{"id":862,"date":"2012-03-28T15:58:53","date_gmt":"2012-03-28T15:58:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vanabonds.com\/?p=862"},"modified":"2012-03-29T10:47:30","modified_gmt":"2012-03-29T10:47:30","slug":"medina-buzz-moroccan-spiced-coffee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vanabonds.com\/?p=862","title":{"rendered":"Medina Buzz: Moroccan spiced coffee"},"content":{"rendered":"

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It would be easy to pass over Youssef Bouhlal\u2019s tiny shop in the Fez Medina. Its modest offerings of dried lentils, white beans, garbanzos, oil, and milk are unremarkable among the competing sights of souk. But like the plain facades that cloak the ornate interiors of the Medina\u2019s mosques and medrassas, the splendor of Bouhlal\u2019s shop is hidden. I wouldn\u2019t have known about it without my expat friend, Sandy McCutcheon, who introduced me to Bouhlal\u2019s shop on one of our Medina strolls.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the best place to buy coffee in the Medina,\u201d he said, placing his order for a half-kilo.<\/p>\n

Boudlal, 37, upended a bag of Arabica coffee beans into a grinder and then sprinkled on an array of simple, but unexpected, spices: a pinch of sesame seeds, a whole nutmeg, a few peppercorn\u2026<\/p>\n

When the grinder switched off, Bouhlal held out a scoop of the coffee for us to smell. Inhaling the rich aromatic spices invoked cozy memories winter mornings, Indian chai, and holiday treats.<\/p>\n

Although Fez is full of sidewalk cafes serving espresso drinks, spiced coffee is rarely on the menu. Moroccans mostly prepare it in the home. You can buy bags at several places in the Medina, but Bouhlal\u2019s blend stands out both for its well-balanced flavor and its low price: just six Euros will buy you a kilo. And while blending your order, Boudlal also can converse about English literature.\u00a0 He\u2019s studied the works of James Joyce, Joseph Conrad, and Herman Melville.<\/p>\n

His coffee is as well-traveled as his mind. Guests to Bouhlal\u2019s shop invariably buy a stash to take home. \u201cMy coffee has traveled all over the world,\u201d Bouhlal said, twirling a bag of sesame seeds closed.<\/p>\n

I wondered: Perhaps there is an international market for Bouhlal\u2019s unique blend? \u201cThis could be the headquarters,\u201d I declared, eyeing his small stall with big visions. \u201cBut we would need a larger grinder.\u201d<\/p>\n

Insha\u2019Allah,\u201d he laughed.<\/p>\n

Bouhlal\u2019s small shop is located in the R\u2019Cif souk in the Fez Medina. If you can\u2019t make it all the way to Fez, you can experiment with your own blend at home. Bouhlal does not measure by instruments, but by intuition. Here is what I saw him add:<\/p>\n

Seasame seeds<\/p>\n

Black Pepper<\/p>\n

Whole nutmeg<\/p>\n

Cinnamon<\/p>\n

Anise Seed<\/p>\n

Ginger<\/p>\n

Combine these spices with quality coffee beans and grind. Brew in a stovetop espresso maker or percolator of your choice. Cream and sugar transform this spicy delight into a dessert. Prepare to be addicted.<\/p>\n

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It would be easy to pass over Youssef Bouhlal\u2019s tiny shop in the Fez Medina. Its modest offerings of dried lentils, white beans, garbanzos, oil, and milk are unremarkable among the competing sights of souk. But like the plain facades … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vanabonds.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vanabonds.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vanabonds.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanabonds.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanabonds.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=862"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanabonds.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":868,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanabonds.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862\/revisions\/868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vanabonds.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanabonds.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanabonds.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}