Coffee Drink
Mofawar: Yemeni Cardamom Coffee with Cream
Mofawar is Yemeni-style cardamom coffee enriched with liquid cream. The cream rounds the coffee’s bitter edge while leaving the spice aromatic, without a whipped topping or a large milk portion.
Drink Snapshot
- Caffeine
- 80 mg referenceGeneric brewed coffee at the defined serving massThe reference covers 200 g (7.1 oz) prepared coffee per serving.
- Calories
- Estimated 55 kcalWeighed heavy cream and generic brewed coffeeMost calories come from the cream. Café cream portions and sweeteners vary.
Serving, sugar and sources
- Serving
- 200 g (7.1 oz) prepared cardamom coffee + 15 g (1 US tbsp) heavy cream; no sweetener
- Made with
- Cardamom coffee + unsweetened heavy cream
- Sugar
- Estimated 0.4 g total. Naturally occurring sugar in the cream; no sweetener added.
- Preparation
- About 8 minutes; heating time varies
Qahwah House provides the coffee-blend instructions; USDA brewed-coffee and heavy-cream records support the defined serving estimate. Checked 26 September 2026. See the full calculation or label comparison.
Key Takeaways
- Use the prepared blend on its own first; it already contains cardamom, so extra spice can quickly dominate.
- Let the grounds settle and decant before adding cream for a less gritty cup.
- If the drink feels too rich, reduce the cream in the next batch while keeping the prepared coffee portion the same.
On This Page8 Sections
Mofawar Home Recipe
Use a saucepan with enough headroom for the coffee to rise. The coffee blend already contains cardamom; no espresso machine or milk frother is needed.
Recipe
Mofawar
- Makes:
- 2 servings
- Time:
- About 8 minutes; heating time varies
Ingredients
- 2 level tbsp Qahwah House Sana’ani coffee blend, using a 15 ml (1 US tbsp) measuring tablespoon
- 473 ml (16 US fl oz) water, plus hot water only if needed after decanting
- 30 g (2 US tbsp) unsweetened liquid heavy whipping cream
Equipment
- Saucepan with generous headroom
- 15 ml (1 US tbsp) measuring tablespoon
- Liquid measure
- Scale
- Timer
- Spoon
- Heatproof jug
- Hob or compatible heat source
- Second heatproof jug for measuring the coffee portion
- Two heatproof cups, at least 250 ml (8.5 US fl oz) each
Method
- Warm 473 ml (16 US fl oz) water in a saucepan with generous headroom. Stir in 2 level US tbsp Qahwah House Sana’ani coffee blend, using a 15 ml measuring tablespoon.
- Stay beside the pan as you heat and stir to the first boil. Let it boil briefly for about 10 seconds, then remove from the heat.
- Rest undisturbed for 2 minutes. Slowly decant into a heatproof jug, leaving sediment behind.
- Tare a clean second jug and weigh in 400 g (14.1 oz) prepared coffee. Reserve any extra; if short, add only enough hot water to reach 400 g (14.1 oz). Stir in 30 g (2 US tbsp) liquid heavy cream.
- Divide evenly between two cups, 215 g (7.6 oz) each. Serve without added sweetener.
Estimated nutrition: 55 kcal · 0.4 g total sugar. Per half-batch, using unsweetened heavy cream.
Recipe notes
Contains milk. The named coffee blend already contains cardamom.
The tablespoon dose is specific to this named blend. Use a level 15 ml (1 US tbsp) measuring tablespoon.
Qahwah House's Sana’ani blend instructions specify two tablespoons with 16 US fluid ounces of water and a brief boil. Our 473 ml (16 US fl oz) water measure is that input rounded to the nearest milliliter. The settling time, 400 g (14.1 oz) decanted portion, cream amount and division into two define this home adaptation.
Measure 400 g (14.1 oz) prepared coffee after decanting; water remains in the grounds and some evaporates. Top up only if short; if there is extra coffee, reserve it separately. Adding cream to the measured coffee keeps the two finished portions consistent.
For help handling a fine-ground stovetop brew, see the Turkish coffee brewing guide. Use its equipment and sediment guidance alongside the method above; its coffee ratio and heating sequence describe a different preparation.
What Makes Mofawar Different?
The useful distinction is cardamom coffee with cream. Qahwah House describes adding cream to its Sana’ani coffee to make Mofawar. Qamaria's Mufawaar menu entry independently describes medium-roast coffee, cardamom and cream. Mufawar and Mufawaar are alternative menu spellings.
The same Qamaria menu distinguishes Adeni tea, made with black tea, from Mufawaar. It also lists Qishr/cascara preparations using coffee-cherry husk. Similar spices or a tan color do not make those drinks the same coffee. This recipe uses roasted coffee, not tea leaves or husks.
