Try the world’s oldest cup of coffee in Hilliard
Shop also offers modern favorites and pastries
Local coffee lovers can now enjoy coffee as it was originally brewed over 500 years ago.
Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co., 3221 Hilliard Rome Road, Hilliard, sources its beans from Yemen and brews them in the country’s traditional style — said to be the world’s first coffee recipe. A Michigan-based brand, the local Qamaria franchise also offers modern favorites like cappuccinos, lattes and a variety of pastries. Since opening in February, it has racked up a 4.9 star-rating with more than 200 reviews on Google.
“Yemeni coffee has a fruity and earthy flavor to it. It’s grown in high altitude … over 3,000 meters, and it’s sun dried for 30 to 45 days, on top of the roofs,” said Adam Ahmed, 30, of Hilliard, one of the local franchise’s coowners.
The coffee tree, Coffea arabica, originated in East Africa, but its beans were first roasted in Yemen in the 14th century, according to food writer Harold
Mcghee’s book, “On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen.”
Ahmed and his partners — Najme Gabbar, 40, of Westerville, and Abdul Nagi, of Detroit — were all born in Yemen but immigrated to the U.S. at young ages.
“Almost every house (in Yemen) has a coffee tree. … We grew up picking coffee from the backyard, roasting it at home,” said Gabbar, who came to the U.S. at age 8.
Gabbar said his family moved from Yemen to Dearborn, Michigan, where there is a large community of Yemenis, many of whom worked in the automotive
industry. He said he opened Yemeni Restaurant on Columbus’ Northeast Side in 2018, after starting other restaurants in Michigan and New York.
He recommended new customers try “mufawaar,” which is coffee boiled with cardamom. Each cup comes with a sludge of fine grounds at the bottom.
Other coffees are blended with spices like cinnamon, cloves and ginger.
Gabbar also recommended Adeni tea, made in the style of the port city of Aden. Honeycomb pastries, which are filled with cheese and sweetened with honey, are also a favorite.
Roasted coffee is available to take home.
The walls of Qamaria (pronounced kah-mah-ree-yah) are decorated with murals of Yemeni people and the flatroofed architecture of Sana’a, the nation’s capital. The coffee shop is named after the arched, stained-glass windows that are common in many of the city’s homes.
Yemen may have been the first country to roast coffee, but today it is a relatively small player in the world market, as countries like Brazil, Vietnam and Colombia dominate production. Yemen
was responsible for less than a quarter of a percent of coffee exports in 202223, according to the International Coffee Organization.
A civil war has ravaged parts of Yemen since 2014, but Gabbar said the coffee trade has continued.
“We have good relationships with the farmers,” he said.
He feels that cup by cup, he hopes to share Yemeni culture with the Hilliard community — and eventually expand into Dublin, Westerville, and downtown Columbus.
“I feel like now, everybody knows about Yemen. Now we’re known for authentic food and authentic coffee,” Gabbar said.
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Peter Gill covers immigration, New American communities and religion for the Dispatch in partnership with Report for America. You can support work like his with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America at: bit.ly/3fnsgaz.
pgill@dispatch.com