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Here at the coffee shop, I use the same recipes my ancestors and family used to prepare the traditional Yemeni drinks. We use spices such as cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon in many of our drinks. People from all over Michigan and the United States come to enjoy our coffee, and many comment that it’s like nothing they’ve ever tried before. Dearborn has a diverse population, and all were very supportive when I first opened and still are!
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Coffee always had a social quality to it, Um said, adding that coffeehouses could be found in major cities like Cairo, Istanbul and Damascus by the mid 1500s. The drink also had detractors, who thought it could inspire radical ideas or seditiousness because of its social character, she said. Around the 15th century, Sufi monks were known to make coffee to stay awake during mediation and prayers.
Popular Qahwah House opens in Clifton, serving authentic Yemeni coffee
Marketing Manager Mohamed Ahmed said the business, which has another Illinois location in suburban Lombard, has expanded to Skokie in response to customer demand. Qahwah House is in the process of planning its grand opening for sometime in late October. Alhasbani bakes the layered pastry and serves it with a drizzle of a Yemeni honey on top. He offers a pastry called bint al-sahn or sabaya that many Yemenis consider a particular favorite.
A little taste of Yemeni hospitality in York
In the outskirts of Detroit in Dearborn, Mich., you will find the world’s finest Yemeni coffee. Here, you’ll also meet Ibrahim Alhasbani—the founder, owner, roaster, and barista behind Qahwah House, which means “coffee” in Arabic. There are many legends and theories about when coffee was first discovered, including an Ethiopian legend about a goat herder, Kaldi, who noticed his goats becoming energetic after eating from a coffee shrub. However, coffee cultivation and trade began on the Arabian peninsula, and the coffee bean was first consumed as a beverage in Yemen in the 1400s. But perhaps the most noticeable element is the smell of freshly ground Yemeni coffee. The place fills up with the sounds of Arabic music playing in the background, people catching up with old friends and making new ones or meeting with a potential spouse, and families playing card games.
The newest branch in Clifton, New Jersey opened in November 2022. Aleyna Ciftci, 24, of Wayne said she used to travel to Brooklyn to visit another franchise location that became a popular hangout for young Muslims. She enjoys talking with friends, playing cards and drinking chai there, she said.
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The quality of the coffee and the origin story has resonated with customers. The Clifton location, which opened in November at 441 Crooks Ave., is his fifth store since he started the company in 2017. Alhasbani expects another 15 locations to open by the end of 2023. In addition to the coffee beans that Alhasbani roasts and grinds in-house, he also offers tea and some food items.
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Alhasbani and his family own the farm where his coffee beans are sourced. He said his father and grandfather worked in the coffee industry for a long time. What also attracts young Muslims to Qahwah House are the hours. After 5 or 6pm, they will shut down because people don't usually drink coffee after that.
As it grew in popularity, the lucrative crop was shipped across the Middle East and Europe from the Red Sea port. The beans at Qahwah House are plucked from the farm that his family has owned and operated for eight generations in Sanaa, the Yemeni capital. The coffee trees stretch across fertile terraces carved into mountainsides and thrive in the warm climate and high altitude. Ahmed said the store aims to bring authentic coffee and new flavor profiles to Skokie. Owner Ibrahim Alhasbani’s family has been growing coffee for eight generations in Yemen, Ahmed said.
And for many of the young Muslims and Arabs in New York, Qahwah House serves as a place of community - a place where they can get a taste of the place many of them yearn to be in. That’s why I have a plan to improve the business and start the process for franchising. According to its founder Ibrahim, Qahwah House plans on expanding to 20 additional locations this year and eventually expanding outside the US in Canada and Europe. The Clifton café, which opened Nov. 6, is in a location that straddles the border with Paterson in an area that is home to many Middle Eastern restaurants, bakeries and grocery stories. "Anything that comes from the place of origin is always the best." Used by the ancients to clean and protect wounds, expedite the healing process and eliminate infection and disease, honey is still widely respected by both practitioners of alternative medicine, consumers and many doctors.
It’s pronounced by the former name in Sanaa, the region he’s from. Over a decade ago, Dandia was surveilled by a New York Police Department informant. He then became a part of a class-action lawsuit against the NYPD over the surveillance of Muslims. For a long time, he and other young Muslims didn't feel safe in closed spaces.
History of Coffee Shows People Have Argued About It for Over 500 Years - Business Insider
History of Coffee Shows People Have Argued About It for Over 500 Years.
Posted: Fri, 14 Oct 2016 07:00:00 GMT [source]
He grew up around coffee and believes the best beans are from Yemen. The first time Husam Kaid tried Adeni chai (Yemeni tea) at Qahwah House, it reminded him of Yemen. One sip and he was reminiscing about Ramadan nights in the old city of Sanaa.
He described the coffee as having natural sweetness and a fruity, not bitter, aftertaste. It also has a natural chocolate flavor that other places have tried to emulate by adding chocolate to coffee and calling it mocha. Latte aficionados may enjoy the store’s signature latte, which mixes honey, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom with espresso and milk, he added. “A lot of our customers and fans coming to our Lombard location were really adamant about our opening in Skokie,” he said. Yemen is known for the port of Mocha or Al Mokha, where the shared name of the delicious espresso and chocolate drink gets its fame. This month, Ibrahim Alhasbani had a soft opening for his Yemeni coffee shop “Qahwah House” located at 6655 Schaefer Road.
In addition to coffee and tea, Qahwah House also offers cakes and pastries from Zingerman’s Bakehouse in Ann Arbor. Both the tea and coffee served can include added spices, depending on what the customer wants. One blend of tea Alhasbani made included cinnamon and cardamom. The pride for his family, home country, and the history of the Yemeni coffee bean all fuel Alhasbani’s passion for running a café. DEARBORN—A cup of Joe is readily available at almost every intersection in the metropolitan area, especially Dearborn, where coffee shops, diners, hookah bars and gas stations all boast a bold and strong coffee. "They go beyond coffee. If there's a conversation, the staff know a lot about the product, the history of the coffee, where the beans are coming from.
