What Is Cafe Touba? The Senegalese Spiced Coffee Explained
Cafe touba is Senegal's spiced coffee, roasted with Selim pepper and served strong and sweet. Here is what it is and how it is made.
African Stores Editorial Team
The short answer
Cafe touba is Senegal's much loved spiced coffee, made by roasting coffee beans together with djar, the Selim pepper also known as Guinea pepper or grains of Selim, and sometimes cloves, then grinding the mix and brewing it strong. It is served sweet in small cups, has a warm, peppery aroma, and is sold everywhere from street stalls to home kitchens. Named after the holy city of Touba, it is closely tied to the Mouride community of Senegal. In the UK the coffee, Selim pepper and cloves to make it are sold by African food shops, which you can find near you on African Stores.
What to remember
- Cafe touba is Senegalese coffee roasted with Selim pepper, called djar, and sometimes cloves.
- It is brewed strong and served sweet in small cups.
- It has a warm, peppery aroma quite unlike ordinary coffee.
- It is a street and home staple across Senegal.
- It is named after the holy city of Touba and linked to the Mouride community.
The smell of cafe touba is unmistakable, dark coffee threaded with pepper and spice, drifting from a street stall in the early morning. For many Senegalese abroad it is the scent of home itself, of a small glass cup passed across a counter, of a strong sweet drink taken standing up before the day begins. To brew a pot far from Dakar is to bring that warmth back into the kitchen.
There is quiet devotion in it too. Cafe touba carries the name of Touba, the holy city, and it is bound up with the Mouride community who made it their own. What began as a spiced coffee has become a daily ritual and a point of pride, a taste that says something about where a person comes from. To make it in Britain, and to hand a friend their first peppery, sweet cup, is to share that piece of Senegal.
What Cafe Touba Actually Is
Cafe touba is a Senegalese spiced coffee, and the thing that sets it apart is how it is roasted. The coffee beans are roasted together with djar, the dried Selim pepper also called Guinea pepper or grains of Selim, and sometimes with cloves. Once roasted, the beans and spice are ground together, so the pepper is worked right through the coffee rather than sprinkled on top. The result is a dark, strong brew with a warm, peppery aroma and a gently spiced flavour that ordinary coffee does not have.
Served in small cups and sweetened generously, cafe touba is bold and comforting at once. It is a genuine everyday drink in Senegal, part of the wider tradition of Senegalese food and its love of warm, aromatic spicing. The Selim pepper gives it a fragrance somewhere between coffee and spice cabinet, and it is that signature scent, as much as the caffeine, that people reach for.
How Cafe Touba Is Made and Served
Making cafe touba begins with the roast. Green coffee beans are roasted with djar, the Selim pepper, and often a few cloves, until the beans are dark and the spice has released its aroma. The roasted mix is ground finely, then brewed strong, traditionally by pouring hot water through the grounds in a cloth filter so the coffee comes out dark and full. It is almost always sweetened with a good amount of sugar and poured into small cups to drink.
On the streets of Senegal it is sold from stalls and carts, the vendor pouring long streams of hot coffee from a kettle into little cups for people to take on the go. At home it is made in much the same spiced, sweetened way. However it is served, cafe touba is a strong drink, so a small cup goes a long way, and it is enjoyed throughout the day as a warming pick-me-up.
Why Cafe Touba Matters in Senegal
Cafe touba is more than a drink in Senegal, it carries a name and a heritage. It is named after Touba, the holy city, and it is closely linked to the Mouride community, for whom it holds real cultural meaning. From those roots it has spread into daily life across the country, sold on street corners and brewed in homes until it became one of Senegal's most recognisable drinks. For many people it is a small, familiar pleasure and a marker of identity, a spiced coffee that could only be theirs.
Where to Buy Cafe Touba Ingredients in the UK
Cafe touba is easy to make at home once you have the right spice. You will want coffee, ground djar or whole Selim pepper, also sold as Guinea pepper or grains of Selim, and some cloves, along with plenty of sugar to serve it the traditional way. African food shops, especially those serving West African and Senegalese customers, are the place to find the Selim pepper and cloves that give the coffee its distinctive aroma. Do note that cafe touba contains caffeine and is usually made with a lot of sugar, so it is a treat to enjoy in moderation. You can find African food stores near you to see what is nearby.
Frequently asked questions
What is cafe touba?
Cafe touba is a Senegalese spiced coffee made by roasting coffee beans together with djar, the Selim pepper also called Guinea pepper or grains of Selim, and sometimes cloves. The mix is ground and brewed strong, then served sweet in small cups. It has a warm, peppery aroma and is named after the holy city of Touba.
What does cafe touba taste like?
Cafe touba tastes like strong, dark coffee carried on a warm, peppery spice, thanks to the Selim pepper roasted in with the beans. It is bold and aromatic, with a fragrance somewhere between coffee and spice, and it is usually served quite sweet. The cloves, when used, add a further gentle warmth.
How is cafe touba made?
Coffee beans are roasted together with djar, the Selim pepper, and often a few cloves, then ground finely so the spice runs right through the coffee. It is brewed strong, traditionally poured through a cloth filter, sweetened with plenty of sugar and served in small cups. Street vendors pour it from a kettle into little cups to drink on the go.
Does cafe touba contain caffeine?
Yes, cafe touba is real coffee, so it contains caffeine, and it is brewed strong. It is also usually made with a lot of sugar, so it is best enjoyed in moderation. It is a non-alcoholic drink, warming and suitable as an everyday treat for those who drink coffee.
Where can I buy cafe touba ingredients in the UK?
Cafe touba is made at home, so African food shops are the place to buy the ingredients: coffee, djar or Selim pepper, also sold as Guinea pepper or grains of Selim, and cloves. Shops serving West African and Senegalese customers stock the Selim pepper that gives the coffee its aroma. African Stores lists African and Caribbean food shops across the UK, so you can find one near you that stocks them.
