Yemerica, now open at 1000 Farmington Avenue, is the first Yemeni coffee house in the state.

By Ronni Newton

West Hartford is known for having a diverse restaurant scene, but one thing the town didn’t have was a Yemeni coffee house – until now.

Yemerica, which is the first Yemeni coffee house in Connecticut, had its soft opening on Dec. 14, and is located in what was formerly a real estate office at 1000 Farmington Avenue, on the western end of West Hartford Center. The windows had been papered over for months, but the bright and airy space now welcomes the public to stop in and enjoy a warm and fragrant coffee, matcha, latte, or other beverage, perhaps paired with a pastry.

“I want people to sit here, chill for an hour, enjoy the view and enjoy the coffee,” said Adel Suraimi, one of the owners.

Suraimi lives in Michigan, but is also owner of a halal market in New Britain. He has plenty of family in the area, and said his cousins brought him to West Hartford, praising the town as a welcoming destination with plenty of shoppers, diners, and foot traffic. He agreed that West Hartford would be the best place to launch the area’s first coffee house featuring Yemeni coffee.

Coffee beans all have their own flavor profile, and Yemeni coffee, grown in the mountains, has a unique taste even served just black. The beverage menu at Yemerica is 100% organic, with each beverage custom brewed using a variety of methods depending on the specific drink. Yemerica has its own signature spice mixture that’s added to the coffees, highlighted by the distinct flavors of cinnamon as well as ginger.

The specialty drinks include Adani Chai, with warm spices and cream and Mofowar – a medium-dark roast that’s spiced and served with cream. Qisher – which is actually the husk of the coffee beans – is naturally caffeine-free and light color, more like a tea, Suraimi said.

They also serve a variety of teas, lattes, and matcha, as well as more traditional American and Italian style coffees.

The food includes traditional Yemeni sweets procured from local bakeries. The food menu will be expanded soon to include a traditional spinach and cheese pie, Suraimi said.

Yemerica has seven or eight employees, but are continuing to hire. Barista training has been ongoing for the past three or four weeks, Suraimi said, because there are special techniques to making each of the drinks.

Tables inside the coffee shop can be pushed together to accommodate large groups, and there are comfortable chairs along the window – affording a great view of passersby on Farmington Avenue. Yemeni music plays in the background.

There’s also a back room ideal for private meetings or conferences, that will be able to be rented for a small fee through the website.

One wall features a mural depicting the capital of Yemen, while another wall features a colorful scene from the coffee bean-growing region, with a basket of red beans. Before roasting that’s the color of the beans.

There’s a large, and growing, population with Yemeni roots in the area, Suraimi said, and they have been eagerly awaiting the opening. Word got out quickly about Saturday’s soft opening, and Suraimi said the customers kept coming until late in the evening. They finally closed at 11:30 p.m., and they sold a lot of Adani Chai, he said.

“What I noticed, even the first day, is they want something new,” Suraimi said. He anticipates, and hopes, the West Hartford community as a whole will embrace Yemerica and be willing to try a coffee that’s a bit different from the usual.

The atmosphere and the menu are both modern and traditional at the same time, Suraimi said. “I’m feeling good,” he said of the reception Yemerica has received its first weekend.

Yemerica is open daily at 9 a.m. The website says they close at 10 p.m., but. Suraimi said it will be more like 11 or even later, depending on the demand.

For more information, visit the Yemerica website or follow @yemericacoffee on Instagram.

 

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