Café Touba Recipe: How To Make Senegalese Pepper Coffee
Spice up your morning coffee routine with this unusual specialty!
Have you ever had spicy coffee? While most of us sweeten our coffee beverages, West Africa adds pepper to theirs. Originally a religious tradition, café touba is now a popular Senegalese coffee drink with a vibrant flavor and worldwide fans.
It’s difficult to replicate the authentic version at home, but I’ll help you make an excellent imitation in this easy recipe. It might just inspire you to visit the African country for the real deal!
What Is Cafe Touba?
Café touba is a Senegalese spiced coffee drink that’s sure to put a spring in your step. In the traditional version, Robusta coffee beans are roasted along with Grains of Selim – a pepper native to West Africa – before being ground and brewed.
Grains of Selim have a unique flavor profile that defines the drink. It is reminiscent of black pepper but with sweeter fruit notes and hints of spices like cloves and nutmeg.
Cafe Touba is named for the holy city of Touba in Senegal, on the Western coast of Africa. It is credited to Sheik Amadou Bamba, also known as Serigne Touba. This spiced coffee took root as an integral part of the Sufis’ religious practice and peaceful protest against French colonial rule (1). Devotees would recite prayers before and after preparing the drink.
Now, cafe touba is a common beverage served widely on street corners in small paper cups for just a few cents.
What Are The Ingredients In Touba Coffee?
Trying a new coffee drink from around the world often means sourcing unusual ingredients. In this case, that means Selim pepper – also sometimes called Grains of Selim, Guinea pepper, or djar. Some recipes also add additional spices like cardamom, nutmeg, and coriander.
If you can’t find Selim pepper, you can substitute black cardamom, long pepper, or a blend of peppercorns with spices like cardamom and ginger. Unfortunately, none really capture the aromatic essence of the real thing.
Cafe Touba Ingredients
- 15 grams coffee beans, ground medium-fine
- One selim pepper pod
- 1 tsp grated nutmeg (optional)
- 1 tsp coriander seeds (optional)
- 1 cardamom pod (optional)
At a Glance
Brew Time:
10-15 minutes
Yield:
One 8-ounce drink
Step 1: Toast The Spices
Set a dry medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the selim pepper pod, plus any of the optional spices you wish to include. Lightly toast the spices until they release their aroma, stirring occasionally to avoid developing burnt spots.
Remove the toasted spices from the pan immediately so any residual heat doesn’t overcook them. Set aside for a few minutes to cool.
Pro tip: The spices toast quickly, so don’t leave them unattended on the stove.
Step 2: Grind The Spices
Grind the toasted spices using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Aim for a uniform powder roughly the same size as your coffee grounds.
This recipe makes enough spice mix for several drinks. Store the remainder in an airtight jar or bag.
Pro tip: Traditionally, the spices would be roasted and ground along with whole coffee beans, but I don’t recommend this unless you plan on giving your grinder a thorough cleaning afterward. The aromas linger on the burrs.
Step 3: Brew Your Coffee
Bring at least 16 ounces of water to a boil in a kettle. Rinse your coffee maker and serving mug with boiling water to preheat everything. Take the kettle off the heat to cool slightly.
Add a fine metal or paper filter to the Aeropress followed by 15 grams of ground coffee and ½ tsp of the ground spice mix. Top it off with enough 200 F water to fill the chamber. Stir gently, then steep for 2 to 3 minutes to fully infuse the coffee with spice flavors.
Press the brewed coffee into your pre-warmed mug, and enjoy!
Pro Tip: Authentic Senegalese cafe touba is made with dark roasted Robusta beans, but you can choose any coffee that suits your taste. I favor a medium-dark Arabica espresso blend.
Final Thoughts
This cafe Touba recipe is a great way to incorporate a bit of the West African kitchen into your home coffee routine. It’s familiar enough to be comforting but exotic enough to feel special. And once you’ve sourced your ingredients, it’s a piece of cake to put together.
FAQs
Yes, Cafe Touba is healthy. Any brewed black coffee has myriad health benefits due to the caffeine and antioxidant content of coffee beans. Additionally, Selim peppers have antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties and, anecdotally, have been linked with improved digestion (2).
Cafe Touba tastes like dark roasted coffee first and foremost but with added notes of pepper, cloves, and dried fruit. The exact flavor profile depends strongly on your choice of coffee, with Robusta beans adding more earthy and smoky flavors.
If you’re looking for a spicy coffee recipe that isn’t quite so punchy, check out this Mexican Mocha or a simple Cinnamon Coffee.
Yes, you can add sweetener to Touba coffee. Indeed, in Senegalese culture, it is often served with sugar to offset the bitterness of the Robusta beans. Try adding white sugar, honey, or maple syrup for a sweeter cup.
References
- Haikal, K. (2015, September 9). Freedom-Fighter and Saint of Senegal: Cheikh Aḥmadou Bamba Mbacke. Retrieved from https://medium.com/ummah-wide/freedom-fighter-and-saint-of-senegal-cheikh-a%E1%B8%A5madou-bamba-mbacke-3bfdacc7986f
- Mafe, A. N., Edo, G. I., Akpoghelie, P. O., Yousif, E., Gaaz, T. S., Opiti, R. A., … & Umar, H. (2024). Pepper soup: a cultural and culinary exploration of a traditional nigerian dish, with a focus on health benefits and antimicrobial activity. International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, 101036.
