Iced Ethiopian Coffee in Dakar: Latte, Mocha, Spiced Latte

Ge'eza serves five iced coffees made with its Ethiopian coffee: iced Ethiopian coffee at 2,500 F, iced latte at 3,500 F, iced caramel latte at 4,000 F, iced mocha at 4,000 F and the iced spiced latte at 3,500 F, the house signature. They are served in Point E, Tuesday to Sunday, 8am to 10pm, and suit Dakar's hot days.

Why iced coffee in a house of hot coffee

The Ethiopian coffee tradition is one of embers, the jebena and the hot cup. Iced coffee is a more recent drink, born of cafés and modern drinking habits. But in Dakar the days are often hot, and an hour-long ceremony in the sun does not tempt everyone.

So the house kept the material, the Ethiopian specialty coffee, and changed the temperature. That is what makes these drinks interesting: they show how this coffee behaves over ice, with milk, with chocolate or with spices.

The five iced coffees, one by one

Iced Ethiopian coffee, 2,500 F. The simplest, and the most faithful to the bean. The menu describes it as Ethiopian specialty coffee served over ice, black, pure and bright. It is the choice of those who like coffee with nothing added.

Iced latte, 3,500 F. Ethiopian coffee with cold milk over ice, smooth and refreshing. A good starting point for anyone who finds black coffee a little dry.

Iced caramel latte, 4,000 F. The iced latte with a drizzle of caramel, sweeter and more generous. A drink for the afternoon more than for breakfast.

Iced mocha, 4,000 F. Ethiopian coffee, chocolate and cold milk over ice. The chocolate rounds the bitterness, and you choose it when you want a dessert you can drink.

Iced spiced latte, 3,500 F. This is the house signature: Ethiopian coffee with traditional spices, served cold. It stands apart on the menu because it links to Ethiopia, where coffee is readily scented with spices depending on the family and the region. If you only try one, make it this one.

Which to choose

If you like	Order
The taste of coffee above all	Iced Ethiopian coffee, 2,500 F
A soft, milky drink	Iced latte, 3,500 F
Something sweet	Iced caramel latte or iced mocha, 4,000 F
A new flavour	Iced spiced latte, 3,500 F

A tip for first-timers: start with the plain iced coffee to appreciate the origin, then come back to the more elaborate versions. The price gap between the simplest and the most elaborate drink is 1,500 F.

How to order

At the counter or at the table the request is simple: name the drink, and say whether you want it lightly or very sweet where that applies, as with the caramel. For a group you can mix: an iced Ethiopian coffee for the one who likes the taste of the bean, an iced latte for the one who prefers milk, a spiced latte for the curious. It is a gentle way to compare, at the same table, what the same raw material gives depending on the preparation.

If you come with someone who does not drink coffee, the menu has plenty: homemade juices, birz at 2,000 F, hot Ethiopian tea at 2,000 F, or Casamance water at 1,000 F for the small bottle and 1,500 F for the large.

And for a coffee-free day

The menu has other cold drinks, with all the juices homemade: bissap, the Senegalese hibiscus juice, ginger juice and bouye, baobab fruit juice, are each 1,500 F. Spris, a layered Ethiopian smoothie of fresh seasonal fruit blended separately with honey, is 3,500 F, and birz, Ethiopian honey water, 2,000 F. For hot coffee, see the Ethiopian macchiato.

An iced coffee with a meal

Iced coffees go well with a light lunch or an afternoon break.

• At breakfast (served from 8am to 11am), an iced coffee goes with a chechebsa or a foul, if you prefer cold to hot.
• At lunch, it is better taken after the main dish. Sambusa, lentil at 1,500 F or meat at 2,000 F, go well with an iced latte.
• Late in the afternoon, on the terrace under the trees, the iced spiced latte makes a pleasant pause before dinner.

And the ceremony?

Iced coffees do not replace the ceremony, but they do not compete with it either. Many groups start with a cold drink on arrival, then move to the full ceremony at 5,000 F per person to end the meal. To understand what the ceremony adds, see specialty coffee in Dakar.

Iced coffee and morning coffee

Many guests start the day with a hot coffee and come back to an iced one in the afternoon. The house opens at 8am, and both versions are available all day. If your schedule allows, try a macchiato in the morning and an iced spiced latte around 4pm: the difference in character is telling, and it is a pleasant way to discover the range.

Getting here

Ge'eza is at 656 avenue Birago Diop, Point E, and is closed on Monday. For a group table or the weekend, you can book online.