Coffee in the Soviet Union

 Coffee in the Soviet Union

For many of us coffee is the first thing we drink in the morning, wither you brew up a pot of drop coffee, make a fancy espresso drink, or stop in at your local coffee shop. Coffee is almost a religion to lots of us. In America we can enjoy varieties of coffee thanks in large part to the many different growing regions we can import from, in 2020 alone the US imported 5.68 billion US dollars worth of coffee. Soviet Russia didn't have the same luxuries and access to coffee that we enjoy.

Due to a variety of factors including embargos and a refusal to trade with non-communist countries, when it can to coffee growing countries the Soviet Union had slim pickings. The main coffee imports to the Soviet Union came from Brazil, Vietnam, Cuba, and India; the Soviet Union made up for roughly 36% of the India coffee market. 

The history of coffee in Russia dates back to the 18th century when Peter the Great discovered the drink in the Netherlands and brought it back to Russia with him. Coffee wouldn't catch on instantly, with many of the nobles of Russia casting shade on the drink, however Peter's persistence would help coffee grow in popularity. The first coffee shop in Russia would open in 1720 in the city that Peter the Great founded and named, St. Petersburg. The coffee shop was meant to many sever Dutch sailors who frequented the city.

Coffee would have its ups and downs in the following decades with the Russo-Turkish war putting a large dampening on coffee consumption in Russia. This war blocked Russia from access to many Africa ports, thus barring them from coffee. During this time coffee remained only accessible to the upper classes of Russia, however the coming Russo-Franco war would change this drastically. Many Russia soldiers who went to fight the French came back with a new love for the drink, thus spreading the popularity of the drink among the middle class.

Following the 1917 Revolution the availability of coffee drastically decreased and Russia became more and more reliant of tea. Imports of high quality Chinese tea were favored, however cheaper, lower quality options from the Caucasus region of Russia also became more heavily available. Coffee would remain scares until the out break of WWII when coffee would be issued to soldiers of the Red Army. During the time where coffee was scares different options were created to try and fill the gap, these included drinks made from chicory and buckwheat, many of these drink still exist today and can easily be purchased from Russian markets or even from Amazon. Although things seemed dark coffee was about to make a grand return to Russia and the much larger Soviet Union.

Following the end of WWII and the mass decolonization of many African countries, these countries now turned to boost their economies, modernize their nations, and arm themselves. The massive industrial giant that is the Soviet Union came to answer these calls by exporting weapons and machinery to these African countries they would gain massive amounts of coffee imports. As the 60s rolled around coffee was once again in the cups and bellies of thousands of Russians.

Today both tea and coffee enjoy steady sales and consumption in Russia, however tea remains the more popular of the two with roughly 90% of Russians saying they drink hot tea daily or on a weekly basis this compared to the 85% who drink coffee, according to The Barista Institute. From nobility, to common man, to almost non-existent, and finally to making a sharp recovery coffee will remain a large part of Russian culture for years to come.