A special blend: Gaza’s first coffee house

Al-Nafar has BEAN busy setting up shop, and he's made sure that Cupresso really BLENDS into Gaza

by Mohammed Asad

Ahmed Al-Nafar has opened Gaza’s first coffee house Cupresso in Gaza [Mohammed Asad/Middle East Monitor]

Ahmed Al-Nafar does not hide his love for coffee, so he opened his own store Cupresso to sell coffee. He does not simply sell coffee, he is a coffee connoisseur; familiar with the flavour of coffee, its various types and the way it is prepared.

He believes that having knowledge of coffee allows him to give it a special taste.

“Italian coffee has a specific taste that differs from coffee that is made in Gaza. I used to import it to the shop. At one point I decided to make a special coffee that exceeded the quality of Italian coffee. After six years of experimenting with blends, I was able to make a special coffee blend that rivalled the Italian blend, according to those who tried both,” Ahmed explains.

The Palestinian opened the cafe in Gaza to allow people to come, have a brew and relax. An experience the besieged Strip has lacked.

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Through experimentation, Ahmed produced over 100 types of coffee.

Ahmed adds that there are certain standards and criteria one must meet to make internationally recognised coffee.

For example, there must be a certain number of grams per a cup and the coffee needs to be poured out of the machine at a specific time. However, the different flavours come from mixing different kinds of green coffees together to discover new types and flavours.

Cupresso has attracted a number of expats who work in Gaza and are nostalgic for European coffee flavours as he now offers coffee imported from 23 countries from around the world.

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