This Country Consumes The Most Coffee Per Capita In The World
One might imagine that the amount of coffee drunk across the world doesn't vary too drastically. Sure, some places may drink more than others, but the differences would raise no eyebrows.
Wrong.
According to University Magazine, the difference in consumption between the 10th highest and the overall highest is 12.1 pounds per capita. Canada drinks a measly 14.3 pounds per capita while they are almost doubled by the 26.4 pounds per capita consumed by Finland.
As you might imagine, such coffee consumption is reflected in Finnish culture and language. Most notably, the Paulig Barista Institute relays a coffee-based lexicon that outmatches a hobbit. You have "aamukahvi" for morning coffee, "päiväkahvi" in the day, and then evening coffee with "iltakahvi." For sauna coffee, you drink "saunakahvi" and "läksiäiskahvit" for a farewell. You also mark winning a sports medal with "mitalikahvit," or medal coffee, and reward yourself for voting with an election coffee called "vaalikahvit."
Why this is the case isn't really known. Rachel Hosie of Business Insider traveled to Finland to learn why it holds such a place in Finnish life. The main theory was that since the country only experiences threeish hours of daylight during the depths of winter, they need caffeine to continue. Another theory suggested that drinking coffee was a way to disassociate themselves from tea drinking Russia.
Coffee is the social beverage
Once you learn about Finland's coffee habits, the next thing that usually comes up is that drinking coffee forms one of if not the main social activities in the notoriously introverted country.
Finnwards, a service designed to help immigrants accustom themselves to the Finnish way of life, devotes an entire article to the question, "Can I offer you a cup of coffee?" Not offering a guest coffee is considered rather rude. The question is also the main way you'd ask someone over to your house. The Paulig Barista Institute notes that it's also rude to refuse a cup of coffee. Additionally, as All Things Nordic adds, it's also considered rude to leave before everyone has finished their coffee because drinking it is such a social ritual. However, the cups used to drink coffee tend to be small, especially when compared to some of the sizes in the United States. Moreover, there isn't the same pressure of small talk. It is completely normal for both parties to drink their coffee in complete silence, enjoying the intimacy of the act.