Cardamom in Arabic Coffee (Gahwa)

Gahwa, or Arabic coffee, is a light, golden coffee made from lightly roasted beans and flavoured generously with ground green cardamom, sometimes with saffron or cloves. The cardamom is half the flavour, so recipes often use nearly as much cardamom as coffee. It's served in small handleless cups with dates, as a welcome.

Many Malayalis who worked in the Gulf came home with a taste for it. This post covers how it's made and how to get the cardamom right.

What makes gahwa different from regular coffee?

Three things. The beans are roasted lightly, often to a pale golden brown, so the coffee is thin, tea-like and a little grassy instead of dark and bitter. It's usually drunk without milk or sugar. And it's heavily spiced, with cardamom leading.

Styles vary a lot across the region. Saudi and Gulf gahwa is often very pale, with plenty of cardamom and a few threads of saffron. Northern Arab styles tend to use darker roasts. There's no single correct version.

Gahwa vs other cardamom coffees

How to make gahwa at home

This makes about 4 small cups. You need lightly roasted ground coffee (look for "Arabic coffee" or a light roast), whole green cardamom and, if you like, a few saffron threads.

1. Bring 500 ml water to a boil in a small pot.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of ground light-roast coffee, lower the heat and simmer about 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, shell 10 to 15 cardamom pods and crush the seeds coarsely, or crush whole pods for a greener note.
4. Take the pot off the heat and let the grounds settle for a minute or two.
5. Add the cardamom (and 3 or 4 saffron threads, or 1 or 2 cloves, if using). Return to very low heat for 2 to 3 minutes and don't let it boil hard.
6. Rest it off the heat for 5 minutes, then strain into a flask or dallah.

Taste and adjust. Many people use far more cardamom once they're used to it, up to a tablespoon or more of ground cardamom for four cups.

Seeds or whole pods?

Both work. Seeds give a stronger, sweeter cardamom flavour. Crushed whole pods add a greener, lighter note from the husk. The difference is explained in cardamom seeds vs husk.

Which cardamom should you use?

Green cardamom, fresh and whole. Leave out black cardamom. Its smoky, camphor smell overpowers the coffee (see green vs black cardamom).

Crush it just before brewing. Pre-ground cardamom loses its top notes quickly, and gahwa depends on those bright, sweet smells.

How is gahwa served?

Customs differ by country and family, but a few are widely shared.

• It's poured from a dallah, a pot with a long curved spout, into a small handleless cup called a finjan.
• Only a little is poured at a time, a few sips, and the cup is refilled.
• Cups are offered and taken with the right hand.
• Guests often show they've had enough by gently shaking the empty cup from side to side.
• Dates almost always come alongside.

In 2015 UNESCO added "Arabic coffee, a symbol of generosity" to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. It was put forward by the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar.

Our cardamom

Our Kerala cardamom comes from Idukki, dried in a cardamom dryer and packed as whole pods with nothing added, in a resealable pouch. Whole pods are what you want for gahwa, since you crush them fresh each time. For choosing and storing cardamom, see our Kerala cardamom guide.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make gahwa with normal coffee powder?

You can, but it won't taste like gahwa. Most Indian coffee powders are darker roasts, often with chicory, which gives a heavier, more bitter cup. A light roast gets you closer.

Why is Arabic coffee yellow?

The beans are roasted very lightly, and saffron is often added. Together they give a pale golden colour quite unlike dark coffee.

Brew a small pot this weekend, put out a plate of dates, and see how much cardamom your family likes.

Sources

• UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, Arabic coffee, a symbol of generosity

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