A coffee addict in Central Asia

I’ll admit it, I’m addicted to coffee. Not just physically addicted — though I do get a crushing headache if I don’t get a cup by 11am — but also mentally. I always give a little sign of satisfaction when I take that first hot, creamy sip first thing in the morning. But getting coffee in Central Asia can be a challenge. 

I work from home and always start the day with a cup of milky coffee — if I can. 

Making coffee at home

Ramstore, InterFood and some of the other big international supermarkets stock imported ‘real’ coffee, usually Illy or Lavazza, as well as instant. If I’m trying to economise — or suddenly run out — there’s also the Russian Jockey coffee at some of the small grocery stores. A friend who’s a coffee snob sneers at Jockey, but I find it does the job. 

When I first came to Almaty, I brought a plastic coffee cone and a packet of filter papers with me. Unfortunately when they had run out I couldn’t find any more, anywhere. Instead I bought a stovetop espresso pot. 

Milk is available (usually in bags rather than bottles or cartons) from supermarkets and grocery stores. Unfortunately I’ve found that around two in five bags are either off or on the turn. So I’m getting used to black coffee! 

Best cafes for coffee in Central Asia

If you want to go out for coffee in Central Asia there are a growing number of really good coffee shops in Almaty and Astana. 

When I first arrived, everyone who wanted a cappuccino and wifi used to go to Coffeedelia. Then Marrone Rosso opened a few blocks away. Now there are several more…

My favourites in Astana are Cafe Rafe near the Baiterek, the Astana branch of Marrone Rosso and Books and Coffee, which has English language books and yummy cheesecake too. 

Coffee off the beaten track

Outside the capitals, some towns have one or two coffee shops, but you’re more likely to encounter watery instant coffee or packet ‘cappuccino’ made of instant coffee, powdered milk and sugar. 

When I took the train from Almaty to Aralsk I had to buy some of these packets on the station at Turkestan for the second day of the journey. 

On my first trip overland from Almaty to Tajikistan, I couldn’t find any coffee at all between Osh, Kyrgyzstan and Dushanbe. 

Now when I’m going off the beaten track I take a small pot of instant coffee with me. I initially tried ordering tea and mixing in some coffee — oddly, that takes like fish. Now I ask for boiling water and make my own.