Lebanese Coffee & Hashems, Dearborn, Michigan
Long before I could decant aged wine with cradle and candle or I was taught how to not screw up a cocktail, there was this ritual, traditionally brewed Lebanese coffee.
I attended a sommelier lecture once, where the speaker said beer was the “gateway drug” for many of us in the profession, meaning it was the entry point to understanding the finer things to drink like wine. Not me. Coffee is ground zero. Its enjoyment was/is the foundation to understanding wine, beer, sake, cider & cocktails. The “drug store” of my youth was Hashems, an impeccable roaster of coffee and nuts, located in Dearborn, Michigan.
I recently visited my mom and paid a visit to Hashems. It had been a very long time since I’ve stepped foot inside. I bought cardamom coffee [brewed above], an ibrik [what the pot above is called] & many more delicious things such as Yemen whole bean, which is almost impossible to find.
Drinking cardamom coffee brings back many wonderful memories. Its taste is rich & floral, and the effects from the caffeine pronounced.