Saudi Coffee (Gahwa): Regional Styles and How to Make It at Home

In Saudi Arabia coffee is more than a drink: it is how guests are welcomed, how a majlis starts and how a business meeting gets going. Saudi coffee is the Saudi version of the Arabic coffee served across the Gulf, and in recent years it has been promoted under its own name. This guide explains what makes it different, how the style changes from region to region, and how to make it at home. For the wider Gulf tradition, see our guide to Arabic coffee.

What Is Saudi Coffee?

It is made from Arabica beans that are roasted only lightly, then ground and boiled in water with cardamom. Depending on the region and the family, saffron, cloves or other spices are added. The result is a thin, golden, aromatic coffee that tastes very different from espresso or Turkish coffee.

Saudi Arabia has put real effort into its coffee heritage. The Ministry of Culture named 2022 the Year of Saudi Coffee, with the aim of raising the profile of Saudi coffee locally and globally and supporting local farmers.^[4] In the same year UNESCO added “Saudi Khawlani coffee, and the skills and knowledge associated with its cultivation” to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.^[3]

Styles by Region

There is no single recipe. The roast level, the spices and the brewing time change from one part of the Kingdom to another:^[1]

Region	Roast	Typical spices and style
Central (Najd)	Golden	Cardamom; cloves and saffron are sometimes added
North	Darker	No added flavourings; boiled for a long time, around 20 to 30 minutes
South	Light	The most spices of any region: ginger, cinnamon, fennel, cloves and saffron
West (Hijaz)	Moderate	Scented with mastic; boiled for about 15 minutes
East	Moderate	Saffron

Across most provinces people prefer a light, “blonde” coffee. Boiling it for longer makes it darker, thicker and more bitter, which is usually not what people want.^[1]

Khawlani Coffee: The Saudi Bean

Khawlani coffee is the coffee grown in the mountains of southern Saudi Arabia, where it has been cultivated for more than eight centuries.^[3] Its UNESCO listing recognises not only the bean but the farming knowledge passed down in those mountain communities. Today Khawlani beans are a point of national pride.

How to Make Saudi Coffee at Home

This is a common home method from Saudi Arabia.^[2] It fills a medium dallah (Arabic coffee pot).

• 800 ml water
• 40 g lightly roasted ground Arabica coffee
• 30 g ground cardamom
• A few cloves or saffron strands, depending on your taste

1. Bring the water to the boil.
2. Add the ground coffee, plus cloves or saffron if you use them.
3. Let it simmer over medium heat for about 15 to 17 minutes.
4. Add the ground cardamom and stir for about 2 minutes.
5. Take the pot off the heat and let it rest for 2 minutes so the grounds settle.
6. Pour carefully into a dallah or thermos, leaving the grounds behind, and serve.

Want it lighter or stronger? Shorten or lengthen the boiling time. A shorter boil keeps the coffee golden and mild; a longer one makes it darker and more bitter.

The Quick Way: Saudi-Style Coffee From a Sachet

If you do not want to measure coffee and cardamom every time, Lucarise Arabic Coffee with Saffron Topping comes ready-portioned: each 30 g sachet holds light-roast Arabic ground coffee with cardamom, plus a separate 1 g saffron topping.

1. Bring 500 ml of water to the boil in a dallah.
2. Add one 30 g sachet and simmer gently for a few minutes.
3. Let it rest so the grounds settle, add the saffron topping and pour into small cups. One sachet makes about 5 to 6 cups.

Prefer to portion it yourself? Lucarise Arabic Ground Coffee is 100% Arabica, light roast, already blended with cardamom, in a 250 g pouch. Use about 2 to 3 tablespoons for 500 ml of water. Both are roasted and packed in our own factory in Oman.

How It Is Served

The coffee is poured from the dallah into small handle-less cups called finjan, only a little at a time, and is drunk without sugar. The sweetness comes from dates served alongside. The host keeps refilling the cups until the guest signals that they have had enough. Read more about serving etiquette in the majlis.

Keep reading

Quick questions

What is Saudi coffee?

Saudi coffee is lightly roasted Arabica coffee boiled with cardamom, often with saffron or cloves. It is golden in colour, served without sugar in small cups, and usually comes with dates.

Is Saudi coffee the same as Arabic coffee?

It is the Saudi style of Arabic coffee. The basic method is shared across the Gulf, but Saudi regions have their own roasts and spice mixes, and the name “Saudi coffee” has been promoted since the Year of Saudi Coffee in 2022.

Why is it so light in colour?

Because the beans are roasted only lightly and the coffee is not boiled for too long. Most Saudi regions prefer this light, “blonde” coffee; a longer boil makes it darker and more bitter.

Is it drunk with sugar?

Traditionally no. It is served without sugar, and dates are offered alongside for sweetness.

Does it have caffeine?

Yes. It is real coffee, so it contains caffeine, although the small cups mean each serving is small. See our caffeine chart to compare drinks.

Not sure which beans to buy? See our guide to Arabica vs Robusta.

References

1. Saudipedia. Coffee Recipes in Saudi Arabia. saudipedia.com
2. Saudipedia. How Is Saudi Coffee Made? saudipedia.com
3. Arab News (2022). UNESCO adds Saudi Khawlani coffee, Camel Heda’a to intangible cultural heritage list. arabnews.com
4. Arab News. Culture Ministry celebrates success of Year of Saudi Coffee and honors its partners. arabnews.com