How to brew Yemeni coffee at home

You don't need special equipment to brew great Yemeni coffee. Start with whole beans, grind them just before you brew, and use water just off the boil.

Pour-over

• Ratio: 1 g of coffee to 16 g of water (about 15 g for a 250 g cup).
• Grind: medium-fine, like table salt.
• Rinse the paper filter with hot water and pour that water away.
• Add the coffee and pour about twice its weight in water. Wait 30 to 45 seconds while it blooms.
• Pour the rest slowly in small circles, then let it drain. About 3 to 3½ minutes in all.

French press

• Ratio: 1 g of coffee to 15 g of water.
• Grind: coarse, like sea salt.
• Pour in all the water, stir gently, put the lid on and wait 4 minutes.
• Press down slowly and pour it all out straight away so it doesn't keep brewing.

Yemeni-style, spiced

The traditional way, brewed in a small pot.

• Ratio: about 1 g of coffee to 12 g of water.
• Grind: fine, like powdered sugar.
• Bring the water to a simmer and stir in the coffee with a pinch each of ground cardamom and ginger.
• Simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes, never letting it boil over.
• Take it off the heat, rest a minute so the grounds settle, then pour slowly.

Which coffee for which brew?

Black pour-over shows off the clear notes of Specialty Jawaher. Haraazi is lovely black or with a splash of milk. For spiced Yemeni-style coffee, or anything with milk and sugar, the bold body of Yemeni stands up best.

Our brewing guide works out the amounts for any number of cups, with a step-by-step timer.