Tea and Coffee in Egypt: How to Order, Where to Drink and Ahwa Etiquette

How do you order tea and coffee in Egypt?

Say what you want, then how sweet: "shai mazboot" is tea with medium sugar, "ahwa sada" is coffee with no sugar, and "ziyada" means extra sweet. Without instruction, tea usually arrives sweet and coffee mazboot, which to most Australians means sweet too.

Coffee is often sold mohawwega, spiced with ground cardamom, and you can ask for it with or without. Our Arabic phrases guide has the numbers and greetings to go with it.

What is Egyptian tea like?

Egyptian tea is strong, black and usually served in a small glass, either brewed from loose leaves or from a teabag, and the country drinks an enormous amount of it. Lipton yellow label and local brands such as El Arosa are on every shop shelf.

Two words help in an ahwa. Shai koshari means tea made from loose leaves, with the leaves settling at the bottom of the glass (nothing to do with the rice dish), while shai fatla is made with a teabag, fatla meaning the string. Tea with fresh mint is common in the afternoon, and milky tea goes with breakfast.

In Upper Egypt, from Luxor south, people favour shai saidi: tea boiled for a long time until it is almost black, then sweetened heavily. It is an acquired taste. In Sinai and the desert, Bedouin brew tea over a small fire with herbs such as habaq (a wild basil-mint) or maramiya (sage), and a glass of it around the fire is part of any trip to Mount Sinai or a desert camp. The idea of three glasses, each one stronger or sweeter than the last, is found among Bedouin, though habits vary from family to family.

How is Egyptian coffee made?

Egyptian coffee is Turkish-style: very finely ground coffee, water and sugar are brought slowly to the boil in a small long-handled pot called a kanaka, then poured unfiltered into a demitasse cup with its foam. The sugar goes in during brewing, which is why you have to say how sweet you want it before it is made.

Let the grounds settle for a minute and stop sipping when you reach the thick sludge at the bottom. A good cup has a layer of foam (wesh) on top, which is a point of pride for the maker. A glass of water usually comes with it.

Coffee arrived in Egypt from Yemen around the early 16th century, popularised by Sufi devotees who drank it to stay awake through night-time prayers, and by the students of Al-Azhar. Religious scholars debated whether it should be allowed, but by the Ottoman period coffeehouses were part of Cairo life. Coffee roasters around Al-Azhar and in Downtown Cairo still grind beans to order, with a cardamom option, and the smell carries down the street.

Modern espresso culture is also well established. Zamalek, Maadi, New Cairo and the Red Sea resort towns have specialty cafés and chains serving flat whites and cold brew, so you will not go without your usual morning coffee.

What happens in an ahwa?

An ahwa is a traditional street coffeehouse: plastic or wooden chairs spilling onto the pavement, tea and coffee for very little, backgammon and dominoes, shisha pipes and football on the television. The same word means both coffee and the place where you drink it.

Ahwas are the living rooms of Egyptian neighbourhoods. Men meet there after work, play tawla (backgammon) with loud slaps of the pieces, and stay for hours over one or two glasses of tea. A boy or waiter (the ahwagi runs the stove) calls the orders back to the counter and keeps the shisha coals glowing. Shisha is tobacco mixed with molasses and fruit flavours, apple (tuffah) being the classic.

The everyday neighbourhood ahwa is a male space, and a woman alone may feel conspicuous. Foreign visitors, couples and mixed groups are welcome, though, especially at the well-known cafés in tourist areas and in the modern cafés where young Egyptian women and men socialise together. Pay when you leave, and round up or leave a few pounds for the waiter; see tipping in Egypt.

Which cafés in Egypt are worth a visit?

For atmosphere, El Fishawy in the lanes of Khan el-Khalili is the best-known café in Egypt, and the old cafés of Downtown Cairo and Alexandria carry a century of literary and political history. Businesses and their opening hours change, so check with your guide.

• El Fishawy, Khan el-Khalili: mirrored walls, brass tables and a constant stream of sellers, said to have been serving tea since the late 18th century and associated with the Nobel-winning novelist Naguib Mahfouz. It is touristy and busy, but still loved by Egyptian families at night. Combine it with an evening in the Khan el-Khalili bazaar.
• Downtown Cairo: the pedestrian lanes behind Talaat Harb Street are full of ahwas where students, writers and office workers sit late. Café Riche, open since the early 20th century, is a historic name in the area.
• Alexandria: the seafront and the streets around Raml Station have old cafés and patisseries with Greek and Italian roots, ideal for a coffee with a sea view.
• Aswan and the Red Sea: Nile-side terraces in Aswan and Bedouin-style beach cafés with floor cushions on the coast are made for a slow tea at sunset.

Why are you offered tea everywhere, and do you have to accept?

Offering tea is Egypt's basic gesture of hospitality, so you will be offered a glass in shops, papyrus galleries, perfume stores and homes; accepting is friendly, and it does not oblige you to buy.

In the bazaar, tea is also part of the sales ritual: a seated customer is a patient customer. Drink it, enjoy the conversation, and if you do not want to buy, thank the shopkeeper warmly and leave. If you would rather not have tea at all, a hand on the heart with "la, shukran" (no, thank you) is polite. Our haggling guide covers the rest of the ritual.

In a home, accept at least one glass. Refusing food and drink outright can come across as cool, and hosts will often ask two or three times before accepting a no. Tea and coffee are made with boiling water, so they are among the safest things you can drink anywhere in Egypt.