Chapter 53 Coffee Culture at the Crossroads Uysal YENİPINAR Assoc.Prof. Dr. εersin University, Faculty of Tourism, εersin-Turkey “Local Special Food has Local Identity” “You are what you eat” Hippocrates INTRODUCTION There have been significant changes in the travel trends of tourists. According to survey of Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey, It is estimated that γE will take the place of γS in tourists' travel expectation in the near future (β0βγ Report). Three-E can be defined as education, experiment, and entertainment. Tourist destinations have started to position themselves according to this new demand. In this sense, local food and drinks have been distinctive pull factors of tourism destination. Tourists want to try different foods and drinks at different venues, as well as observing local people’s way of life, experiencing their taste and enjoying the authentic atmosphere of place. Historants are businesses that can meet every expectation of tourists in this sense. By sharing the same atmosphere, food or drink shared with people from different cultures inside a historic architectural texture can allow visitors to observe and feel the local life with different experiences. Eating and drinking habits play important place Turkish social lives as well. In addition to Coffee and coffeehouse culture have a significant place Turkish social life. Gaziantep and Historical Tahmis Coffeehouse are known as the place where coffee was brought into the country for the first time and also processed and distributed in the country. In this way, Tahmis transformed into a socialization place where local people ate, drank and shared important matters about the city. Coffee became the number one drink of this venue. Thankfully cultural heritage was transmitted orally to the present day. There are limited studies on the cultural transmitter roles of the coffee and coffeehouses in Turkey. The objective of this study is to put forth the characteristics and visitor profiles of coffee house as historants and find out the reasons why visitors chose these venues through the case of Gaziantep Tahmis Coffee House. Studies contribution to the field is introducing the new concept of historants into the tourism literature, determining profile and characteristics of Tahmis Coffeehouse’s customers. In Turkey, like Tahmis many coffee houses have been waiting to be preserved and wishing to continue their function maintained and keep their cultural transmitting role on a daily basis. We hope that result of the research and successfully operated Tahmis can be a good example for destination managers. MATERIALS AND METHODS The purpose of the study is to examine why the tourists prefer the Tahmis Coffeehouse that is considered a historaunt and their holistic perceptions on the establishment, place, atmosphere and drinks. In the first phase of the study, the literature on historaunts and their characteristics were examined. A profile on the