Coffee Drink
Café Touba Recipe: Senegalese Coffee with Djar
Café Touba is Senegalese coffee flavored with djar, also called grains of Selim. This home version filters a prepared coffee-and-djar blend, then sweetens a measured batch so each small serving has the same sugar portion.
Drink Snapshot
- Caffeine
- Not measured (Touba)Comparator only: 40 mg / 100 g (3.5 oz) generic brewed coffeeUSDA FDC 171890 supplies the separate generic brewed-coffee comparator.
- Calories
- About 15 kcal104 g (3.7 oz) serving; generic coffee energy proxyGeneric coffee energy and sugar references support this estimate. The dissolved spice contribution is unquantified.
Serving, sugar and sources
- Serving
- 100 g (3.5 oz) filtered coffee + 4 g (1 US tsp) sugar = 104 g (3.7 oz) drink
- Made with
- Filtered coffee + djar
- Sugar
- About 4 g total. Each serving contains 4 g added granulated sugar. No milk is included.
- Preparation
- About 10 minutes
Primary context sources and USDA reference records checked 25 September 2026. Serving estimates use the named coffee and sugar records. See the full calculation or label comparison.
Key Takeaways
- 1Djar is Xylopia aethiopica, or grains of Selim. Black pepper and grains of paradise are different ingredients.
- 2Filter the blend, then measure 300 g (10.6 oz) coffee, stir in 12 g (1 US tbsp) sugar and share three 104 g (3.7 oz) servings.
- 3Each defined serving is about 15 kcal and 4 g total sugar using a coffee energy proxy.
On This Page10 Sections
What Is Café Touba?
Café Touba is Senegalese coffee flavored with djar, the aromatic fruit of Xylopia aethiopica. It is associated with Touba and the Mouride community, while also being sold and enjoyed more widely. The spice is commonly called grains of Selim in English.
This recipe starts with an unsweetened ground coffee-and-djar blend. You filter it, measure the coffee you will serve and add sugar afterward. There is no need to roast beans or whole spices at home to follow it.
What Is Djar, and Can You Substitute It?
Look for Xylopia aethiopica, djar, diar or grains of Selim on a food-grade spice or coffee-blend label. Kew identifies Xylopia aethiopica as the botanical species. The dried spice comes in elongated, dark, wrinkled fruit pods, rather than round black peppercorns.
| What you have | What to do |
|---|---|
| Unsweetened ground coffee-and-djar blend | The recipe baseline; a pre-sweetened mix needs its own sugar calculation |
| Whole food-grade djar | Follow a trusted producer's grinding and blend guidance |
| Black pepper or grains of paradise | Different spices, not equivalent ingredients; describe any substitution honestly |
| Cardamom | Makes another spiced coffee; see Saudi coffee rather than calling it the same Touba recipe |
Measure 20 g of the prepared blend, with its coffee and djar already combined.
Café Touba Recipe
Recipe
Café Touba
- Makes:
- 3 small servings
- Time:
- About 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 20 g unsweetened ground coffee-and-djar blend
- 400 g (13.5 US fl oz) hot water, plus a little if needed
- 12 g (1 US tbsp) granulated sugar
Equipment
- Kettle, scale, filter, server and three small cups
Method
- Put 20 g unsweetened ground coffee-and-djar blend in a paper filter or a clean food-safe cloth filter over a server.
- Pour 400 g (13.5 US fl oz) hot water through gradually. Let it drain; do not squeeze the filter.
- Tare a clean server and weigh in 300 g (10.6 oz) filtered coffee. Save extra coffee; if short, top up with hot water to 300 g (10.6 oz).
- Add 12 g (1 US tbsp) sugar and stir until dissolved.
- Divide the 312 g (11 oz) batch equally into three 104 g (3.7 oz) servings. Serve warm.
Estimated nutrition per serving: 15 calories; total sugar 4 g. Serving: 104 g (3.7 oz) sweetened coffee.
Recipe notes
Djar is grains of Selim. A premixed ground blend avoids home spice roasting.
About 15 kcal and 4 g total sugar per serving use a generic coffee proxy.
