The Perfect Cup of Coffee

Israelis take their coffee very seriously. Their standards are high and they are unforgiving if each cup is not made exactly to their specifications. The normal cup of coffee in any coffee house or restaurant is a cappuccino. Just like in Starbucks, everyone has a different way they like their coffee: very hot, no foam, light on the espresso, low fat, etc… Unlike Starbucks, filtered coffee does not exist. While you can find the occasional Mr. Coffee in one’s private home (usually among Americans), filtered coffee that sits in large pots in restaurants or diners do not exist. Some coffee shops do carry filtered coffee, but it is composed of a small coffee cup, with an addition of plastic that sits on top the cup with coffee grains and water that is filtered through. (Quite disgusting if you ask me).

Of course, there are also 2 kinds of standard coffee that can be found in almost every business and residence: instant coffee and Turkish coffee. A cup of instant coffee, usually called Nescafe (named after the main brand that produces it), is usually made with a spoonful of instant coffee powder, sugar or sweetener to taste, ½-3/4 cup of boiling water and the rest cold milk. This is fast, easy to make and cheap to buy. Turkish coffee is by far the simplest of them all: you put a spoonful of Turkish coffee grains in a cup with sugar or sweetener, fill it with boiling water and stir. You then let it settle and wait for the grains to sink to the bottom and drink only about 2/3rds of the cup as to not reach the “mud” at the bottom.

One common mishap when Americans come to Israel on business is the coffee ceremony. Picture this:
A middle aged American business man enters an office and is greeted by the Israeli receptionist. He is brought into the conference room where she asks:
“Can I get you some coffee?”
He responds:
“Yes, black with 2 sweet n’ lows.”

At this point the girl is completely confused and doesn’t know what to do. What is black coffee? Should she give him Turkish coffee? Should she give him instant coffee without milk? Should she give him espresso?

Israelis have been raised to appreciate “good” coffee and, therefore, have very high standards when abroad. As a newcomer to this world I didn’t know how long it would take for this cultural difference to enter into my taste buds. Let’s just say that after a year and half of drinking the perfect combination of steamed milk and espresso I went back to the States and as much as I used to love Dunkin Donuts coffee, it is just not the same anymore.