Well, it gets hot. Like, the kind of hot that reminds you you’re not just living in a Mediterranean paradise but in the epicenter of the Middle East.
At the time of writing this, it is 90 degrees Fahrenheit with about 50% precipitation, a true signal that summer is right around the corner.
There are other factors, of course, like when you find yourself taking the light rail just one stop because you can’t be bothered to walk, or when you start debating protesting the draft so you can stand outside and enjoy the sunshine.
But the true sign of summer in Jerusalem is when your friends ask you out for a cool drink before work. The “summer bevvy,” if you will.
Which is how we found ourselves at Tea Bar on Ben Yehuda, soaking in the beautiful weather with four beautiful drinks.
Four drinks, four verdicts
The strawberry matcha, which, according to breaking news desk reporter Dani Saperstein, “tastes like grass, if grass tasted good,” was an overall solid choice, save for the few stubborn clumps of powder at the end, but they were relatively easy to overlook.
The Jerusalem Post’s social queen Yulia Maeva (her real title, I think) described her tiger milk tea as “99% sugar,” and perfect for dessert lovers – though it’s worth noting the option does exist to cut the sugar if that’s not your vibe.
The Jerusalem Report’s Chani Kaplan – who cannot be summed up with a measly job title because nothing can encompass all that she is – actually tried boba for the first time on our little outing. While she wasn’t initially on board with “the little balls,” as she called them, she noted that the burst really added something special to the experience.
“The name ‘tropical smootea’ didn’t really make sense until I bit into the boba, and then I was sold,” she laughed.
As for me (senior breaking news desk manager Shir Perets, if you forgot), I got a hazelnut coffee frappe – with oat milk, of course – and it was just the right drink to power me through the rest of the day. Sweet cream mixed with the bitter coffee, crunchy nuts, everything a girl needs before a grueling shift at the paper.
Overall, we all agreed, no bad choices, and with customizable options for everything, Tea Bar has been approved by the Post girls as a viable summer bevvy hotspot for this summer.