SAUDI ARABIA IS REDEFINING THE FUTURE OF COFFEE
Desert country. Mountain coffee. UNESCO heritage. Saudi Arabia is rewriting its own coffee story.
I visited World Of Coffee Dubai in 2025 and was able to cup coffees from Saudi Arabia. It was a shock for me to discover these coffees with a such interesting flavour profile, very close to Ethiopian and Yemen coffees, but different.
Most people know gahwa — the spiced, pale-gold cup poured from a dallah during Saudi hospitality rituals. But did you know coffee has been grown in Saudi Arabia for over 800 years?
Where: The southwestern highlands of Jazan, Asir & Al-Baha — think steep terraces, volcanic soils, altitudes up to 2,700 metres. A microclimate unlike anywhere else on the Arabian Peninsula.
What varieties: → Khawlani — UNESCO-listed, oily bean, intense aroma, caramel & nut notes → Adini & Shabraqi — prized Asir arabicas → Berri, Harari, Bahri — ancient landrace types → Maghmoul — a new farmer-developed variety, complex & fruit-forward
In the cup: Dates · Raisins · Dried fruits · Dark chocolate · Cardamom warmth Typically light-roasted (just before first crack) to preserve those delicate aromatics. Natural/dry processed. Rich body. Unmistakably Arabian.
The big picture: Saudi Arabia just invested $319M into its own coffee sector via the Public Investment Fund. Target: from ~800 tons/year production today → 10,000 tons by 2030. And on the café side? 5,130 branded coffee shops — 46% of the entire Middle East market. Growing at 8%+ per year.
This is not a trend. It’s a strategic national transformation and those who visited the country recently will most probably confirm it. Coffee shops are one the trendiest business in the country with the best roasting machines, best equipment for coffee preparation and very good baristas.
As a Q Grader and trainer, I’m watching this origin very closely — both for what it offers in the cup and what it means for the future of specialty coffee in the Arab world.
Have you ever tasted a Saudi arabica?