Quest for Good Ground Coffee in Jerusalem

Of course, I can just perk Elite Turkish when I'm all out of American coffee... Yes, that's what would be easier. Except that I especially like my cold brew in the French press, which I've been making recently. It's extraordinary, especially when using the Folgers I brought back from New York. But all good things must come to an end, and even that super-giant size container only lasted a couple of months, even though I didn't use it every single day. Turkish coffee is too powdery for a French Press; it's great for cooking/perking. It stays in the "box" of the percolator, but it's too fine for a French Press. I've also used it in my fine coffee filter, though it sort of clogs it a bit.

So I needed to find a source of coffee in Jerusalem. There are quite a few places that will custom-grind your coffee for you. The other day I was in Machane Yehuda with a  friend and we went into one of those treasure houses of stores, in which you can get all sorts of seeds, nuts, dried fruit, dried-spiced vegetables, flavorings, spices and coffee, beans and ground to order. This one is "Shuq Hatavlinim," "Spices Market," on the main drag, 18 Machane Yehuda Street.

You can get an idea from the photos above. Since the coffee isn't cheap, I decided to choose between the two least expensive beans, Colombian and Brazilian, both NS12 per 100 grams. I asked which was stronger, and I was told to take the Brazilian. A comment on an earlier post about coffee, someone suggested tasting the ground coffee. So, this time, I first asked for a tiny sample of the coffee ground as coarsely as possible for a French Press. And of course, the salesman complied. It wasn't quite a coarse as American packaged coffee but I figured that I'd give it a try. I bought 200 gram, and today was the day.

This morning's facebook haiku:

cold brew coffee now
beans ground in Jerusalem
Brazilian, tasty
#‎morningcoffeehaiku‬

Last night I prepared the cold brew:

placed 3 heaping Tbls in carafe 

added water, stirred before chilling

Here's the coffee!

It's a bit too weak, so I'll try it with more coffee next time. Also there seemed to be a bit less coffee than usual. But the good part was that in the morning all of the coffee grounds had sunk to the bottom of the carafe, and I didn't have to stir very hard, which is necessary with American coffee. At least it was necessary with the Folgers. I'd need to experiment with freshly ground American coffee, like I've gotten in Fairways. It may have something to do with the manufacturing of ground coffee that keeps the grounds very hard. Also, it may be that my freshly ground beans absorbed more water, and that's why there was a bit less coffee for my cup/to drink.

PS As you can see, I've started a facebook hashtag, #‎morningcoffeehaiku‬ which you're welcome to join.