Lebanese Ahweh Bayda (white coffee)

Wauw, how long has it been since my last post? Please don't go check - it's too long ago! You'd think with all this vacation going on I'd have all the time in the world! In the meanwhile I'm close to the end of my drinks-around-the-world series (I can't wait to summon it all up in 1 post!). We've covered quite a bit of the world by now, but we're not there yet. I've got two more drinks to go! Today I want to share a Lebanese tradition: white coffee.


The Lebanese white coffee has nothing to do with coffee. It's name probably comes from the fact that it is served in stead of coffee for those who don't like actual coffee. It is usually served after a meal or during any sort of get-together. The soothing beverage is known to relieve stomach aches and facilitate digestion. And it comes in those cute and colourful Turkish style coffee cups (except that in my case it doesn't). Sounds pretty good right?

Ahweh Bayda (white coffee)
a few glasses* - inspired by Tastemade and Taste of Beruit

1 cup water
1 teaspoon orange blossom water
1-2 teaspoons honey (or other sweetener) (optional)
1/4 cup mint leaves (optional)

1. Boil the water.
2. Add every other ingredient to taste and stir. If you're adding the mint: leave to steep for 2-5 minutes.

* Or just one. It depends on whether you have those cute Turkish cups or normal tea glasses.

I really loved the addition of mint in this recipe. It's optional and only a few recipes I found actually include mint, but it turned the drink into a tea. Sweet hot water didn't seem to be my thing, plus I think the mint balanced really well with the orange blossom. Feel free to add whatever you like here though: I've seen recipes adding lemon zest as well.


That's it for a quick post this week! Next week I'll cover two iced teas: an Asian and an American version. Please look forward to them! And after that: the round-up! Do you think any traditional beverages are missing? Please let me know (do you maybe have a recipe as well?) and maybe I can add them to the round-up..

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