Yemen is a birthplace of the coffee industry — and Clevelanders will soon get to enjoy the rich taste and history of Yemeni coffee this spring with the opening of the Ebreeq Coffee House on Euclid Avenue inside the 200 Public Square skyscraper.
Co-owners Abdulhamed Alduais and Ali Alwasim draw on their cultural heritage to create their own Yemeni coffee experience in Cleveland.
“We are introducing something new [to Cleveland], but at the same time, it's technically the original way of coffee, the authentic way of coffee that's rich and full of flavor,” Alwasim says.
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Ebreeq Coffee House plans to offer a variety of coffee and tea, as well as traditional Yemeni pastries and baked goods, all made in-house.
Alwasim says favorites include Adeni chai, a sweet tea brewed with black tea leaves, milk sugar, and various spices. When it comes to food food, he says sabayah — a layered bread made with butter and honey sprinkled with black cumin — is popular.
“We are focusing on making sure everything is exactly how we experienced it,” Alwasim expressed.
Those who walk into the 2,200-square-foot coffee house will see a unique culturally inspired interior design with traditional Yemeni music creating an immersive experience for customers.
And that experience will be available all day. Ebreeq will open at 6 a.m. and stay open until the late evening, possibly as late as 8, 9 or 10 p.m.
“People are going to come here for the vibe, obviously, the tea's going to be great, the coffee is going to be great, but people also want to enjoy the vibe too," Alwasim says.
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Ebreeq Coffee House is also looking to offer outside seating on Euclid Avenue in the summer.
While customers enjoy their drinks and food, Alwasim says he hopes for people to look around and get curious about Yemen’s culture.
You can follow Ebreeq Coffee House on Instagram to learn more about its offerings and upcoming grand opening, where owners plan to offer samples for customers to try. Just a sip can show what makes this cafe unique, Alwasim says.
“This is how true coffee's supposed to be,” Alwasim says. “This is how it's originated, this is the culture behind it and this is the only type of coffee you should be expecting. This is the type of joy you should be getting from coffee.”
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