By Nicole Sivan
Taking a cue from their European neighbors, most Israelis practice their coffee culture more rigorously than their religion. Coffee drinking in Israel is a leisurely affair and only an inexperienced and untrained waiter would dare rush you out of the café when enjoying a cup of Joe. Sit, sip, and relax. Every hour is coffee hour in Israel.
When cruising down the streets in cities like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, you will notice that every café is full of patrons calmly drinking coffee (not wine, but coffee), Israel only mimics Europe to a certain extent. Doesn’t anybody work, you may wonder? Yes, but coffee breaks, coffee meetings, and coffee social events are a perfectly acceptable part of a normal work day.
You may already know from your own adventures in life that part of traveling to a new country is embracing the cuisine of the native land. The same goes for coffee. When in Israel, don’t expect to wake up to Folgers in the morning. You will quickly discover that an American cup of coffee is not easy to find here, as Israelis generally consider our brew and drip connection as coffee flavored water. No café would dare demean itself by offering such a diluted coffee beverage.
For the first few years I lived in Israel, I desperately searched high and low in Israeli cafes for American-style coffee. I tried ordering anything on the menu that sounded close enough. Each time I learned the hard way that “close enough” is really far away. It’s best to just let go of your coffee expectations and dive into the local coffee offerings. One time, desperate for a caffeine fix, I walked into a café and ordered a black coffee, café shahor, thinking “great, coffee without milk. I can just add my own. No problem.” The joke was on me though. Black coffee in Israel is another name for Turkish coffee, which is finely ground coffee beans scooped directly into your coffee cup. Poor boiling water on top of the grounds and mix. What emerges is a very strong cup of coffee. The coffee grinds in this type of coffee sink to the bottom of your cup creating a murky mess at the end. For this reason, Israelis often refer to this type of coffee as “mud coffee.”
I have actually become a fan of Turkish coffee and even drink this brew when outside of Israel. However, to the horror of native-born Israelis, I Americanize the coffee. While a true Israeli will drink Turkish coffee in a small clear water glass (no handle), yes that is right, glass not ceramic, I scoop my coffee into a large American-style coffee cup, poor boiling water three quarters of the way up, and then add cold milk. I think this creates a super strong cup of American-style coffee. I like it a lot.
But, for those of you who desperately must start the day with a true American coffee there are a couple of options. Hotels and other tourist locations may offer ‘café filter’ which is a round tea-like bag, filled with coffee grounds. Place this bag in the provided plastic drip cup and position it over your coffee cup. Poor in hot water through the plastic filter and coffee will drip through into your cup. This type of coffee is generally very stale, lacks any real flavor, and somehow is missing that alluring coffee smell. After all, who knows when the coffee in the sack was ground? It could be years old. I recommend taking a pass on this coffee option.
A better solution would be to order Café Americano. Although the name seems obvious, I didn’t discover this coffee selection until I had lived in Israel for over six years. Café Americano is basically an espresso brewed in a full size coffee cup. Hot water is then added to the espresso to dilute its strength and create a full cup of coffee. Once you enjoy a fresh cup of this style coffee–beans freshly ground and brewed on the spot just for you,–you will never again be able to enjoy a boring cup of Starbucks coffee again. And, as I said, Israelis, like the Italians and the French, enjoy a real cup of coffee, espresso, or cappuccino. Starbucks is just not a viable option here in Israel.
Follow News from JerusalemShare this page with your friends
Tom Brennan says
Great article, I can sympathize. Coffee , like music, is the international language. All varieties and tastes. Here in the US the coffee franchises are very identifiable and you select your brand. I used to do Civil War re-enacting and camp coffee is Turkish coffee to is extreme limits. Today I drink cowboy coffee before going out to tend the horses and it has to be strong, hot and black. With all those horses demanding to get their hay first you have to be quick and awake.
You might try ordering online “Dunkin Donuts” brand coffee. This donut shop is renowned for its classic store-baked donuts and muffins and equally so for its blend of Arabica beans. Unlike Starbucks whih seems too acidic and Seattle’s Best whihc is very good, Dunkin Donuts blend has a taste like no other.
When I visit The Land next year I plan to sit in cafe and sip Turkish coffee and absorb as much of Israel as I can…
Nicole says
HI Tom,
Dunkin Donuts in Israel closed! I use to go there for munchkins and coffee, but alas, only Americans were interested in this place! 🙁