Coffee houses today are very diverse and offer much more than just a cup of coffee. Often, you will find customers spending their coffee break surfing the internet or chatting via email while enjoying a few moments away from work. While these two activities are very much a part of the modern world, the tradition of enjoying diversions while taking a coffee break has been around for hundreds of years.

Nearly five centuries ago, coffee houses in what is now modern day Turkey were meeting places where citizens enjoyed the chance to take a break and engage in various table games. This tradition found its way to the rest of the world, and it is not unusual in the coffee houses of Europe to find people playing chess, mahjong, backgammon, or other table games while enjoying hot cups of rich, aromatic coffee. They also began to become known as places for artists and intellectuals to meet and exchange ideas.

Many coffee shops today attempt to recreate that atmosphere by offering comfortable chairs, intimate seating, books, magazines, as well as various types of games. Coffee shops almost always have newspapers lying around as well, inviting customers to escape for a few moments while on a coffee break.

Next time you are in need of a brief respite from work, life, or anything else, consider treating yourself to a coffee break in your local coffee shop. Enjoy the atmosphere, the people, and the rich coffee aromas. You’ll be participating in a tradition almost as old as coffee itself.

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