New Cafe Specializing in Yemeni Coffee Slides Into Dearborn

Some of the world’s most highly prized coffee beans are now brewing in Dearborn. Qahwah House, a cafe specializing in Yemen-sourced coffee beans recently opened its doors at 6655 Schaefer Rd.

The cafe is owned by Ibrahim Alhasbani, a native of Yemen whose family has operated a coffee farm in Yemen for generations, the Arab American News first-reports. “I wanted to bring Yemeni coffee to the world,” Alhasbani says.

Yemeni coffee is renowned worldwide as one of the originators of coffee culture, thanks to its monopoly on coffee production during the Ottoman Empire. During that period, Yemeni beans were shipped to other parts of the world out of the port of Al-Makha, eventually giving its name to the popular chocolate-espresso drink, the mocha.

Although coffee production has since expanded around the world, Yemeni beans are still prized among coffee connoisseurs today.

Last year, upscale coffee chain Blue Bottle made waves in San Francisco when it began offering $16 cups of Yemeni coffee. Much of the costs of Yemeni coffee, which can fetch upwards of $240 a pound, stem from the limited number of farms devoted to coffee and relative difficulty with exporting the products from a war ravaged country.

Despite the challenges, Alhasbani has managed to keep costs low — around $25 per pound — at his Dearborn shop by transporting beans directly from his family’s farm, according to Metro Times.

Qahwah offers a variety of different roasts, which are brewed using a range of methods from espresso to pourovers as well as drinks like qishr, a blend of spices and coffee husks. Customers can also find a variety of pastries from Zingerman’s Bakehouse alongside items like flaky, honey-flavored sabaya baked in-house.

Qahwah House is open from 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

• Dearborn’s Qahwah House Brings Authentic Yemeni Coffee to America [AAN]
• Inside Dearborn's Qahwah House, a Farm-to-Mug Yemeni Coffee Shop [MT]
• All Caffeine Nation Coverage [ED]