RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — As diplomatic victories go, it may not seem like much: The United Nations recognized the Khawlani coffee bean as part of the "intangible cultural heritage" of Saudi Arabia.
But for the country's rulers, the designation late last year capped an all-out push to instill some national pride in their beloved bean.
In case you missed the official declaration, 2022 was the "Year of Saudi Coffee" — after kingdom authorities issued a decree renaming the syrupy brew long known across the Middle East simply as "Arabic coffee." Over the next decade, they plan to pump hundreds of millions of dollars into the national coffee industry.
