There’s a recent trend of Yemeni coffee houses opening in the Milwaukee area. These shops import beans from Yemen, which some call the birthplace of coffee.
Our fourth stop on the tour — Qahwah House
At Qahwah House in Oak Creek, roasting beans is part of the customer experience. We visited that shop to learn how Qahwah roasts, what makes Yemeni coffee special and how it gets processed into our favorite drinks.
Tina Conley is the co-operator of Qahwah House. She explains, their beans come all the way from Yemen.
"Our coffee originates in Haraz and Sana’ani, Yemen," Conley says. "Our founder, Ibrahim Alhasbani, is an eighth-generation coffee bean farmer. His family farms are in Yemen and we are directly sourced. We are the only location in the United States that gets these beans."
Conley says Qahwah’s beans are grown and hand-picked in the Haraz mountains. While traditional methods are used to harvest the beans, roasting them requires a modern process. Most franchise locations, including this one, use a Diedrich drum machine for roasting.
Conley says the machine is almost like a showpiece. It sits in front of the counter on the north end of the shop. It’s silver, brushed metal casts a dull reflection. Conley says it’s designed to slowly heat the beans and draw more flavor from them.
'A full experience'
The beans are visible through a small circular window on the machine. They gradually change color from green to yellow. The beans crack twice before falling from the drum to the cooling tray. That’s where a metal arm spins clockwise, keeping the beans moving so they don’t burn. Conley says customers often ask about the machine. It’s an opportunity for her to engage with guests.
"The whole concept of this place — it’s a full experience," she says. "We have families sitting here sharing a pot over conversation. I mean, it’s a whole thing. We want you to sit inside. We want to talk to you. We want to tell you our story. We want to tell you our origins; where we’re from, how we make your coffee."
Conley is a Milwaukee native. She has about 30 years of restaurant experience and a background in real estate. Her husband is Palestinian. Qahwah House is a franchise that started in Michigan. Conley explains how she and her sister-in-law, Dawlat Abdullah, ended up opening the first location in Wisconsin.
"The franchise was looking for a location here in Wisconsin and they contacted me because I have a lot of contacts in the Muslim community because of my husband," Conley says. "So, they knew that I would know of locations that were in the area that would accommodate the community here."
Trying Mofawar
Qahwah, which is Arabic for coffee, is in Oak Creek’s Drexel Town Square. Conley says the community here is a diverse one.
"We’re definitely probably at that 60/40 mark where 60% of the clientele that walk through the door has never been to not only this location but never been to a Yemeni coffee spot or a Yemeni tea shop before," she says. "So, there’s a lot of education on that side of it —with letting them know exactly what it is about, where it comes from, the ingredients, the recipes."
Conley serves us Mofawar. It’s a medium roast coffee with cardamom and cream. WUWM's Maayan Silver shares her reaction:
"I really like this," says Silver. "It’s not bitter, it’s not sour. It’s really a nice roast. I could see myself drinking this in the morning."
Qahwah offers traditional Yemeni drinks like the Adeni chai and qishr with coffee husks and ginger. They have pastries too, like the cheese-filled honeycomb bread and buttery and flaky sabaya. Conley says after a year of being in business, she’s been most excited to introduce Turkish and Yemeni recipes to the community.
