ago. It was about a goat that ate unknown berries and got to stay alert all night for hours. At that time, the drivers wanted to prepare a drink with those magical berries which the goat ate. Strangely, it did keep them awake for hours of meditation and that was when the discovery began to spread and rise quickly.
The Coffee Culture
Again, coffee partly represents the culture of the Middle East. Hence, at the coffee museum in Dubai the first point you need to know, understand and the sample is the numerous forms of coffee. Visitors might experience several cultivations of coffee such as Ethiopian, Egyptian, and Arabic. Even they are in the middle east, though regionally conserving slight differences of culture is normality.
The museum has protected information about the first coffee bean discovery. And the commerce of coffee to the Middle East has long been as evidence for generations and tourists to perceive. They have stored the antiques cups and utensils that were used to make coffee, roast, clean, and drink during the time of discovery. Those treasuring equipment are placed in the museum for visitors to see. It is also to keep the remaining parts of the story going.
Middle Easterners considered coffee a symbol of good generosity, elegance, and hospitality. Those hosts use to greet their guests, partners, friends, and people in their nation. Chinese people would use tea as their welcoming drink. But the middle easterners use coffee over discussions, marriage, contracts, and sort of meetings. So much meaning over a cup of coffee served.
So, once you get to visit the museum, you will be told to sit on the assigned stools and wait for the bowls of coffee supplies. And don’t forget to sit still to secure your spot because, in the Ethiopian tradition, they will serve you popcorn during the tours.
Antiques and Majlis at Coffee Museum Dubai
When you are in the museum, whether you are on tour or by yourself, don’t forget to check out the ground floor which is where the antiques, ancient galleries, and the Majlis are housed. After you entering the room of Majlis, you will acknowledge the Emirati culture and hospitality. On the cafe table serving along with those old antiques cups and utensils as showing their generosity toward their guests. More of that, you will see the antique coffee grinding machines, torches, bowls, kettles, and others. Which is relating to coffee-making sets memorials in the room.
Anyways, what is ‘Majils’? Majlis is a large sitting place that is furnished with carpet floors and cushions against the wall. It is where the community members of the United Arab Emirates gather to discuss events, dissolve problems, share news, pay condolences, or set wedding receptions. And for now, Majlis is restored and kept the impression themed of Emirates.
Coffee Crew Bar at Coffee Museum
On the first floor of the coffee museum, you will be entering the coffee crew bar, which is where Khalid uses his expertise to brew coffee through a siphon. The room is surprisingly furnished with things of the bean’s history. In the museum, they offer guest experiences with different styles of coffee such as Arabic styles, Turkish style, Egyptian, and even influenced from the Japanese style.
You will understand that coffees are being manufactured in various countries which shows the prosperity of the coffee industry worldwide, not only in the Middle East. And it is an interesting fact that the county still has the coffee museum-going besides their prosperous areas.
The gift shops, Kids corner and the Library
Not only will you be able to absorb the understanding of the coffee culture. But you can also go back home with souvenirs for your friends and family. Who doesn’t love gifts? The Dubai coffee museum also installed a gift shop for visitors to grab some memorable gifts, objects back home. It is a good chance to buy coffee beans from the original place or any coffee-related stuff for your friends and family.
In the meantime, you can review the menu and get yourself a cup of coffee after hours of touring the museum. The shop is full of barista services, latte art plums, roasting method recipes, and good quality coffee beans served.
For those who have kids and want to enjoy the shop to full excitement. You can always leave the kids in the kid’s corner. The kid’s corner is where the kids can enjoy their time and learn about the history of coffee. Plus many other thrilling events. Anyone can enjoy their time in the library room that is located on the first floor as the kid’s corner. The library room consists of coffee book collections from the 18th century. Those books are very valuable, especially to those who want to learn to brew with popular techniques.
Above are the interesting facts of Dubai Coffee Museum, the attractions that catch your excitement over expectations. Dubai is not only one of the developed countries, but their culture and traditions of coffee are so rich that you can drink coffee everywhere. However, there is also another coffee museum that you can check out, the Bolsa Oficial de Café (coffee exchange). Though a brief of the museum is provided.
Conclusion
To sum up, experiencing a new city is a whole package of excitement and nervousness. Tourists have different expectations, notwithstanding there are lots of popular places in the cities that tourists can visit as much as they can in 24 hours, just make a list. The point does not depend too much on google. Since all the experiences do not come from searching on sites, real life is more joyful and has more engagement and well-observing.
Moreover, the coffee museum is a place you should not miss on your trip or tours. Coffee museums can give you more than just a stare. But it provides you information, details about the culture, history of a particular country.
References:
- The Coffee Museum | Turismo Santos
- Coffee Museum Dubai | Oasis Palm Dubai
- The Dubai Coffee Museum | Fat Nancy’s Diet
Visit The Largest Coffee Museum In The Middle East In Dubai| Curly Tales By Curly Tales