Qaxwo (Spiced Coffee)

By Ifrah F. Ahmed

Updated April 13, 2026

  • Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Media 1 of 1
Ready In
10 min
Rating
5(108)
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The Horn of Africa is the birthplace of coffee, and this part of the world has a strong coffee culture. Somali qaxwo (pronounced qah-wo) is ground coffee blended with ginger, cinnamon and sometimes cardamom. The ancient Greeks called Somalia “Regio Cinnamafore” (the Land of Cinnamon), and the aromatic cinnamon in Somali qaxwo is a revelation, as is the ginger. Qaxwo is lovely anytime, but it really shines in the afternoon during casariyo, the afternoon meal break. Qaxwo is often paired with doolsho, cookies and xalwo (a very sweet and gelatinous cardamon-scented dessert). Make coffee as directed here, or brew it from brands like Banadir One, which have the spices already blended in.

Featured in: My Mother Taught Me to Cook Like a Somali. I Want to Teach the World.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 7 tablespoons/48 grams ground coffee (a light roast)

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • ½ teaspoon ground cardamom

  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon ground ginger, to taste

  • Sugar (optional), for serving

  • Milk (optional), for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat 4 cups water in a small pot over medium-high until hot but not boiling; stir in the coffee, cinnamon, cardamom and ginger and bring it to a rolling boil. Watch it closely — once it looks like it will boil over, lift the pot off the burner until it settles down, then put back on the burner. Repeat two more times, for 1 or 2 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and serve with sugar and milk as you like, or drink black.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
108 user ratings
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Comments

Brian S.

Could you just add these spices to the basket in your coffee maker - along with the ground coffee?

Raul Garza

I suppose you could add your spices to the basket of the coffee maker, but will it taste exactly like the pot-made, twice boiled (authentic) version? Almost certainly not. For one, the coffee won't be in contact with the spices for the same amount of time, and you'll also miss out on the effects of the high heat and agitation. As with most recipes, it's probably worth it to try it the original way first.

AL

For all asking, this method is the same as for Turkish coffee and requires very finely ground coffee. Bring to boil to let foam up. Take off heat and let grounds settle. Do two more times. Let grounds settle and pour off coffee. Don’t bother straining

Barbara

I put the spices in my French Press first, then coffee grounds. Poured into my usual microwave -heated (or steamed) mix of unsweetened soy and oat milks plus coconut sugar ( which is delicious w coffee, and low glycemic!) Yummy!

Sara

New-to-me take on coffee. I really liked the warmth the spices add to it. Will definitely be putting this in my coffee rotation.

Vlad

As an occasional, not daily black coffee enjoyer, this was the best cup of coffee I’ve had from anything other than a professional espresso machine. The spices complimented very well the bitterness of the coffee, rounding it out without adding sugar or milk. Sieved through cheese cloth left over from an old project. Otherwise cleanup would have been a chore given the fine grind I started with.

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Credits

Adapted from "Soomaaliya" by Ifrah F. Ahmed (Hardie Grant North America, 2026)

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