Sunday, April 28, 2024

At Brooklyns New Yemeni Coffeehouse Elevates Coffee to an Art Form

qahwah house

If you’re a foodie looking to explore the breadth of the area’s up-and-coming restaurant scene, here’s a guide to the region’s culinary communities — plus, some not-to-miss eateries to check out while you’re there. He also gave insight regarding the culture of coffee in Yemen and how it differs from the culture that exists around coffee in America. He shared that coffee drinking in Yemen is more socially-oriented; a bridge between people, a vehicle for conversation and connection. The coffeehouse has become so successful that Alhasbani opened a few more branches. And in 2022, he is excepted to open at least five new locations across the country. He has plans to open up more Qahwah House locations soon, but unlike Dearborn or Lombard, the new shops will likely be in places where Middle Eastern coffee is an unfamiliar concept.

qahwah house

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It’s an experience to watch, and if you’re the kind of person who likes to film vertical video of food and beverages, there’s no shortage of engaging content to be made here. Most of the drinks are served by the pot, with a tealight candle in the base to keep it warm, and multiple small cups. At the Clifton Qahwah House, the beans are ground and served in light and medium roasts used in aromatic cups of coffee, or in coffee drinks like lattes, cappuccinos and espressos.

The birth of coffee culture

Whether you have a taste for soul food, African dishes or takes on Mexican cuisine fused with Caribbean flavors, Livernois has an abundance of options for you. A multicultural city surrounded entirely by Detroit, Hamtramck’s food scene is shaped by the immigrant populations that have settled there. A large Bangladeshi influence draws diners craving biryani and warm curries. There are rich cultural communities that have served some of the most noteworthy dishes for generations, and neighborhoods garnering more recent acclaim for a new wave of bars and restaurants, bakeries and cafes. A pour over is a handcrafted style of brewing coffee which requires a slow rhythmic process.

Restaurants, Food and Drink

Jefferson Chalmers is on the river side of Jefferson and is also noted as the canal district. You can enjoy a meal with a water view, admire stately homes or head to a restaurant by bike or kayak and sip cocktails or have brunch. This area of Detroit neighbors the north end of Midtown and is known for the Fisher Theater and the main Henry Ford Hospital campus. Milwaukee Junction is nestled off of East Grand Boulevard and Woodward Avenue while New Center is off West Grand Boulevard and Woodward.

qahwah house

Though Mexican food is king here — you’ll find Mexican bakeries, taco trucks and restaurants in Mexicantown and throughout southwest Detroit — there are also a number of Latin American markets and eateries. Think, Salvadoran and Honduran pupusas, Venezuelan arepas, Puerto Rican maduros or sweet plantains and Dominican-style rice and beans. In addition, the word mocha comes from the Arabic word Al-Mukha, the name of a port city in Yemen where it is believed the world’s first cup of coffee was brewed.

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Dearborn entrepreneurs behind national trend of Yemeni coffeehouses - Detroit News

Dearborn entrepreneurs behind national trend of Yemeni coffeehouses.

Posted: Sun, 28 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

For a long time, he and other young Muslims didn't feel safe in closed spaces. The staff are his friends, one is his brother, and they get his tea ready as soon as he walks in the door. While people waited for their orders, many would stand and admire a giant map that traced the roots of Yemeni coffee and how it was distributed to the rest of the world. One of Alhasbani's reasons for launching Qahwah House was to build bridges between cultures. It's one of the main reasons why the New York City location is in Brooklyn's Williamsburg, a majority white, Jewish neighbourhood, he says.

It starts with an espresso blend that’s infused with ginger, cardamom, and cinnamon, poured over milk and ice, and topped with a mountain of whipped cream and honey. It embodies all of the frivolous fun of an American-style iced coffee beverage, but is packed with serious and sophisticated flavor. Unlike the freakshakes and frappuccinos that you often see on social media, this is an aesthetic iced beverage designed for coffee connoisseurs. Alhasbani only uses Yemeni coffee beans in the coffee drinks made at Qahwah House. Customers can ask for lattes, cappuccinos, espresso and anything else they might ask for in a typical coffee shop. Most of the drinks are brewed by hand, in individual stainless steel pots over an induction cooktop, in plain view of the customer.

