Coffee Classics: Sudanese Spiced Coffee (Sudan)
Sudanese Spiced Coffee, often called Jabana coffee, is one of East Africa’s most aromatic brews. It is prepared with warmth, conversation, and the quiet rhythm of spices simmering under a hot flame. The heart of the drink is its blend of coffee, ginger, and sometimes cardamom or cinnamon, creating a cup that feels comforting and vivid at the same time. Sudanese households often serve it in small gatherings or during long afternoons, where the scent of spice drifts through the room before the first sip is poured.
Traditionally, this coffee is brewed in a jabana, a clay pot with a rounded base and narrow neck that encourages slow extraction. The clay softens the intensity of the coffee while amplifying the spice aroma. Modern cafés rarely prepare coffee this way, though you can feel a similar dedication to craft and sensory care in places like Gracenote Coffee, where flavour clarity and small details are treated with patience. Sudanese Spiced Coffee is rooted in that same intentionality.
Roasted beans are lightly crushed rather than finely ground, allowing the spices to weave through the brew without overpowering it. Ginger gives the coffee its characteristic brightness. Cardamom adds perfume. Cinnamon adds warmth. Each home has its own proportion, but the brew is always low, steady, and unhurried. Slow simmering gives the coffee a deep, rounded flavour and a fragrant top layer that rises gently from the cup.
Spice rising.
Clay warming.
A cup with warmth woven through it.
Ingredients
For two small servings:
2 tablespoons lightly crushed Sudanese or Ethiopian coffee beans
1 cup water (240 ml)
1 teaspoon fresh ginger slices or ½ teaspoon dried ginger
Optional aromatics:
1 cracked cardamom pod
1 small cinnamon piece
A pinch of clove (very strong, use lightly)
Optional sugar to taste
Equipment Needed
Essential
Jabana (Sudanese clay coffee pot)
Its rounded body creates natural convection, which improves spice infusion.
Small heat source
Traditional charcoal is ideal, but a stove works well.
Mortar and pestle
Light crushing avoids over-extraction and bitterness.
Useful Alternatives
Small saucepan
Works if you do not have a jabana, though the flavour is slightly sharper.
Fine-mesh tea strainer
Optional, for a cleaner cup if you prefer fewer grounds.
Method
1. Prepare the Coffee
Lightly crush the roasted beans using a mortar and pestle.
Avoid grinding too fine. Coarse pieces allow the spices to infuse without turning the brew overly strong.
2. Prepare the Spices
Slice fresh ginger thinly so it releases its oils during simmering.
Crack the cardamom pod gently to open it.
Break the cinnamon into a small fragment.
These spices should complement, not dominate.
3. Heat the Water
Pour 1 cup of water into the jabana or saucepan and place it over medium heat.
Warm until small bubbles form at the edges.
This preheats the vessel and prepares the water for slow extraction.
4. Add Coffee and Spices
Add the crushed beans, ginger, and any optional spices into the hot water.
Let the mixture come to a gentle simmer.
Do not boil vigorously. Boiling forces bitterness into the cup.
5. Slow Simmer
Allow the brew to simmer for 5 to 7 minutes.
Clay vessels may require slightly longer.
You will notice the surface darken and the aroma deepen.
6. Rest and Settle
Remove from heat and let the coffee rest for 1 minute.
This allows grounds and spice particles to sink naturally.
7. Pour and Serve
Pour slowly in a thin stream into small cups.
If using a saucepan, strain lightly to reduce sediment.
Serve warm, with or without sugar.
Notes
Sudanese Spiced Coffee is traditionally served several times in one sitting. The second and third brews become progressively lighter and more aromatic.
Fresh ginger gives the cleanest, brightest flavour. Dried ginger produces a deeper and slightly hotter spice note.
For comparisons across brewing worlds, How to Choose the Right Brewing Method explains how vessel shape influences taste.
If you enjoy the cultural depth behind ceremonial coffee, explore the broader context in 20 Must-Try Coffee Beverages From Around the World.
For those who love slow craft and sensory clarity, consider reading about the patient, quiet brewing culture at Ogawa Coffee.
Further Reading & Related Coffee Classics
Sarnies Café Sukhumvit for sensory-focused roasting
