A pot of Arabic coffee

October 1, 2006 at 9:09 pm · Filed under Arabisms, Roba

arabic coffee

One of my favorite things about Ramadan is the many pots of Arabic coffee that seem to only make an appearance during more “ethnic” holidays such as Ramadan and Eid. The rest of the year is of course also full of coffee, which is an essential staple of local tradition, but the every-day variety of the rest of the year is of the Turkish type (and believe it or not, in Turkey, Turkish coffee tastes more like espresso, to the horror of my dad who would insist on brewing it himself when time came to eat).

I suppose it’s a good thing that Arabic coffee is only brewed in our household during special occassions, because I am absolutely addicted to it, in the sense that I put the pot next to me and keep pouring myself shots of cardamom-infused goodness until I simply can’t drink anymore. In fact, most of the time, I ditch the traditional teeny-weeny shot-size cups for a nice big mug of ahweh. Mmmm! As my mother would say, “bit3abi il ras”, which would literally translate to “fills the head”- quite needed without the morning dose of caffeine.

The coffee in the picture is Saudi Arabic coffee, which doesn’t taste as strong as the Jordanian variety (black, and which I personally prefer, but we only make it black if we run out of the coffee supplies which my mother gets from Saudi Arabia), and is easier to consume large quantities of because it is not as bitter. Yum.

Unfortunately, I don’t know how to make Arabic coffee, so I will now go fix myself a mug of Nescafe, which of course, as far as I’m concerned, pales in comparision, but hey, at least it’s caffeine.

So, what’s your favorite kind of coffee, and do they make coffee similiar to this in your country?

hmm 2187




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  • http://betqa.blogspot.com/ Beti

    They don’t make anything like Arabic coffee over here in Slovenia (unless you happen to go to an Arab’s home). Turkish coffee was the standard when it was still part of Yugoslavia and is still quite common today. Many people however, have adopted the filtre-coffee machines, Nescafé and the like. In restaurants, when you order a regular coffee, you normally get an espresso.
    I’ve had Arabic coffee before. I was in Amman during the last couple days of Ramadan and Eid, so I had the opportunity to have some and I love it.
    At home I either drink coffee or the filtred stuff. When I go out, it’s either a double espresso with milk or a latté. I never add sugar, but if I want a bit of a kick, I don’t mind adding cinnamon or cardamom or ginger or chocolate or icecream… Actually, I love coffee in most ways, shapes and forms…
    Great post!

  • Nick

    I was in Armenia recently, they mainly drink Turkish style coffee there. Important to note that if you visit Armenia you won’t win any new friends by refering to ‘Turkish coffee’, it is of course ‘Armenian coffee’.

    but here in the UK, people mainly drink overpriced corporate coffee when out and about, and instant coffee at home.

  • Mudmen

    Yummm! gotta fix me a cup of arabic coffee now.

  • http://www.osati.wordpress.com O.J.

    Finally, someone with the same appreciation for coffee as myself!

    I love all kinds of coffee: Turkish, Arabic (both Jordanian & Saudi Arabian), Espresso, Cuppocino…whichever way it comes, I drink it! My favourite kind of coffee though is “illy”. I’m sure you’ve seen the very recognizable logo around.

    A friend of mine got me three cans of “illy” coffee beans from London, which I grind myself. My daily after iftar routine is a few shots of Arabic (or Sada) coffee, after which a enjoy a whole cup of brewed “illy” coffee. If you havn’t tried it, don’t delay…I hear you may be able to find some at Cozmo.

    And for a brief background about my love for coffee check this out: http://osati.wordpress.com/2006/09/24/espresso-yourself/ :-)

  • http://www.iread.blogspot.com manal y

    i have not read the blog yet ,to sleepy, but really the things you blog about amazes me, it will never hit my mind or anyone else to blog about a coffee pot or B12 or colors, but if anybody else did it, it will deffenetly sound lame

    keep it up roobz

  • http://omernos.blogspot.com omar

    why does your blog keep forgetting my info?

    Anyway,
    it seems that you use gahweh Su3oodeyyeh, it’s brighter
    It’s amazing, I like it as well!
    But sometimes I miss the darker normal one!

    omar

  • http://andfaraway.net Roba

    Beti, oh, ok. Cool. I guess Turkish coffee is spread far and wide, huh? Interestingly, it actually originated in Damascus! And yeah, coffee without sugar is an acquired taste :) I used to hate it, but now I can’t drink coffee with sugar!

    Nick, lol, ok, won’t do. Good old corporate coffee.. each thing has a different flavor and a different feel.

