Monastir, Tunisia

[Belgik]

I'm just back from a short trip to Tunisia, basically to visit a vessel (that's a ship, for the non-initiated) discharging in Gabès commercial port (a perfectly unappetizing place full of petcoke and big great heaps of sulphur). But, as always, there's a few magic moments, like when I spent the better part of two hours in Monastir, where I tried the coffee.

The usual Tunisian style of serving coffee is in small glasses, maybe total 7-8 centiliters presented in a 10 cl. glass. Served with steamed milk, the coffee part has a cream-brown colour. Usually made in huge, seemingly very old 3-lever machines, even though I also came across a more modern Rancilio electric pump maquina. The coffee is very mellow, very soft. Not very strong, they seem to be using a double basket, the coffee tamped lightly (but the portafilter locked with considerable might - ¿would that be because the rubber gasket of the pf is very used?). Tasting a bit like turkish/greek mokha, not at all bad, in spite of the fact that (I asked, and they brought me the packet) they seem to be using a commercial blend from a capital-city of Tunis "torrefacteur" ("roasted daily") and the very young "barista" didn't know a thing other than that the coffee was ...of course... 100% "arabica". Also, the hygiene (milk-steaming spout etcetera) was a matter of relative interpretation, and the coffee could have been hotter upon serving.

In some other cafés, the coffee was served in the "normal" small ristretto cups, without milk. I gather that must have been due to my european looks, as I could see the card-players sipping their with-milk glass...
Neither did I ever really find out the price, not expensive any case (a dinar seemed to be accepted without looking at it) though at the first place I got two glasses for a dinar. But I didn't ask questions, either, a dinar being about 40 eurocents...

All in all: not a bad cup, but plenty of room for improvement. Love the old machines (and the music...arabian nights...). Perfect if you wish to avoid the company of women, by the way.