I relish the smell of freshly brewed black coffee alongside breakfast to start off my day using one of the large-sized mugs from my collection. One, in particular, had sentimental value as it was gifted to me by a friend from Hong Kong, China over a decade ago.

It is intriguing how something as simple as a porcelain mug can become part of a daily routine and add a touch of aesthetic value to life. When it was broken, I pieced it together and add a touch of aesthetic value to life. When it was broken, I pieced it together and posted a tribute on my Facebook page.

Coffee enthusiasts may share the sentiment, particularly with the mugs that come bearing unique designs. I have seen some antique pieces displayed at one of my favourite coffee joints in Addis Abeba.

A quote by the French writer Honore de Balzac “When you drink a cup of coffee, ideas come in marching like the army,” reads a placard chained to an old meshed box on the ceiling of Tomoca coffee shop on Churchill Road.

Outside the door, an actual coffee tree blossoms laden with green beans that will ripen when the season is right. The tree is a living embodiment of the coffee shop's theme, like the punchline of a good joke. It is a reminder that coffee is not just a drink, but a crop that is grown and harvested with care.

I visit the place once in a while not only to savour its aromatic brew but also to bask in its historic atmosphere. The walls are adorned with samples of coffee beans from all over the world, old coffee brewing machines that have stood the test of time, and photos of rural girls harvesting coffee beans in the harshest of conditions.

The antique pieces displayed there showcase priceless relics representing the unremitting impact of world coffee culture that knows no bounds.

On one side of the wall, a narration unfolds with a legend of a young goatherder who discovered a coffee bean that made his herd behave strangely when they tasted it presumed to be in the Kaffa Zone of Western Ethiopia. He showed the peculiar bean to his master, who decided to experiment with roasting it; the first time that the aroma of coffee was discovered.

The bean soon became very popular and was traded as a lucrative commodity, transported by caravans of camels to the Red Sea ports. Eventually, coffee found its way onto merchant ships bound for Arabia and beyond, leading to its global popularity.

The Coffee Arabica known for its high caffeine content of 12mg per gram grows in small shrubs in the Ethiopian highlands although susceptible to crop diseases.

The less popular species such as Coffee Robusta, Liberica and Exelsa are sold at a relatively affordable price while proving to be more disease resistant and grow much taller with less caffeine content.

Coffee has become a common household item available on street corners on all continents. Large multinational corporations like Nescafe and popular coffee chains like Starbucks have made instant coffee widely available. However, the instant coffee served in these chains and convenience stores cannot compare to the authentic organic ones.

It is astounding to see the exorbitant cost of organic coffee in the global market, with some speciality brands reaching a staggering 55 pounds sterling.

In an article I wrote for the now-defunct Addis Tribune newspaper in 2002, entitled "The Coffee Ordeal," I discussed coffee prices at that time. Ironically, coffee prices dropped to record lows, with a kilo selling for three to four Birr on the streets of Addis Abeba during that period.