Popular Qahwah House opens in Clifton, serving authentic Yemeni coffee

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. 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. Ibrahim’s goal was to create a space that was welcoming for everyone, and not just one type of customer, though many customers are Muslim or Arab (or both). Although many people doubted his idea, Ibrahim believed in it and in himself and invested a lot of his own savings to start Qahwah House.

An insider’s guide to dining outside of downtown Detroit

The Clifton location, which opened in November at 441 Crooks Ave., is his fifth store since he started the company in 2017. Coffee lovers who visit the new Qahwah House in Clifton will find more than just a premium cup of rich, imported brew. They will also find a story rich in history, tradition and culture that starts centuries ago in the Yemeni port city of Mocha, along the Red Sea.

She is an avid traveler, and her favorite way to explore a new place is through its local coffee scene. Originally, we are from Yemen where we were born and raised amidst coffee plants.Our expertise originates from a long line of ancestors, all committed to the tradition and innovation of coffee. The best quality coffee with no added preservatives, artificial additives, or flavors.

Customers can also indulge in pastries such as sabaya, a flaky layered bread cake popular in Yemen. “When we open more locations, we create more opportunities for jobs here and also back in Yemen,” he says. Qahwah House sources its coffee beans directly from Yemen, which creates opportunities for coffee farmers. But for the coffee that Ibrahim Alhasbani pours at Qahwah House in Dearborn, “origin” means much more than where the beans came from; it also refers to his own origin story.

I did something different and unique in that I use only Yemeni coffee beans. That’s why the public in Dearborn, and many different cities in Michigan, love what I create for them. These three areas are east of downtown Detroit with Jefferson as their common border street. Rivertown has several restaurants on or near the water including longstanding Sinbad’s. Historic West Village is between Jefferson Avenue and Kercheval and home to award-winning Marrow, a neighborhood butcher shop and restaurant and Sister Pie. Primarily a residential neighborhood, you can admire the many architectural styles of the area homes from Colonial, Georgian and Mediterranean Revival to many Tudor styles.

This month, Ibrahim Alhasbani had a soft opening for his Yemeni coffee shop “Qahwah House” located at 6655 Schaefer Road. Even for the most dedicated aficionados, New York City’s coffee scene can become tiresome after a while. Third-wave coffee dominates in Brooklyn, Manhattan and much of Queens, with its focus on fruity, acidic flavor profiles and finding new ways to pour hot water over coarsely-ground beans. If you, like me, are a serious coffee nerd who wants something a little more exciting out of your eight-dollar latte, then Qahwah House should be at the top of your list.

You will have no desire to rush to your next meeting, or anywhere else, for that matter. “Qahwah House was born into existence when I wanted to share my culture, family expertise and love of coffee to the world. It wasn’t actual coffee — at least not the one I’ve grown up on and got used to,” says owner Ibrahim Alhasbani, who opened the first Qahwah House location in Dearborn, Michigan, in 2017.

Just as his coffee beans must make the journey from Yemen to the United States, so did Ibrahim Alhasbani. And although there are challenges in both journeys, the result is worth it. The passion and connection behind each cup of coffee served at Qahwah House go beyond what many baristas can offer. Southwest Detroit’s vibrant Latino community has shaped the neighborhood into a destination for some of Michigan’s best Latin cuisine.

Old cobblestone streets are lined with rowhouses, architecturally stunning Victorian homes and quaint eateries with small-town appeal. Residuals of an early influence of Irish settlers escaping the potato famine in the 1800s remain today with some restaurants, like Cork and Gabel paying homage to the neighborhood’s Irish roots. Eastern Market is best known for its year-round weekend farmers market and local makers markets, as well as its meat markets and butcher shops.

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