A delicious milky coffee, cafe hafuch has layers of hot milk and espresso topped with foam. Beautiful to look at and fantastic to drink! An Israeli morning treat.
I’m always fascinated by the way seemingly simple things can be prepared in so many different ways. Coffee is a great example. Wherever you go in the world, you’re likely to find a local variation on this popular caffeinated drink.
Israeli coffee drinks
Visiting Israel as a child, I remember there were two kinds of coffee. These were botz (also known as Turkish coffee) or a local brand of instant coffee called Elite.
Turkish coffee – or ‘mud’
The former is a very strong, dark brew. To make it, sweetened coffee grounds are repeatedly boiled up, before being poured out into small cups and left to settle. The sludgy grounds at the bottom of the cup gave the drink its name – botz means ‘mud’ in Hebrew.
It is sometimes flavoured with cardamom, in which case it is called ‘botz im hell‘.
This kind of coffee drink is popular across the region and parts of Europe. It’s a lasting symbol of Ottoman influence long after the Turkish empire is gone!
Elite coffee – Ready in an instant!
Elite instant coffee was introduced in the 1950s. It quickly gained popularity in Israel because it was seen as exotic and sophisticated. It was also readily available and much quicker and easier to prepare than Turkish coffee – simply add hot water and stir.
The Elite company really had the Israeli coffee market sewn up. They manufactured (and continue to manufacture) both the instant brew and the strong ground coffee used for botz. Elite also now produces a range of coffee pods, decaf drinks and more, although these days other brands are also available locally.
Israeli cafe culture
Coffee shops or ‘coffee houses’, called batei cafe in Hebrew – בתי קפה – have been around for decades in Israel. They have always been great, atmospheric places to get amazing cakes, freshly made salads and delicious pastries. However the drinks weren’t usually the main attractions.
My friend Caren recalls that when she first moved to Israel from America, ordering a ‘cappuccino’ would get you a cup of instant coffee with whipped cream on top!
Traditional Israeli coffee shops were places to sit for hours. You would usually see people reading, playing board games like draughts or backgammon, or discussing politics.
Unique Israeli cafes
However, in recent years Israel’s cafe culture has changed, both in terms of menu, and also atmosphere. The great food, heated discussions and comfortable seating remain. However Israelis have also developed a taste for new kinds of espresso-based coffee drinks, including the home-grown cafe hafuch.
Israeli coffee shops – chains and Independents
These days, Indie coffee is big in Israel! While the country boasts several great, indigenous coffee chains, plus thousands of fantastic independent cafes, Starbucks never got off the ground.
The ubiquitous global chain had six locations in Tel Aviv between 2001-2003, but apparently couldn’t make them profitable. They may not know much about coffee, but those Israelis certainly know what they like!
Cafe hafuch – upside down coffee
Cafe hafuch translates literally as ‘upside down coffee’. I must admit that for a while I wondered what was upside down about it! It turns out that it’s all in the way it’s made.
This Israeli cup of milky coffee differs from other similar drinks. To make it, the hot milk goes into the cup first, and then the espresso is added second. In most others – lattes and cappuccinos for instance – the coffee goes in first and the milk is added to it.
Ideally, the coffee is floated onto the surface of the hot milk, which creates a layered effect in the cup. Cafe hafuch is then usually topped with foamed milk, to enhance the presentation.
How to make cafe hafuch
To make an authentic Israeli cafe hafuch, you only need two ingredients! They are:
- espresso coffee
- steamed milk
First, pour the steamed milk into a mug, leaving space for the coffee. Then, gently pour the hot espresso down the inside of the mug, so that it floats on top of the hot milk. You can then add a layer of milk foam on top so that you get three pretty stripes!
Cafe hafuch – Make it vegan!
Did you know that Israel is considered the most vegan country in the world?
It’s easy to make a vegan cafe hafuch. Simply substitute your choice of plant-based milk for regular milk, and carry on with the recipe. I like oat milk but soya and almond are both great too.
Stir, sip and enjoy! Cafe hafuch is a great way to start your morning.
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📖 Recipe
Cafe Hafuch – Israeli upside down coffee
Ingredients
- 1 shot freshly-made hot espresso coffee
- 250 ml milk
Instructions
- Steam the milk to heat it, without making too much foam – this can be achieved by inserting the steam wand to the bottom of the jug when steaming.
- Using a spoon to hold back the foam, pour the hot milk into a mug or cup.
- Carefully pour the espresso down the inside of the cup, so that it floats in a layer on top of the milk. (It will probably mix a little bit.)
- Carefully spoon milk foam onto the top of the coffee, and serve!
Nutrition
More delicious drinks recipes
Do you want a coffee with a bit more oomph? How about a Smirnoff espresso martini from Supper in the Suburbs?
For more Israel-inspired drinks, take a look at this recipe for limonana – Israeli mint lemonade, or this one for sweet and creamy sahlab. If you’re after something milky and delicious, try this spiced hot chocolate flavoured with hawaij l’cafe.
And if you want something to dunk in your cafe hafuch, try a hawaij spiced coffee cookie. Or maybe one of these delicious double chocolate muesli cookies or a gluten-free almond chocolate chip cookie.
This post was originally published in June 2016, and was updated on 3/3/2022.
Dafna
For a non dairy version, would you recommend almond milk or coconut milk?
Helen
Hi Dafna. I think any ‘milk’ than can be foamed should be fine. I usually use oat milk because I prefer the taste, but if you particularly like almond or coconut, and they can be foamed up, then use whichever you prefer. Thanks! Helen x.
Margot
Sounds like a perfect Inheritance Recipe 🙂
Kavey F
How fascinating, had always imagined Israel would have a great coffee culture because of their immense love of good food. Sounds as though they are making up for lost time now though, this layered coffee sounds great!
Helen
Thanks Kavey. To be honest, I think the good food is fairly recent too! For instance, when I lived there 20 years ago (argh, 20 years ago!) there were only 2 kinds of cheese – white cheese and yellow cheese! Things have improved immensely though, and it’s such a terrific cultural melting pot that inevitably some great fusion cooking emerges. Tel Aviv is a real foodie destination now, but I’m not sure that all of the ‘ordinary’ cities have necessarily caught up yet!
Katie Bryson (@cookingkt)
I love my coffee served like this… loved reading your post!
Helen
Thanks Katie! I quite enjoy it served this way too!
efwalt
Love the look of this! How clever they get the coffee to float on the milk! Very impressed with the layered effect 🙂 I wonder if this is even harder to achieve than latte art? Great post and thanks for linking to my espresso martini!
Helen
Not difficult at all! I made the one in the photo after all. You just need to pour it onto the milk slowly and carefully and bob’s your uncle 🙂
nadia
It was interesting to learn about this upside down coffee 🙂 Growing up in Iraq the only coffee we used to have was similar to Turkish coffee, very strong and was usually served at funerals without sugar.
Helen
How interesting! I think traditional Middle Eastern coffee is completely different to what we get in Europe/America.