The African country that's 'not changed since 1950s' and has world's best coffee

An African country dubbed a 'mini Italy' with grand coffee houses and a national love for macchiatos is like stepping back in time to the 1950s. Bordered by Sudan, Ethiopia and Djibouti, Eritrea is one of the world's least developed countries.

Often referred to as the North Korea of Africa, Eritrea has a long history as a heavily militarised nation, dating back to its 30-year war for independence from Ethiopia. Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1991. In 1890, Eritrea became an Italian colony and was the main base for the Italian invasion of Ethiopia from 1896 to 1936. Despite the Italians leaving over 80 years ago, they have well and truly left their mark on this African nation frozen in time.

Its well preserved Italian modernist architecture remains largely untouched since the colonial era. This nation is more or less cut off from the rest of the world with it being notoriously difficult to get into - you need a visa and someone on the ground to arrange it for you.

In Eritrea time appears to have stood still with the country being a completely cashless society and there being no social media or free press.

YouTuber Drew Binsky who visited this untouched country recently said: "There is no freedom of speech, no free press, no social media and military service can last a lifetime.

"To get wifi is like going back to the 90s - you walk inside an internet cafe, pay two bucks and get a scratchcode with a password. The connection is so slow it can take minutes to send one message, this is one of the many ways that shows Eritrea is stuck in the past.

"It is a 100% cash only society that means there are no credit cards, no bank transfers, you have to use hard cash to pay for everything."

A retro bowling alley and sports complex is a favourite place among locals to hang out which Drew says "feels like stepping into a time machine to the 1950s".

He says: "There is nothing electronic or digital in this entire building. Everything is done manually. The scoring is done by hand. When the pins go down there is a little kid back there that puts the pin back in its spot

"This bowling alley and sports recreation centre is one of the best parts of Eritrea; it's so vintage and old school. You fee like your living five decades ago

"Retro bowling alley and sports complex where all the locals hang out and it feels like stepping into a time machine to the 1950s."

But one thing Eritrea does better than the rest is coffee with the country serving up the "most perfect macchiato".

Drew says: "Eritrea was an italian colony and they definitely brought their coffee, not to mention that the original coffee comes from Ethiopia a neighbouring nation and when you put the two and two together it may just be the best coffee nation in the world.

"This is the absolute best cup of coffee I have had in my life, the most perfect macchiato."

Eritrea's capital Asmara has a range of cafes serving espresso and cappuccinos.