Arabic Coffee at Tel-Aviv Cafe

In Warsaw I found so many interesting cafes and restaurants – the city really is full of them! One of them is Tel-Aviv Café + Deli where I headed for brunch on Sunday to try their Israeli and Mediterranean style buffet. The buffet was very tasty including bread, hummus, olives and baked beans among other dishes. However, the highlight for me was the coffee I had afterwards: Arabic coffee. I have to admit, I had never had Arabic coffee before, this was my very first time. And boy was it good! It was amazing!

The coffee was prepared and served in a small pot with a long handle (this type of coffee pot is called "finjan" "ibrik" or "cezve" depending on area). The small pot was full of this very dark, smooth, and thick coffee with a strong aroma of coffee and spices. The serving also included a glass of hot water allowing you to adjust the drink.

Arabic coffee is special in preparation and use of spices. Water and ground coffee are boiled in the pot but coffee is not filtered. I found that there are numerous versions of Arabic coffee and it is also referred as “Turkish coffee” or “Israeli coffee”. However, there are differences between these variations in flavour, preparation or presentation.  Most of them are flavoured with spices such as cardamom, cloves, ginger, and saffron.

In the Tel Aviv café they served the coffee in pots with cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and black pepper. The mixture of spices sounds heavy but the combination worked fantastically – I was able to taste the different spices in the drink and especially liked the hint of black pepper. The aroma and flavour were very strong and I immediately felt a warming effect in my body from the combination of spices and coffee.  Since I normally do not like extra spices or flavouring in my coffee, I was surprised how much I enjoyed the Arabic coffee. It was unique in taste and a perfect luxury coffee moment on a Sunday afternoon.

Tel-Aviv Cafe

Poznańska 11

Warsaw, Poland

Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony

It is believed that coffee was discovered in Ethiopia already in the ninth century. According to botanical evidence, coffee Arabica is originated in central Ethiopia. Of many reasons Ethiopia is considered to be the birthplace of coffee culture. Today, Ethiopia is one of the world's largest coffee producers and some of the most famous coffee regions are found there. A lot of coffee is also consumed in Ethiopia - the country leads the continent in domestic consumption. Coffee remains central to Ethiopian culture and heritage and is shared with family and friends through coffee ceremonies lasting up to several hours.

On New Year’s Eve I got to taste original Ethiopian coffee prepared in an Ethiopian coffee ceremony. This was a special experience and truly something else than a regular cup of coffee.  And guess what – I did not travel far for this unique coffee experience – the Ethiopian coffee ceremony was served in Helsinki here in Finland. About a month ago I discovered that an Ethiopian restaurant Queen Sheba located in central Helsinki offers the Ethiopian coffee ceremony. I must say this was one piece of exiting coffee news. I am very happy to see that alternatives in Helsinki’s coffee scene are becoming more and more versatile and being able to experience the Ethiopian coffee ceremony is like the cherry on the cake.

In the Ethiopian coffee ceremony multiple steps include pan-roasting coffee beans, grinding the roasted beans, and preparing the coffee in a traditional black coffee pot called jebena. Jebena is usually made of pottery and has a spherical base, a neck and pouring spout and a handle in which the neck connects with the base. When the coffee boils up through the neck it is poured in and out with another container and then is put back into the jebena. To pour the coffee from the jebena a filter is placed in the spout of the jebena to prevent the grounds from escaping. The coffee is served in traditional Ethiopian tasting cups.

Ethiopian lady roasting coffee beans on a pan and giving the restaurant a nice roasted aroma and some smoke as well.

The national dish of Ethiopia Doro Wot chicken stew and injera crepes among other dishes were served at Queen Sheba in buffet style. Coffee prepared in the ceremony was served after the main course to finish the dinner. 

Snacks of roasted peanuts, popcorn or chickpeas accompany the Ethiopian coffee. This time coffee was served with popcorn and what a great match it was! Coffee and popcorn is a combo I normally favour when going to the movies but this is definitely something I will be having more often at home as well.

For me the Ethiopian coffee ceremony was a magical, almost spiritual, experience. First of all watching the lady to prepare everything in the ceremony, sensing the aroma of roasted beans and smoke in the restaurant, discovering Ethiopian art painted in the beautiful coffee cups, and finally tasting the full flavours of the coffee. The coffee tasted strong and rich but at the same time very balanced.  I enjoyed very much the entire experience and learning more about the Ethiopian coffee culture. It is fantastic to see how many ways coffee is enjoyed and cherished.

The Queen Sheba is a small and cosy restaurant and the personnel create a friendly atmosphere. They offer Ethiopian food and coffee. The Ethiopian coffee ceremony is regularly available during lunch time on weekdays.

Queen Sheba Ethiopian Restaurant

/Ravintola Kuningatar Saba

Mechelininkatu 8

Helsinki, Finland

Pomar – artisan bakery in Palma de Mallorca since 1902

This summer I travelled in Mallorca which belongs to the Balearic Islands, Spain.  In the heart of the capital Palma de Mallorca is located Pastisseries Pomar – an artisan bakery with long tradition beginning from 1902. I had read about the bakery beforehand and understood that it is especially popular among locals. This is the place people go to get bread, cakes and everything else sweet and delicious.

Pomar has three stores in Mallorca, two in the city of Palma and one in Campos. I visited the one on Calle Manacor in Palma after doing some shopping at the El Corte Inglés department store located nearby.  I guess most people go to the bakery to get what they want and take it with them. There is a coffee bar in the store also and I got a nice corner table and stayed for coffee and cake. All the cakes looked very nice and I had difficulties in choosing which one to have. Too often it happens that I go to a café and there is not a single piece of cake that looks good to me. In Pomar the situation was delightfully the opposite. I then ended up having two different types of cake and both of them tasted excellent. But this was not enough. When I was finishing my coffee the baker appeared from the kitchen carrying new warm from the oven croissants de chocolate and other mouth watering baked goods. There I was again at the desk ordering for more – of course I had to, there were new options to choose from!

There are many nice cafes and bakeries in Palma but I have to say for me there was something special in Pomar. I highly recommend it if you are in Palma and want to enjoy some coffee and cake.

Pastisseries Pomar

Palma de Mallorca, Mallorca, Spain

Campos, Mallorca, Spain