At Ajpal, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.

Easy Delicious Israeli Cardamom Coffee

Israeli Cardamom Coffee is normally served in small espresso cups to show off a light, fluffy foam- it also serves as a strong, flavorful mug for mornings you need more of a pick-me-up!

The first time I had “mud coffee”- the sludgy, dark stuff popular with many of my Greek friends- I was a little confused. It’s strong- which is very much my style- but a lot of Greek coffees you can find in America (the pre-ground beans that are so fine they are more of a powder than crumbly grounds) are a little rough to transition to. They can be bitter (if made with cheap beans), and you absolutely do not want to drink to the bottom of your cup- or you’ll get a thick, paste-like sludge of the coffee grounds, since this traditional method of preparation does not include filtering beans. It’s also made with a super-fine, almost powder like ground which can be hard to get in a traditional coffee grinder (if you have a burr grinder, its much easier- I recommend this Capresso Ceramic Burr Grinder).

It wasn’t until a recent trip to Krakow that I found the most delicious preparation of mud coffee ever in an Israeli coffee shop (attached to a Hebrew University in the Jewish District) and had the shop owner tell me all about Cardamom Coffee, and how to make it. While I’ve had lots of Turkish and Greek coffees- sometimes with cardamom- I’ve never had the unique spice blend I had at a few Israeli coffee shops in Europe and Eastern Europe. Google provided very few clues for me to replicate the drink at home, so I experimented with some spices and found a blend that tastes just like the coffee I enjoyed so much.

Traveling, Eating, Drinking in Israel

While in Krakow at flea markets and later in the Caucasus region, I made a point to look around for a traditional Finjan like we drank our coffee from at theCheder Cafe. I still haven’t found one I really love, so in the mean time, I grabbed this beautiful Copper Stovetop Turkish Coffee Pot (or Ibrik) from Sur La Table. It’s perfect for making cardamom coffee- and is really pretty on display in the kitchen, too.
Ibriks are Turkish Copper pots which use the same method of preparing coffee. I’ve found some turkish coffees in shops with hints of cardamom blended in, but never with the hints of cinnamon I found at the Israeli coffee shops I passed by in Europe and Eastern Europe.

There are many parts to a perfect cup of mud coffee- but let’s face it, sometimes, you just need caffeine, and you need it now. I’ve paid close attention to the method and also let myself make up different steps along the way- it always ends up pretty delicious. For example, in the photos, I used a large mug because I didn’t have any espresso cups (I was at my family’s new beach house, and so much of the kitchen is still yet to be setup) – and I just wanted to have my ritual of a large mug in the morning. It was fantastic! I think I need some more of these beautiful Bodum® Bistro Espresso Mugs!