A latte is another coffee-and-dairy drink, but espresso and steamed milk are its starting point. Mofawar uses cardamom coffee and added cream.
What Does Mofawar Taste Like?
Mofawar has a rounded, creamy mouthfeel with coffee underneath and cardamom rising through the aroma. The small portion of heavy cream gives the drink weight and softens the bitter impression without needing a foam cap. This unsweetened version is gently dairy-sweet, with the spice lingering after the sip.
I prefer enough cream to round the coffee’s bitter edge while leaving the cardamom easy to smell. Its fragrant finish is the reason I choose mofawar, so I stop short of making dairy the main flavor.
Which Cream Should You Use for Mofawar?
For this recipe, choose unsweetened liquid heavy whipping cream and weigh 30 g (2 US tbsp) for the batch. Do not whip it. The aim is an integrated creamy coffee, without a separate topping or a milk-foam cap.
Swipe to see all columnsScroll to see all columns
| Ingredient | What changes | How to use the information |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy whipping cream | Richness from a small portion | The named dairy type used in this recipe and calculation |
| Whole milk | A lighter result at the same weight | A variation; use its own label rather than the cream estimate |
| Unsweetened evaporated milk | A concentrated milk flavor and different composition | Confirm the exact product and follow a recipe written for it |
| Sweetened condensed milk | Adds substantial sweetness as well as dairy | Not an equal-purpose substitute for unsweetened cream |
| Plant-based cream alternative | Flavor, texture and fat content vary widely | Check suitability for hot coffee, ingredients and nutrition |
The primary café descriptions support cream, but they do not disclose an exact brand or fat percentage. This home recipe specifies heavy cream for a repeatable result. If recreating a particular café drink, ask which dairy and sweetener it uses.
This version contains milk. A dairy-free adaptation requires checking the replacement and any prepared coffee blend, as well as recalculating the serving.
How to Adjust Mofawar Without Losing the Coffee
Taste the prepared Mofawar blend before adding extra spice, and adjust the cream separately.
When using the prepared blend named in the recipe, I taste the brewed coffee before adding cardamom. I want to know what the existing seasoning does, rather than double it before giving the blend a chance.
Let the grounds settle before adding the cream: once everything is stirred together, it is harder to leave the sediment behind cleanly. Add the cream after taking the coffee off the heat rather than boiling the dairy with it.
| What you notice | What to change next time |
|---|---|
| Grit in the last sip | Rest and decant gently; stop before the heavy sediment reaches the jug |
| Too rich | Try 20 g (1 US tbsp + 1 US tsp) cream for the two-serving batch, keeping the measured coffee fixed |
| Cardamom overwhelms the cup | Choose a different blend or its recommended dose; the recipe adds no extra cardamom |
| Weak coffee | Check the measuring spoon and blend directions before increasing cream or sweetener |
| Brew boils over | Use more saucepan headroom, gentler heat and stay beside the pan |
The cream adjustment has a straightforward effect on the estimate: 20 g (1 US tbsp + 1 US tsp) cream mixed into 400 g (14.1 oz) prepared coffee gives an estimated 35 kcal per half-batch serving, compared with 55 kcal at 30 g (2 US tbsp) cream. It does not change the generic coffee caffeine reference when the coffee portions remain the same.
Mofawar Caffeine, Calories and Sugar
One defined serving contains 200 g (7.1 oz) prepared coffee and 15 g (1 US tbsp) heavy cream: an estimated 55 kcal and 0.4 g total sugar, with 80 mg reference caffeine and no added sweetener.
Serving calculation and source assumptions
USDA brewed coffee, NDB 14209, lists 1 kcal, 0 g sugar and 40 mg caffeine per 100 g. Our measured 400 g (14.1 oz) batch portion therefore supplies a reference 4 kcal and 160 mg caffeine. This generic coffee record does not measure the caffeine extracted from the named cardamom blend; coffee composition, extraction and any top-up can change the actual result.
USDA heavy whipping cream, NDB 01053, lists 340 kcal and 2.92 g total sugar per 100 g. The 30 g (2 US tbsp) cream adds 102 kcal and 0.876 g sugar. The batch total is 106 kcal and 0.876 g sugar, or 53 kcal and 0.438 g sugar per serving, rounded to 55 kcal and 0.4 g. Reference caffeine is 80 mg per serving.
The calculation does not separately quantify cardamom extracted from the proprietary blend, whose spice proportion is not disclosed. It excludes added sugar, honey or other toppings. At 20 g (1 US tbsp + 1 US tsp) cream per batch, the same method gives 72 kcal total, or 36 kcal per serving, rounded to 35 kcal. Use your cream's label if it differs from this generic record.