The Lands of the Arabica Coffee Bean Turning to Coffee?

Why the cultures of the Middle-East drink tea in preference to coffee has always struck me as curious. After all, the Arabica coffee bean gets its name from Arabia having originated from north Africa, so why is it that the countries of the Middle-East and north Africa are mostly tea-drinking cultures? Odd that, don't you think? If you have the answer, post it as a comment below.



I was prompted to write this post because I just saw a story about the success of an Italian espresso coffee business that has recently opened a store in Doha, Qatar, in what sounds like a terribly upscale shopping center. (Read the story here) The story makes it sound as if an espresso coffee shop is quite a trendy novelty in town. As even the people of the lands from which the supreme Arabica coffee bean originated turn to coffee, or is it back to coffee, does it mean we are near the top of the cycle? It sounds like most of the tea-drinking cultures of Asia and the Middle-East are in on the trend finally. Can the come-back of tea be far behind?