World Coffee Day: Our Favourite Spots to Drink It Right Now

For International Coffee Day, we're sharing the cups, cafés and coffee rituals we keep going back to, from Dubai and Beirut to Cairo and Jeddah.

We take coffee rather seriously at JDEED. Not in the we're going to judge your extraction time kind of way, but in the sense that a good coffee shop can completely change the rhythm of a day. It can be where you answer emails for three hours, meet someone you haven't seen in months, recover from the night before, people-watch, or sit alone with an iced latte and absolutely no desire to speak to anyone.

So, for International Coffee Day on October 1, these are some of the places where we genuinely like having ours.

Dubai: ONA, Cherry House, STIR, Kairos, The Coop House and TRIO

Dubai's coffee scene has become almost impossible to keep up with, which isn't necessarily a bad problem to have.

ONA remains firmly on our list when we're in the mood for coffee where the coffee itself is the point. Cherry House and STIR are also regular favourites, particularly when coffee turns into a whole morning affair. For the afficionados, the first two propose an immense variety of beans and blends, making sipping your long black an almost spiritual experience. As per STIR, their carefully selected beans and even cups (and if you really don't want coffee, matcha) are some of the best in the city.

Then there's Kairos Coffee Assembly in Al Quoz, which feels particularly appropriate for International Coffee Day. On October 1, the café is offering complimentary V60 tastings throughout the day, rotating between coffees from Colombia, Ethiopia and Kenya. The Colombian coffee brings notes of grapes, dark chocolate, raisins and plum; Ethiopia goes floral with candied orange and apricot; and the Kenyan pour has blackcurrant, cherry, honey and tamarind notes.

Kairos is also launching its Kairos Circle that day, with every eleventh cup free alongside early access to events and new menu additions. The Al Quoz space roasts its beans on-site using the UAE's first Bellwether Shop Roaster, which is probably enough information to make the serious coffee people among us head over immediately.

Over at The Coop House in Mirdif City Centre, International Coffee Day is considerably more straightforward: any coffee for AED 10, all day. Espresso, latte, mocha, hot or iced, pick your poison.

And there's a new address to add to the list.

TRIO opens its new Jumeirah café on October 1, transforming what was originally the brand's first drive-through location into a complete café. Founded by Emirati coffee expert Aysha Jamal Bin Huwaireb, the Dubai-born concept takes its coffee seriously while giving just as much attention to architecture, food and the experience of actually spending time there. Coffee drinkers can choose their origin across the espresso menu or head to the V60 bar for single-origin pour-overs, hot or cold. There are signature lattes too, plus TRIO's marble matcha range for the person in your group who insists on coming for coffee and then orders matcha. The new café opens daily from October 1 on 22nd Street in Umm Suqeim 2.

Doha: Savant

In Doha, Savant makes the cut. Savant has that polished Doha café energy that makes sitting down for one cup easily turn into another, earning it a spot among our favourite coffee addresses in the region. We love that it's located in the lovely Mhsreib district, close to M7, which makes it the perfect place to fuel on caffeine before exploring Dowtown doha

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Beirut: SIP, Backburner and Kalei

And Backburner absolutely belongs on the list. It has become one of our go-to addresses when we're after good coffee with the kind of easy atmosphere that makes you want to stick around. The Freddo Cappuccino is our ulitmate favourite - we also love their selection of healthy snacks and its location in charming Saifi Village.

Beirut and coffee have always made sense together, the Lebanese people ranked 3 worldwide as biggest coffee consumers. SIP is one of those places we keep returning to, whether we're actually there for a quick coffee or pretending it will be quick before inevitably staying longer (because it's also the perfect place to have their insane avocado-halloumi toast and get some work done).

And then there's Kalei, another JDEED favourite and one of the names that helped make specialty coffee feel properly at home in Beirut. Coffee, conversation, a laptop somewhere nearby and probably someone you know walking through the door: very Beirut, really. Also, they carry our favourite pea milk, SPROUD and that's a rarity.

Cairo: Holm

In Cairo, we're heading to Holm. There's something we love about cafés that understand the experience around the cup matters almost as much as what's inside it, and Holm is one of those addresses we'd happily build part of the day around. Come for coffee, stay because you've suddenly decided you don't actually need to be anywhere else quite yet. Its location in lovely Zamalek makes it the perfect starting point for a cultural day out.

Jeddah: Goodhood

In Jeddah, Goodhood makes our list.

Saudi Arabia's café culture has become a world of its own, and Jeddah is particularly good at the kind of spaces where coffee, design and community naturally overlap. Goodhood is one of the addresses we'd happily choose when the question is simply: where should we get coffee? The vibes are great, too.

And Sometimes, Our Favourite Café Is Home

We love a beautiful coffee shop, but we're equally attached to the coffee we make at home, particularly when it involves pressing one button and getting back into bed.

For International Coffee Day, Nespresso has given us plenty to work with. The Vertuo Up covers everything from hot coffee to iced and milk-based recipes, while Maple Pecan feels appropriately autumnal (and is absolutely delicious with oat or coconut mylk!). For something colder, there's Yuzu Vanilla Over Ice for Original machines, and the Pumpkin Spice Travel Mug is there for mornings when home coffee has to leave the house with us.