Regulars here know that I've been reported on a coffee saga for quite awhile. I have these vivid olefactory memories, half a century old of that whif of coffee when opening a fresh glass jar of instant coffee. Maybe it's derived from some ancient TV ad; I don't know. I just know that no matter what brand, I can't reproduce it today. The closest is good standard Israeli vacuum packed Elite Turkish coffee.I like the flavor of good, strong perc'ed coffee and what is still served in Israeli hotels with their legendary breakfasts.
I no longer have a percolater with all parts, and the first few electric drip coffeemakers I inherited from various sources all died. My recently bought ufesa was a total waste of money.
So I gave up and started cooking up my coffee, like some Russian immigrants taught me, with sugar. This week I packed that simply delicious powerful coffee in a thermos and took it to Jerusalem to drink during class. I preheated the thermos for half an hour with boiling water, like my friend suggested, and then I poured the boiling coffee in with the help of a funnel. I added some milk.
And then when I opened my thermos in that auditorium, wow! A friend a couple of seats away enjoyed the coffee smell. Now, that was coffee!!
Mmm...!
ReplyDeleteI read a while ago that the smell of instant coffee is actually piped into the jar after the actual coffee. Because to make most instant, they use the inferior "Robusta" bean (I had to look it up) vs "Arabica," which has the most distinctive scent, flavour, etc.
My husband's family keeps gifting me with starbucks instant, which I love... but at about $2-3 a single-serving packet, there's no way I could buy it for myself!
Freshly mown grass, baby neck and that first burst of coffee aroma when you break the seal, ummmmmm, my three favorite smells in the world!
ReplyDeleteOkay, spill! Now that you have the method down, you must share, please!
Jennifer, maybe it's my age, but I no longer find myself able to really smell anything from instant coffee. We no longer have anyone who can give us treats from the states.
ReplyDeletemiriyummy, just try boiling it all up, water, turkish coffee and some sugar. Let it sit for a few seconds before pouring. I poured it boiling hot into a heated thermous along with some milk, and 3 hours later it was fantastic.
Shalom!
ReplyDeleteMy first memory of coffee is of my father allowing me to turn the crank of the hand grinder. The grinder was wooden, except for the blade (of course) and the handle. The ground beans fell into a little wooden drawer, which had to be filled a few times to fill the percolator, which always looked like something out of a laboratory to me. I loved to watch the bubbling, boiling water and smell the fresh coffee.
No, Batya, your nose isn't old. Instant coffee is a pale substitute for the real thing. Freeze dried is better, but it's ridiculously expensive in Israel, and when you can buy Elite Turkish, why buy anything else?
My husband found Hag (decaffeinated) Turkish coffee in Yitzhar the last time he made an Alei Katif delivery. I hope it's a standard item now.
And how will I function tomorrow without my coffee and water to wake me up?
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