How Arabic Coffee Works

Arabic coffee is brewed from Coffea arabica beans across the Middle East. Most Arab countries developed distinct methods.

Green beans are roasted between 165 and 210 degrees Celsius in a flat pan called a mihmas. Then crushed.

The rhythmic sound of the mihbaj striking the mortar signaled neighbors that coffee was being prepared. Neighbors heard the mihbaj before any doorbell.

The word qahwa originally meant lacking hunger.

In 1511, orthodox imams in Mecca forbade coffee for its stimulating effect. Sultan Suleiman I overturned this ban in 1524.

Coffeehouses became known as Schools of the Wise for intellectual discussion. Men gathered to socialize.

Finjan cups are small and handleless. They hold just a few centiliters of coffee.

The habit is to drink three cups. Arabic coffee is served at weddings and important occasions.