An alluring case of Dhaka’s coffee culture

During my university days, I started visiting a coffee shop between classes because I did not exactly have any friends. Let's call this coffee shop "South Start". I went there because the coffee was within my daily budget and the cafe itself was a good place to study. I went there almost every day and fast forward four years and a year after my graduation, I still go there almost every day! The baristas there know my name, know my drink and are well aware that I will be sitting there for hours.

Just like that, I subscribed to a culture without even knowing it was one to begin with.

Now, all the friends I have are from South Start -- they either work there or are loyal, and passionately dedicated to South Start just like myself. We frown at the name of other coffee shops and our conservations and daily outings all centre this place. We start our day here, and we end it here.

It is true that you do not often see people walking around with go-to coffee cups or a coffee station in workplaces. As Bangladeshis, tea is our go-to comfort, caffeine drink; a drink which can never be replaced by any substitute and holds a special place in everyone's heart. What makes it more special is that everyone has a unique way of preparing it. You will see people enjoying a cup of tea commonly with their breakfast and later in the afternoon to re-energise.

The coffee shops we do have in Dhaka rarely have long lines during the mornings when people are rushing to work. Instead, we see roadside shops packed with people demanding their tea during this time. These scenarios only tell us that coffee is not the most desired caffeine beverage. So, there technically should not be a coffee culture to begin with.

Yet, Dhaka's niche coffee community will have you believing otherwise. It is coffee or nothing! Nothing hits you with an energising bolt of energy at the start of your day or after work like coffee does. Some of us cannot even go to sleep without our bedtime coffee. This drink can also be customised although you would need fancy equipment for it. The lack of long lines only makes the caffeine boost enter our bloodstream faster. Oh, we also frown at the name of instant coffee.

So, what makes South Start and other coffee places a hub for people to keep coming back year after year? It is not just the coffee but also the environment, and the sense of comfort it brings in, something not everyone can find in a roadside shop.

Moreover, it's the random conversations you get to have with strangers who make it into a community unknowingly. After all, you see the same people every day, you witness them stressed out while working on their laptops, you go through their explosive break-ups with them. We are a community at its truest essence, through thick and thin. 

While there is a division between coffee shops and who is loyal to which one, there is also stratification within the community itself -- the classic Americano drinkers who think they have superior taste buds, the iced coffee fanatics despite what the weather may hold (like myself), and lastly, perhaps the most judged group, the ones who opt for sugary drink and flavourings to mask the bitter taste of coffee, or even worse, decaf!

Dhaka's coffee community is not something you consciously subscribe to. It happens over time as you develop a taste for coffee from a specific place. This is not entirely a bad thing but it certainly does have an impact on your social life. Whether that impact is good or bad, is for you to decide. Bear in mind, we tend to gatekeep our coffee shop so you will have to find your own way in!