11/365: The Best Coffee in Kent (maybe the world?)

On the pavement outside at Chatham's Dockside Outlet lies a small, brown, horse trailer. It is inconspicuous and humble in its lack of advertising. As you get closer, a sign greets you with the words "Sabaho means 'Good Morning' in Lebanese". Inside is Kareem - coffee connoisseur, chess enthusiast, and now, after nearly a year of knowing him, a friend indeed as well. 

This coffee beats its rivals in the background anyday!

Good coffee is hard to come by. Good coffee made by good, hardworking, local people in a small business is even harder to come by. So when I came across his trailer early last year after going to the local gym, I was drawn in. Having visited Lebanon a few years prior, I approached him intrigued. His face lit up with a warm, genuine hospitality, one unique to Lebanese people (and in my experience the wider Arab region) and talked with me about his life, his experiences, and how he ended up here in Medway of all places! 

Kareem, serving up the goods!

And the coffee - oh my god the coffee! Without a doubt, some of the best you can get in Medway, perhaps even Kent. It is silky smooth, made perfectly every time. His Lebanese-inspired sweet treats are to die for as well, made by his (English) mother in law! The halawa (sesame seed paste/oil) brownie is a personal favourite. It's a subtle taste but one that enhances the flavour of the brownie so well. 

In the summer we sit and play chess outside his trailer, him trotting back inside whenever a customer stops by to have a look, ready to change their lives with a divine coffee made with careful love and precision every time. 

The best drink in my opinion - the humble cortado!

Kareem starts the day at 5am, nigh on every day - be it summer or winter, rain or snow, sunshine or hail (the only thing he can't open in is wind!). His work ethic is impeccable, and for a man who puts in 12-14 hour days everyday, his energy and smile through all this is a light in Layla and mine's world, when it's been a tough day or week, we know that Sabaho's has got our back. And we know we are not the only ones who feel this way.

Kareem understands that a coffee that warms the body is one thing, but a coffee that warms the soul - well, that's something else altogether :)