If you’re from the United States, you’re probably used to ordering an iced coffee and getting standard brewed coffee poured over ice. Maybe you even add some milk, sugar, or other flavors and sweeteners. If you’re planning to visit Israel, however, here’s why you should be careful when you go to order an iced coffee.
Go to any cafe in Israel, and if you order an iced coffee they will hand you what looks like a brown slushy. No, they didn’t get your order wrong. This is really their version of iced coffee, or “ice cafe” as they call it. Before protesting because it looks like a drink for a child, try taking a sip. It’s delicious.
This drink is super popular because it’s refreshing, stays cold, and it’s sweetened to perfection! Almost every shop has their own slushy machine filled with “ice cafe”, and it’s made the same. It tastes just like a blended iced coffee with cream and sugar!
If this doesn’t sound like your thing and you really just want a “normal iced coffee”, you’ll have to order a “cafe kar”. This literally translates to cold coffee, so they will give you coffee over ice cubes. Just beware that it will still taste different from the U.S. because they use espresso, not standard drip coffee. So it might taste stronger and more bitter than you’re used to.