The measured coffee output keeps the sugar portion consistent even when the filter retains different amounts of water. A Slow Food recipe published through an FAO-supported project documents filtering Touba coffee and sweetening at service; these ingredient weights are our home adaptation.
Tare the empty server before weighing the 300 g (10.6 oz) coffee portion. Each cup then receives one third of the same thoroughly mixed batch. The 400 g (13.5 US fl oz) brewing water is not the finished yield; extra filtered coffee is kept outside this three-serving recipe.
Use a grind suited to the filter. If a very fine premix stalls in paper, try a slightly coarser blend next time or a suitable clean cloth filter. Do not force grounds through by squeezing. Follow the filter maker's cleaning instructions and do not store a damp, dirty cloth for later use.
Flavor and Tasting Notes
The coffee provides the roast character, while djar adds an aromatic, peppery impression. The balance depends on the blend. Sugar can soften the perceived bitterness.
Robusta occurs in documented Touba preparations, including an original Dakar study. Choose a blend whose ingredients are stated, then adjust the served sweetness rather than assuming an expensive coffee origin is required.
Café Touba Caffeine, Calories and Sugar
This Touba recipe's caffeine has not been measured. Each 104 g (3.7 oz) serving has about 15 kcal and 4 g total sugar in the ingredient estimate.
For context only, USDA FDC 171890 reports 40 mg caffeine per 100 g (3.5 oz) generic brewed coffee. If caffeine precision matters, use a product with a relevant tested prepared-serving value.
Serving calculation and spice allowance
The defined cup contains 100 g filtered coffee plus 4 g granulated sugar. Using generic black coffee as an energy-only proxy and USDA's sugar record gives:
| Per defined cup | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Generic coffee energy proxy | About 1 kcal |
| 4 g granulated sugar | About 15 kcal and 4 g total sugar |
| Whole cup, rounded to nearest 5 kcal | About 15 kcal and 4 g total sugar |
The underlying sum is 1 + (4 × 3.87) = 16.48 kcal; sugar is 4 × 0.998 = 3.992 g. The dissolved spice contribution is unquantified.
Adjust Sweetness Without Changing the Coffee
Swipe to see all columnsScroll to see all columns
| Sugar added to the measured 300 g (10.6 oz) coffee batch | Sugar ingredient per cup | Approximate calories per cup |
|---|---|---|
| None | 0 g | 1 kcal reference |
| 6 g (1½ US tsp) | 2 g (½ US tsp) | 9 kcal |
| 12 g (1 US tbsp), recipe baseline | 4 g (1 US tsp) | 16 kcal |
The last table keeps more precise whole-kcal figures to show the change. Cups contain different finished weights as sugar changes; the coffee portion stays 100 g (3.5 oz).
Café Touba Troubleshooting
| Problem | Useful change |
|---|---|
| Djar dominates | Choose a milder coffee-and-djar blend; adding sugar alone will not remove the spice |
| Coffee is weak | Check the blend and grind before adding more djar; measure the brewed portion consistently |
| Paper filter drains very slowly | Try a coarser blend or appropriate cloth filter next batch; avoid compressing the grounds |
| Grit reaches the cups | Check the filter fit and tears; let it drain without squeezing |
| Too sweet | Use the 6 g (1½ US tsp) batch option or sweeten individual cups |
| Not enough for three servings | Top up the measured coffee to 300 g (10.6 oz) before adding sugar, as the method specifies |
History and Culture
The Slow Food account links the drink to Touba and Mouride traditions, and recounts a story connecting it with Amadou Bamba's return from exile in Gabon. It presents this as an origin story, without a verified invention date.
A 2017 field study of households and vendors around Dakar documents the drink beyond a single ceremonial setting.
For other spiced preparations, compare café de olla, Arabic coffee and Turkish coffee. Their ingredients and brewing methods remain distinct.
Common Questions
What spice is in café Touba?
Can I replace djar with black pepper?
Do I have to roast coffee and spices together?
Does café Touba always contain sugar?
Is Touba stronger than espresso?
Does café Touba have health benefits?
Editor's Take
Sources and Further Reading
5 references
External links open in a new tab