Down and dirty mofawar

Last fall I made my second annual stop in at Qahwah House in lovely Lombard, Illinois. I bought a bag of their coffee beans in addition to a cuppa thinking it would be fun to ward off the chill of winter with a mofawar in-hand. Well, it took me a while and spring is nearly here but I've finally opened that bag o' beans and tried my hand at coffee Yemeni style at home.

I have not been brewing it in the traditional manner and instead have been using my coffeemaker. Step 1: grind the beans. Check. Step 2: lightly crush some cardamom pods. 

Check.

Step 3: put everything in basket and let 'er rip.

Add cream and voila! 

It took me a couple pots to figure out how much cardamom to put in there but, once I got that down, things have been humming along. Good stuff.

Getting my mufawaar fix

While down in lovely Lombard, Illinois last week I stopped in at the Qamaria Coffee Co. outpost there and got a mufawaar for a little pick me up. It's luscious blend of coffee, cream, and cardamom warmed me up and sent my taste buds a-flutter. Now that I am attending Chicago TARDIS alone, I am making new traditions for my annual trip and this is one of them.

As I was sipping the wonderful drink, I thought to myself that Madison needs a Yemeni coffeehouse. My desire proved to be a premonition as I read just 2 days later that Madison, in fact, had a Yemeni coffeehouse. Indeed it was an outpost of Qamaria.

Now, a new location has opened in Madison. The cafe is well-lit but not overly bright, has music playing — though not too loud. In the air is a sweet and spiced aroma. In short, it’s cozy. 

“It honestly brings a feeling of family and community,” Alhurani said. “The whole Arabic culture and the Middle Eastern culture is all about this warm feeling and energy you get from the people around you.” 

My wife and I had a tradition of having our first Chicago TARDIS meal at Portillo's but, after they set up shop here in Madison, that changed. Now that we have a Qamaria here, I might have to try out Matari Coffee next year. 

When I need to get my mufawaar fix and am on the west side, I have somewhere to satisfy it. But, if I am at home, I am good, for now as I brought some medium roast home with me.