Coffee culture is quietly booming in Kyrgyzstan. The country brought in 199.3 tonnes of coffee in the first nine months of 2026 — more than in the whole of the previous year, according to the State Customs Service. Full-year imports were just 131 tonnes in 2025 and 117.8 tonnes in 2024, so the nine-month figure already represents a 52.2% rise over all of 2025 and nearly 70% over 2024.
The supplier list is a useful clue about what's happening on the ground. Uzbekistan leads with 94.9 tonnes, reflecting the strong cafe scene that has spread from Tashkent north to Bishkek. The Baltic states — Lithuania (49.6 tonnes), Latvia (20 tonnes) and Estonia (13.2 tonnes) — together make up a big chunk of the rest, followed by smaller shipments from Italy, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Coffee also arrived from Germany, Romania, Singapore, France, the UAE and even Uganda.
What does this mean for visitors? Bishkek has long been the most westernised corner of Central Asia for cafe culture — flat whites, specialty roasters and laptop-friendly spots along Chüy Avenue — and these numbers suggest the scene is expanding well beyond the capital. Travellers heading to Osh, Karakol or the lakeside town of Cholpon-Ata on Issyk-Kul can increasingly expect proper espresso rather than instant coffee or endless pots of tea.
It's also a sign of how fast things change in a country often visited for trekking, horseback trips and the World Nomad Games rather than food and drink. Five years ago, a coffee shop recommendation list for Kyrgyzstan would have been short. Now, with imports up 81.5 tonnes in two years, spending a morning cafe-crawling in Bishkek is a legitimate travel activity in its own right — and a nice counterpoint to a day in the Ala-Too mountains.
For anyone planning a Central Asia trip in 2027, add a day or two in Bishkek before or after your trekking leg. Osh Bazaar and the city's parks pair well with the growing cafe circuit, and prices remain far below European coffee capitals.
