This week, I’m thirsty for Turkish coffee at Strawberry Fields inside World Harvest grocery. At the Urbana cafe, my order of Turkish coffee ($3.49) came on a tray with a tiny gold-rimmed glass and a mini pot of scaldingly hot coffee. Turkish coffee’s unfiltered, super fine coffee grounds make it taste a little different than drip coffee in terms of texture and flavor.
Each sip had a wonderfully intense, concentrated coffee flavor no doubt due to the drink’s unfiltered coffee grounds. The taste was bitter yet still smooth, and this coffee had a thicker mouthfeel than a diner cup of joe. The grounds sunk to the bottom of my cup, likewise in the pot, so pouring was a delicate matter but fun nonetheless. Strawberry Fields’ little pot poured three little cups of really strong coffee that made me feel super alert all afternoon.
Beside the register, there was a covered dish of baklava stacked tall. While waiting, I thought to myself, maybe I’ll have a snack, too — which was probably why they put that baklava right by checkout.
The cashier asked if I wanted pistachio or walnut; torn, I went for both ($1.99 each). Both of the baklava were so yummy. The delicate, wispy phyllo and sticky, sweet honey tasted delicious with the center layer of crunchy, chopped nuts. Though I liked each, the walnut one was my favorite. It tasted more nutty and saltier than the other; the pistachio one had a sweeter flavor that was enjoyable, too. Apparently, pistachio baklava is more popular; this was the last pistachio baklava available, but there was a tower of walnut.
If you need a caffeine kick, Turkish coffee at Strawberry Fields will do it. Drink the potent coffee (with a side or two of baklava) to-go or stay and sip it in the grocery store café. Besides coffee and baklava, they have tea plus salads, sweets, hummus, falafel, samosas, tabouli, and more in the deli case. To stay up to date on Strawberry Fields, follow the business on Facebook.
Strawberry Fields
306 W Springfield Ave
Urbana
M-Sa 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Su 10 to 6 p.m.
