Café Hafuch: Israel's Upside-Down Coffee
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Walk into a café in Israel and one of the most familiar orders is not a latte or a cappuccino but a café hafuch (also spelled hafukh or hafooch), Hebrew for “upside-down coffee.” In today’s cafés it is a milky espresso drink close to a cappuccino, traditionally made by putting the steamed milk in the cup first and pouring the espresso through it. The name is older than the espresso machine in Israel, though, and its story says a lot about how the country came to drink coffee.
Here is what café hafuch is, where the name comes from, how it compares with other milk drinks and how to make one at home.
Key takeaways
- Café hafuch means upside-down coffee in Hebrew.
- The term likely came with German-speaking Jewish immigrants in the 1930s, from a German phrase for a coffee that is mostly milk.
- The original was closer to café au lait; after the 1980s the name shifted to cappuccino-style espresso drinks.
- Today it is usually made with steamed milk first and espresso poured on top, served in a glass or cup.
In this article
- What is café hafuch?
- Where the name comes from
- Hafuch vs cappuccino, latte and macchiato
- How to make café hafuch at home
- A quick guide to Israeli coffee
- FAQ
What is café hafuch?
A modern café hafuch is an espresso with steamed milk and a cap of foam, typically somewhere between a cappuccino and a small latte in size. What makes it upside down is the order: instead of pulling the espresso and adding milk, the barista puts the textured milk in the cup first and pours the espresso through the foam. The coffee sinks and blends, often leaving a brown spot or ring on the white foam.
In practice, plenty of drinkers, including food writer Joel Haber, say they cannot tell it apart from a cappuccino, and many cafés serve a cappuccino-style drink when you order a hafuch. Some regulars insist the order makes it softer and milkier. You can test that yourself with the recipe below.
Where the name comes from
The language columnist Philologos, writing in the Forward in 2007, traced the term to German. A verkehrter Kaffee, literally a “reversed coffee,” meant a small amount of coffee with a lot of milk. German-speaking Jewish immigrants, known in Israel as Yekkes, arrived in large numbers in the 1930s and likely brought the idea with them.
| Period | What “hafuch” meant |
|---|---|
| 1920s–1930s café scene | Immigrants from Germany and Austria opened many cafés in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem serving filter coffee with milk |
| 1930s onward | Café au lait style: brewed coffee with plenty of hot milk, usually more milk than coffee, no foam |
| Early 1960s | The phrase dor ha-espresso, the espresso generation, appears, though espresso spreads slowly |
| 1980s onward | Israelis travel more and meet cappuccino and latte; hafuch shifts to mean an espresso-based milk drink |
| 1990s | Israeli espresso chains expand, and hafuch becomes a standard menu item |
So the “upside down” originally described the proportions, more milk than coffee, rather than the pouring order. The milk-first ritual came later, as baristas gave the old name a new espresso-bar meaning.
Hafuch vs cappuccino, latte and macchiato
| Drink | Order of building | Milk | Typical character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Café hafuch | Milk first, espresso poured in | Steamed milk with a thick-ish foam cap | Soft, milky, foam often marked by coffee |
| Cappuccino | Espresso first, milk poured in | Similar foam to hafuch | Balanced, often with latte art |
| Latte | Espresso first | More milk, thinner foam | Mild, larger |
| Latte macchiato | Milk first, espresso poured in | Tall glass, lots of milk | Layered, very milky |
The hafuch’s closest cousin is the latte macchiato, which is also built milk first. The hafuch is usually smaller and served more like a cappuccino. Our guide to espresso macchiato vs latte macchiato explains the layering idea.
How to make café hafuch at home
Makes 1 drink, about 200 ml (7 fl oz).
- 1 double espresso, about 2 fl oz (36–60 ml), or 1/4 cup very strong moka pot coffee
- 2/3 cup (160 ml) cold whole milk
- Sugar to taste (optional)
- Warm your cup or glass with hot water.
- Steam or froth the milk to about 60–65°C (140–150°F), hot to the touch but not scalding, with a thick, glossy foam. No steam wand? See our guide on how to froth milk.
- Pour the milk in first, holding back the foam with a spoon, then spoon the foam on top.
- Brew the espresso and pour it slowly through the center of the foam. It will sink, leaving a brown mark on top.
- Serve right away, with sugar on the side if you like.
Variations
- Larger hafuch: use a bigger cup and up to 1 cup (240 ml) of milk for a softer, latte-like drink.
- Dairy-free hafuch: oat or soy milk work well; barista versions foam best.
- Decaf hafuch: ideal for an afternoon catch-up.
- Iced: cold milk and ice in a glass, espresso poured over the top.
Best coffee for a hafuch
Milk drinks need an espresso with body and chocolatey depth to cut through. Our 6 Bean Blend is a dark roast built for espresso, bold and rich with a thick crema. House Blend gives a softer, nutty, sweet chocolate cup if you prefer a gentler hafuch, and Decaf Espresso keeps the chocolatey character without the caffeine.
A quick guide to Israeli coffee
- Café hafuch: the everyday milky espresso.
- Botz: literally “mud,” finely ground coffee stirred into hot water and left to settle, a holdover from simpler times.
- Turkish coffee: boiled with fine grounds, reflecting the region’s Ottoman past.
- Nes: instant coffee. A local instant coffee factory opened in Safed in 1956, and “nes,” short for Nescafé, also means “miracle” in Hebrew.
- Espresso chains and specialty roasters: chains spread in the 1990s; small specialty roasteries followed in the 2000s.
Want to compare with other strong regional traditions? Read about Greek coffee and Arabic coffee (gahwa).
Café hafuch FAQ
What does hafuch mean?
It means upside down, or reversed, in Hebrew.
Is café hafuch the same as a cappuccino?
Very close. The main difference is that milk goes in first. Many cafés serve essentially a cappuccino when you order one.
How do you pronounce café hafuch?
Roughly ka-FEH ha-FOOKH, with a throaty “kh” at the end.
How much caffeine is in a café hafuch?
About the same as the espresso in it, typically a single or double shot.
Sources
- Upside-Down Coffee, Philologos, The Forward, 2007.
- The History of Coffee Culture in Israel, Joel Haber, The Nosher (My Jewish Learning), 2022.
Facts checked in October 2026.
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