Finjan Coffee Pot - Making Israeli Coffee in Stainless Steel Pot
Finjan is an Arabic term which describes the coffee pot -the utensil that Israelis use for black coffee making. It’s a basic utensil for this type of coffee. In Israeli kitchens you will see a full set of them (small to large) in their pantries.
The most popular material type of finjan in Israel is stainless steel. You can also find enamel, copper or brass versions.
In the internet you can find lots of sites telling you to use any available small saucepan to make Israeli coffee. Don’t believe them!
In order to achieve this unique taste, aroma and presentation you MUST have the correct finjan.
Note: “Correct finjan” means that you let room in the pot for the coffee to rise. It’s a mistake to fill up with the coffee mixture your finjan. You need at least 1 inch empty space below the rim of the pot in order to achieve good results, especially thick foam.
What is a finjan coffee pot?
The finjan coffee pot is a unique utensil that is used to make traditional Israeli coffee. It is perhaps the most important and irreplaceable part of this coffee making method.
Note: The other one is the demitasse cup. (This link connects you with my espresso cup specialty store, with 99 choices of cups that you can serve your Israeli coffee).
Israelis though use small drinking glasses in many cases instead of the traditional cup. So the cup comes in an inferior place than finjan.
Finjan coffee pot is a metallic pot with a wide base and narrow top. There is a spout on its left side for pouring the coffee and prevent spilling.
Its shape (wide bottom-narrow rim) allows the creation of rich foam without losing it like in a … saucepan making!
A few essential things about stainless steel
Stainless steel is a steel form with chromium and nickel according to Wikipedia (The link connects you with the full article).
Chromium will give to the finjan the needed hardness and nickel its resistance to rust. Nickel will also contribute to its silver shining.
If you are interested to expand your knowledge about stainless steel you can watch this YouTube video (approximatelly 5 minutes) which shows you exactly how a plant makes sheets of stainless steel.
Stainless steel is also close related to 2 numbers that you see everywhere when you shop.php for cookware made out of this material: 18/10.
What do they mean? 18 is the percentage of chromium and 10 is the percentage of nickel in the metal.
Quality finjans belong to 18/10 category. Be careful though when shop.phpping. The cheap ones (made in China or other cheap labor countries) use lower nickel mixtures (nickel is expensive).
Where to buy stainless steel finjan coffee pot
In Israel, finjan coffee pots are everywhere. You can find them as a basic souvenir item in the kiosks of the Holy Land area or in supermarkets.
Finjans are also available in many other countries, usually at the supermarkets’ sections with ethnic foods (preferably Middle Eastern ones).
Another great option to shop.php is AMAZON. Its versatile selection of products makes your shop.phpping easy. You can target quality and price with a single click!
- Note: The shipping factor that I present below might change sometimes according to the sellers’ decisions.
SMALL SIZE FINJANS
MEDIUM SIZE FINJANS
LARGE SIZE FINJANS
XLARGE SIZE FINJANS
SETS OF FINJANS
VERY SPECIAL COPPER FINJAN COLLECTION
The following finjans are exquisite items made in Russia from copper and are nickel finished with an outstanding ornament stamped on the outside. The wooden handle prevents burning. These finjans are out of the ordinary and make excellent Israeli coffee besides the positive artistic comments they always get.
These items are of course much more expensive than stainless steel finjans. They are mostly preferred by people who admire the old traditional style coffee making but they don’t want the quality copper pots from Turkey for various reasons (religious, culture or political). Their “neutral” theme designs make them suitable for every household and they are indeed a real alternative choice.
