Qaxwo (Spiced Coffee)

By Ifrah F. Ahmed

Updated April 13, 2026

  • Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
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Ready In
10 min
Rating
5(9)
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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
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

13 grams carbs; 6 milligrams cholesterol; 85 calories; 1 gram monosaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 2 grams fat; 31 milligrams sodium; 3 grams protein; 4 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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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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5 out of 5
9 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?

Leeza

@Mimi I have done this and it does work well!

Janet

How coarse or fine to grind the coffee? And what is meant by repeat two more times for 1or 2 minutes - do you mean let it rest 1-2 minutes between bringing it back go a boil?

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

David

This was delicious but I made a few substitutions. Instead of all those spices, which don't always agree with my stomach, I swapped in a generous helping of heavy cream. and of course I left out the milk because it was unnecessary at that point. I don't like sweet drinks so instead of the sugar I used some Irish Whiskey. it's great. on my sixth one and it makes me feel warm and tingly.

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Credits

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

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