Coffee Drink
Qishr Recipe: Yemeni Coffee-Husk Tea with Ginger
Qishr, also spelled kishr or gishr, is a Yemeni drink made from coffee-cherry husks, often with spices. It is lighter and more tea-like than roasted-bean coffee. This two-serving version gently simmers the husks with fresh ginger and cinnamon, then sweetens each cup after straining.
Drink Snapshot
- Caffeine
- Contains caffeineCoffee-husk infusion, not bean coffeeCaffeine is extracted from the coffee-cherry husks during simmering.
- Calories
- Total not establishedInfusion plus 4 g sugar per servingThe 4 g (1 US tsp) added sugar alone contributes an estimated 15 kcal per cup.
Serving, sugar and sources
- Serving
- Half of a strained 500 ml (17 US fl oz) water-input batch; 4 g (1 US tsp) sugar added per cup
- Made with
- Coffee-cherry husks, ginger, cinnamon, water and sugar
- Sugar
- 4 g added per cup. Naturally extracted sugars are not quantified; total sugar is unknown.
- Preparation
- 15 minutes, including a 10-minute gentle simmer
Home adaptation informed by Sheba Yemeni Food and Qamaria; EFSA caffeine context and USDA sugar reference. Reviewed 27 September 2026. See the full calculation or label comparison.
Key Takeaways
- Choose food-grade coffee-cherry husks sold for brewing, and expect a lighter drink than roasted-bean coffee.
- Fresh ginger gives the recipe its lively finish; reduce it in the next batch if you want the husk infusion to lead.
- Sweeten after straining so each person can choose how much sugar suits their cup.
On This Page9 Sections
What Is Qishr Made From?
The coffee ingredient is the dried husk of the cherry, rather than roasted beans. Sheba Yemeni Food describes qishr as a light, tea-like Yemeni preparation and gives kishr and gishr as alternate spellings. Its recipe uses ginger, cinnamon and caraway; other spices and sweetness vary.
A named café example makes that distinction useful when ordering. Qamaria describes its Sheeba drink as qishr with ginger and cinnamon. On the same menu, Juban combines coffee and qishr. Those are different ingredient choices, even though both appear among Yemeni coffee drinks.
What Does Qishr Taste Like?
Qishr is light and tea-like, with a fragrant warmth from ginger and cinnamon in this version. It lacks the deep roasted bitterness of bean coffee. Fresh ginger adds a lively, gently peppery finish, while cinnamon brings a sweet-smelling aroma and the added sugar rounds the drink.
I prefer qishr with ginger clearly present but not so strong that it hides the husks’ lighter character. That gentler, fragrant cup is what I want from it, especially when roasted coffee would feel too heavy for the moment.
Qishr Recipe with Ginger and Cinnamon
Allow 10 minutes at a gentle simmer after the pan reaches a boil. Stove heating time varies.
Recipe
Qishr with Ginger and Cinnamon
- Makes:
- 2 servings
- Time:
- 15 minutes; 10-minute simmer
Ingredients
- 20 g food-grade dried coffee-cherry husks for brewing (not cascara sagrada bark)
- 500 ml (17 US fl oz) water
- 6 g (0.2 oz) fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 g cinnamon stick
- 8 g (2 US tsp) granulated sugar, divided
Equipment
- Scale
- Measuring jug and grater
- Saucepan with room for the simmering infusion
- Fine-mesh strainer and heatproof jug
- Spoon and two cups
Method
- Put 500 ml (17 US fl oz) water, 20 g food-grade coffee-cherry husks, 6 g (0.2 oz) grated fresh ginger and 1 g cinnamon stick in a saucepan. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, for 10 minutes, keeping enough liquid in the pan.
- Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof jug, then divide the collected infusion equally between two cups.
- Stir 4 g (1 US tsp) sugar into each cup. Let the drink cool to a comfortable temperature before sipping.
Divide the strained infusion into two equal portions. The 500 ml (17 US fl oz) is starting water; evaporation and liquid retained by the husks reduce the collected amount, so each finished serving will be smaller than 250 ml (8.5 US fl oz).
Use a saucepan with space above the ingredients, rather than filling it to the rim. A fine strainer helps catch the grated ginger as well as the husks. There is no need for a grinder, espresso machine or milk frother.
