Time for Coffee/ A Coffee moment
The Israeli coffee scene from the big chain to the small local joints
Whenever I bump into a first timer in Israel in the line at one of the local coffee shops, I quickly try to make conversation. It is not only that I’m interested in his or her experience in the country, to hear how it is going, what have they done and what are they still in for, because this is all very interesting but it is not of importance at this very particular moment. What is important is that this person in front of me knows exactly what they are going to order when their turn comes.
I remember my first time in the United States waiting in line to order my morning coffee. As I got closer to the front of the line I realized that the people placing their orders sprung out sentences that made totally no sense to me, yet for the person placing the order this action rewarded them with their particular cup of coffee, a moment of redemption. The queue moved quickly, and the closer I got to the cashier my level of stress and anxiety reached new heights. For the first time in my life I did not know how to order my cup of coffee. After a couple of minutes and a series of questions I walked away with a cup of coffee not before apologizing to all the people waiting in line behind me for holding them up. My first coffee in the United States was definitely not the coffee I wanted, but I just couldn’t bring myself to go through this experience once again.
So when I am in line for my morning espresso in JLM or TLV or anywhere in Israel, and I spot a first timer in the line I find myself making conversation in order to make sure they get what they want. After all, I would rather them experience Israel after they had their preferred choice of coffee.
In Israel we have Café chains and small local boutique cafés. Many of the cafés are café restaurants where you can sit down for a coffee and a light meal; in addition, along the roads and streets you will also find express coffee shops. On the one hand, when you order your coffee in Israel you will find that the beverages have different names than what you are used to, but on the other hand, most of Israel sticks to the same vocabulary. Learn it once and you should be good to go.
Let’s start with the cup. Forget about your Starbucks Tall, Grande or Venti, in Israel you will have to ask for Katan for a small cup, and Gadol for a large cup. In some places the word Ragil (Regular) will come instead of the regular small cup and in contrast to the Gadol. Lakachat, means to take and will result in a coffee to go cup, Lashevet, means to sit, and will result in a glass or mug served to your seat.
Finally, it is time to choose your coffee. If you are a straight espresso drinker, then go ahead and just order. Espresso in Israel is Espresso. Double is kaful, and long is arokh.
Beware before you go ahead and ask for a ‘just a regular black coffee’, it’s a classic order – but with a very miserably twist. Most visitors ordering a black coffee are expecting American filtered drip coffee, yet this coffee is very rare in Israel, excluding hotels. If you did order a black coffee, it is most probable that you will be holding a strong cup of Turkish coffee. In Israel it is also called Café Shahor (AKA black coffee) or Café Botz (mud coffee) so named for the strong black muddy sediment at the bottom of the cup. If ‘just a regular black coffee’ is what you want, I would suggest ordering an Americano (the same in Hebrew) which is a shot of espresso with additional hot water.
A milky cup of coffee is a Café Hafuch, which literally means an upside down coffee. This is what most people consider a ‘cappuccino’ and is made with hot steamed milk with espresso.
“Nescafe”, a combination of two words: ‘Namess’ (dissolve) and coffee. It is the generic word in Hebrew for instant coffee. There are Israelis who love their instant flavor so much that you can find on café menus ‘Nes al Halav’, which is hot steamed milk topped with a teaspoon of instant coffee.
Can’t end without the classic mix up of the cold coffee beverages. Café kar, cold coffee, is what you would get in America if you ordered an “iced coffee” although instead of getting filtered coffee on ice, you will get a double espresso poured over ice. I see a lot of people who would love this and they order an “Iced Coffee” This is a mistake since in Israel it means an American style “Frappuccino”. This is a critical difference – beware.
In addition to the ordering of your choice of coffee , I recommend looking up the local coffee shops. You will find a unique diverse variety of local café’s, each one with its unique story and atmosphere. Below I will list just a few, yet there are many more.
In Jerusalem, you might want to check out: Tachanat HaCafe (The Coffee Mill)@23 Emek Refaim St; Café Kadosh@6 Shlomzion St; T’mol Shilshom@5 Yoel Salomon St; Cafe Itamar@ Moshav Orah.
In Tel Aviv, you might want to check out: Café Tamar@57 Sheinken St. (Legendary cafe that still exists. You can meet there among regular’s writers, poets and other culture figures); Café Bialik@ Bialik St; Max- Brenner@45 Rothschild Blvd; Dalal Boulangerie@ Neve Tzedek.
That’s it; I hope you are set with your choice of coffee. Now that you have your coffee, it is time to find a local Israeli for a nice conversation.
Have a nice day,
B’taya’vone
