There are few better advertisements for coffee than the enthusiasm of a fellow coffee lover. When @Yaziris received an excited text from his niece that she adored the flavor of this particular brand we knew we had to try it too!
As fate would have it, when we needed to buy coffee, it was available in the small store we found ourselves in! Here in Jordan big grocery stores aren't the norm, it's far more common to shop in what I would normally consider to be a corner store. Whereas these shops are a great place to get ripped off on household products in the US, the total opposite is true here.
So, I was surprised and happy to find the exact coffee we wanted in one! The brand offers both the traditional cardamon roasted variety that is popular in the Middle East and also some spice-free beans. Although I like the addition of cardamon, I've gotten a bit burnt out on it.
We decided to go with the company's straight dark roast, as both of us enjoy a strong brew with a pronounced flavor.
I found it distinctive and interesting that the bag was inside this box, although I also felt it was wasteful. The bag already works fine, does it not?
Regardless, it did give it a bit of visible production value, which helps when justifying it's slightly higher price I suppose.
The back of the package gave a brief description of the beans, as well as some general info.
Although preparing coffee on the stove top is just the way it is done in this neck of the woods, I found myself curious how this roast would take shape if it were made inside a french press or drip coffee maker instead.
Regardless of my imagination, a stove-top kettle is what we have.
Let's make coffee!
Much like with cooking, I measure with my heart when it comes to preparing coffee.
I put something like 4-10 teaspoons into the kettle after filling it just below the top lip with water. Before stirring it all the way in, I stopped to snap this pic so you could see some of the fluffy grounds on top. The aroma of this coffee is lovely, very deep and earthy.
As the water heats up, you stir the grounds around to stop them from sinking to the bottom and getting yucky, or worse producing lack luster coffee! Don't ask me if there is a particular method to this little kettle otherwise, I haven't the foggiest idea.
Speaking of which, have you used one of these cute little buggers before? I hadn't until I moved over here, I rather like them! It's quick, efficient, and makes damn good coffee.
Now here is where I tend to totally mess up. As this foamy goodness forms on top, the risk of it all boiling over is HIGH!
If you were to say, stop and take a photo of what this looks like? Woah-ho-ho BUDDY! Yeah, you'd have a big ole mess on your hands. Ooopsy!
In fact, it's probably best to just stir away until you are satisfied with the strength of your coffee and pull that sucker right off the heat.
I've noticed that the coffee is optimal Yazindan strength after it's done the foamy stuff for at least a minute. This tests my attention span, which I consider a kitchen therapy for my ADD riddled brain. Multifaceted!
And your little mugs too! 馃槇
Another thing that really threw me through a loop in the Middle East coffee wise is the size of the mugs here. I'm American, I like things to be larger than life, it's just the way it's done in the land of hotdogs and bald eagles. The mug I'm used to is the size of a soup bowl, a real unit...
Imagine my surprise when I learned that here you drink coffee by the sip. NO, I am not kidding. These coffee mugs are made for babies, or perhaps people who hate coffee. Is that the same thing?
Either way, they are hella cute, so we use them half the time. After filling up two SIPS of coffee, I snapped this picture and finally got to enjoying it with my love.
Overall, I'd rate this coffee a 10/10! The price isn't bad, the aroma is wonderful, and it kicks like a mule. I think it's safe to say we will buy it again!
Now, this post has made me alameed some coffee, off I go...
All photos are my own. Divider made for me by Yaziris.