Sheba Yemeni Food's published method provides the approximately 10-minute stovetop reference. Our version uses a gentle simmer, chooses only ginger and cinnamon, and adds sugar to the cups after straining.
Choosing Qishr Husks and Adjusting the Spices
Buy coffee-cherry husks intended for brewing, also sold as food-grade cascara. Check the pack's ingredient, preparation and storage information. Husks sold for this use should not be confused with miscellaneous coffee-processing waste or with cascara sagrada bark. The cascara tea guide explains that naming distinction and a simpler unspiced steep.
Weigh the husks. Their irregular shape makes a spoon or cup an unreliable replacement for the specified 20 g unless your supplier documents a conversion for that product.
Fresh ginger brings a different flavor from ground dried ginger, so avoid treating 6 g (0.2 oz) fresh as 6 g (0.2 oz) powder. The cinnamon is a 1 g piece of stick, not “one stick” of any size. Break off and weigh a piece rather than dropping in a large stick by count.
| What you want | A practical change |
|---|---|
| Less ginger emphasis | Try 3 g fresh grated ginger in the next two-serving batch |
| No added sugar | Omit the 8 g (2 US tsp) sugar; taste the strained infusion on its own |
| Less sweetness in one cup | Add 2 g (½ US tsp) sugar to that cup instead of 4 g (1 US tsp) |
| A simpler coffee-fruit infusion | Use the unspiced cascara recipe and its shorter steep |
Keep the other amounts unchanged when comparing a variation. If the finished drink is too concentrated, add a little hot water to the cup. A vigorous boil can reduce the liquid much faster than a gentle simmer, so check the heat before increasing the recipe's water or sugar next time.
Qishr Caffeine, Calories and Sugar
Qishr made from coffee-cherry husks contains caffeine. We do not have a measured caffeine result for this 20 g, two-serving preparation.
Each cup in this recipe receives 4 g (1 US tsp) added sugar, contributing an estimated 15 kcal on its own. The infusion's extracted nutrients have not been quantified, so that is not a whole-drink calorie total.
Serving, added-sugar calculation and caffeine evidence
USDA granulated sugar, NDB 19335, lists 387 kcal and 99.8 g total sugar per 100 g. A 4 g portion therefore supplies 15.48 kcal and 3.992 g sugar, displayed as 15 kcal and 4 g. Half that portion, 2 g (½ US tsp), contributes an estimated 8 kcal and 2 g sugar. Because the sugar goes into each cup after straining, its amount does not depend on how much liquid the husks retain.
We do not add the full dry weights of the husks and spices to a nutrition calculator as if you ate them. Much of that material stays in the strainer. The serving calculation therefore counts the sugar added after straining.
EFSA's coffee-husk assessment documents differing caffeine levels between dry batches and extraction under a specified laboratory infusion method. Our qishr uses different husks, spice additions and a 10-minute simmer. The cascara caffeine discussion explains those records and their infusion method.
This ingredient list includes no milk or cream. Check purchased husks, spice blends and café versions for their own ingredient and allergen information.
Qishr vs. Cascara and Other Yemeni Drinks
The easiest way to order is to ask what supplies the coffee flavor, whether milk is included, and when sweetener is added. Qamaria's published menu illustrates why names alone can be confusing:
| Menu example | Main ingredients described |
|---|---|
| Sheeba | Qishr/cascara with ginger and cinnamon |
| Juban | Coffee and qishr with cardamom, ginger and cinnamon |
| Mufawaar | Roasted-bean coffee with cardamom and cream |
| Adeni tea | Black tea with cardamom and a creamy finish |
These are that café's descriptions, not fixed definitions of every household's version. For the cream-and-coffee branch, see mofawar. For the broader roasted-coffee context, see Arabic coffee.
Cascara and qishr are closely connected because both use coffee-cherry material. This guide concentrates on the Yemeni spiced preparation; the cascara page covers buying the ingredient, unspiced brewing and published supplier ratios.
Common Questions
Is qishr made with coffee beans?
Is kishr the same drink as qishr?
Can I make it without sugar?
Can ground coffee replace the husks?
Is qishr the same as cascara tea?
For the ground-coffee alternative, use the Moroccan spiced-coffee recipe.