    Mudmen, how do you fix just one cup?

    O.J. oooh I love illy. I love their china though more than their coffee. They’re sooo creative. I’m trying to remember where I saw illy, I’m quite sure I saw the coffee being sold but I don’t remember where.. Man…

    Manal, lol, thanks a lot :) Funny to think about it.. B12!!

    Omar, lol, ma ba3ref! We do use Saudi ben, it tastes different. I prefer black…

  • http://blog.sweetestmemories.com Qwaider قويدر

    Since I roast, grind and brew my own coffee I can tell you with authority you have good taste in coffee
    The main ingredient (or spice) in the Arabic coffee is cardamom, add to that gum arabica a tiny bit of nutmeg and a tiny bit of cloves and you’ve got your self an amazing cup of coffee
    (don’t abuse the quantities, the only thing that you can have plenty of is cardamom) everything else will ruin the taste if you add too much

  • http://moodycrazysarcasticme.blogspot.com/ G

    Wow, that picture actually made me smell the coffee. I haven’t had it in a while, so I thank you.

    As an Arab living in Montreal, Canada, I must say that the only thing better than Turkish coffee, is a Second Cup single, long espresso shot, or a large Melange Soho, or a large Paradiso Brown or…. well, you get the hint…

    If you ever figure out how to make the traditional Arabic coffee, I would appreciate the recipe.

  • http://linasturmoil.blogspot.com Lina

    Of course you know how much I related to this post and how ticked I was to comment ;)

    I ditched the nescafe completely months ago… I realized it’s an insult to good coffee and anyone who appreciates good coffee.

    I love Arabic coffee black with cardamom… and I drink it in mugs too. I also really like certain filter blends that come strong and with rich aroma and flavor.. I love the Brazilian, the Columbian, and um… a bunch of others.

    While black is my choice in the mornings… I’ve recently started enjoying the cafe Latte at Cups and Kilos, with Cinnamon or Amaretto. I have to be in a certain mood for Latte though… The Good Bookshop in Jabal Amman also has superb Latte, try the Naughty Caramel, or the Chocolate Mint… one of the best I’ve tasted.

  • http://redenclave.blogspot.com red_enclave

    I’m a coffee addict. I drink coffee every single day. Mostly in the morning, cold or hot, can or freshly brewed. Doesn’t matter as long as it’s coffee. At home I’d drink nescafe, can if I drink it alone, I’ll brew a fresh pot if it’s for 4 @ 5 person. If I go out, it’s normally Strabucks or Coffee Bean & I’d go for cappucino @ mocca & sometimes caramel.

  • http://figaddict.blogspot.com Sari Al-Hiari

    Wow! Everything falls into place.

    That explains a lot.

  • http://rebecca-jordan.livejournal.com/ Rebecca
  • http://rebecca-jordan.livejournal.com/ Rebecca

    Sorry Roba, that was supposed to be
    “You’ve inspired my latest post.”
    http://rebecca-jordan.livejournal.com/2006/10/03/

  • http://www.emadisoft.com Adnan

    Hello Roba
    I like this yellow coffee but we don’t know how to do it here in Palestine, I used to drink it at my friends who used to live in the arab gulf. If you don’t mind blog about how is it made.

    thanks a lot.

  • 3adi

    I think it’s you in the reflection. But what are you wearing? Seems weird :s

  • Faroo7a al sixyah

    Honey, when you have to make it everyday at 5 am for an old man you call “baba”, the novelty (and your fervor for it) wears out.

    Just ask me :-( Thank GOD we finally hired a housekeeper to take over that. I think it’s gonna take me two years to start enjoying gahwah again.

  • http://www.fswerk.de fswerk

    being arab myself, of course arabic coffee in the number one spot, usually very strong and sweet. but since it is hard to get, and rather expensive over here in germany, espresso comes in as runner up.

  • John Danahy

    In the 1980′s I visited with a Jordanian family well outside Amman for dinner.
    Afterward they served what I was told was Arabian coffee. As I remember, it was poured from what looked like decorative thermos. It was clear and had the color of honey. It has been the most delicious I have ever had. They kept filling and refilling my small cup. It amused the family ane my host told me if I had sufficient coffee, to turn over my cup. I’ve never been able to find it here in the U.S. We were discussing coffee in our office today and I related this experience. I suddenly realized I could query ask.com. To my delight, I hope I’ve found some help. Is there a recipe for Arabian coffee such as I experienced, and how and where do I purchase the beans?