The history of coffee is quite fascinating. Yemen is one of the original birthplaces of coffee dating back centuries, when monks used to drink it to say awake during long evening prayer services. Yemeni coffee is known for its distinct flavor, with undertones of fruit and chocolate, so when it was first brought to Europe from the city of Mocha in Yemen, the Europeans called it Mocha. When coffee began being traded from different continents to Europe, they were missing the special Yemeni chocolate flavor and so they added it to their coffee.

            Lucky for Astoria, a new Yemeni coffee shop, Qahwah House just opened on 31st street.  Owner Ibrahim Alhasbani and his family are an 8th generation coffee family, cultivating and harvesting coffee beans from their farms in Yemen. Quality and production of coffee is very important to him, and the customer knows it will always maintain that degree of excellence and flavor because it’s always coming from the same place.

With over fifteen locations in the U.S. and another fifteen in the works, Alhasbani wants Qahwah House to feel like your living room. Casual, cozy, comforting and a place where you can meet new people. The vibe is less about cell phones, social media and computers, and more about actually socializing. He wants his coffee shops to bring people together of all different backgrounds, so they can enjoy good company and of course fantastic coffee.

You can get a true taste of Yemen through one of their signature coffee drinks.  The Sana’ani, named after the city Sana’a, is a medium roast with cardamom.   Their Jubani named after the city Juban is a medium light roast coffee and coffee husks served with cardamom, ginger and cinnamon. You can try their most popular on the menu, the Mofawar which is a medium roast coffee served with cardamom and a delicious cream, or their fabulous Adeni Chai, named after the city of Aden, made with Yemeni black tea, cardamom, nutmeg and milk.

Don’t forget to pair those beverages with one of their authentic pastries. They are serving a Yemen favorite, sabaya which is a flakey buttery bread cake type pastry, freshly baked to order.  They also have honeycomb bread, stuffed with a savory cheese and drizzled with more honey.

Alhasbani’s mission is to create enough demand for Yemeni coffee to help build up all the coffee farms in Yemen.  To keep the quality of coffee completely pure and not from a cheap source that is currently trying to take over the market. He is also focused on being a big part of the community, and helping children through sponsorships and education.

A coffee shop with great coffee and an even better mission.  That’s something the Astoria community can definitely get behind.

2237 31st St / P: (718) 866-0032 / qahwahhouse.com