West Africa · Drink
Café Touba (Coffee Infused with Selim Pepper and Clove)
A pungent, aromatic Senegalese coffee spiced with roasted Selim pepper pods and cloves, traditionally aerated through dramatic high-pouring.
The story
Created in the late 19th century by Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba, the founder of the Mouride Sufi brotherhood, Café Touba is named after the holy city of Touba. It is ritually consumed at dawn before prayers, during the Grand Magal pilgrimage, and at street-corner 'Tangana' stalls across Dakar to invigorate the spirit. The signature spice is djar (Selim pepper pods or Xylopia aethiopica), which contains aromatic cineol and resinous essential oils that give the brew its distinct resinous, smoky heat and medicinal qualities.
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