While most of us add sweetness to our coffee drinks, West Africans add pepper to their coffee drinks. A type of coffee called Touba, Touba is a popular coffee in Senegal where they add pepper to their coffee.
"Tuba" is a place name located in a city in Senegal, Africa. Touba coffee is a traditional coffee in Senegal, which has been under French colonial rule since 1659, Serigne (hereafter known as Serigne) dedicated his life to promoting peaceful protest in the name of independence, believing that the Senegalese people can achieve social equality and peace, but he was forced into exile in neighboring Gabon and Mauritania because of his preaching of Islam.
During his time in Gabon, Serini stumbled upon the seed pod of a Central African magnolia tree, also known as Senegalese pepper, a plant with a musky flavor that is used in local cooking in a similar way to black pepper.
Serini believed that mixing Senegalese pepper with coffee could make a special cup of coffee that could be used to give followers of the Islamic Muralid Brotherhood more spirit in prayer, hence the Tuba coffee. Originally it was mainly used as part of religious ceremonies, but over the past few years, the coffee has become more popular, and it is enjoyed by people in some countries in West Africa.
This is about the origin and history of Tuba coffee, but now that Tuba coffee has become a daily drink in Senegal, the next step is to understand how to make Tuba coffee, first of all, the core ingredient is the aforementioned Senegal pepper, this coffee is usually made with Robusta coffee beans, about 100 grams of Robusta coffee beans, 10 grams of Senegal pepper and 800 ml of water, the recipe can also be slightly changed, you can add cloves or cardamom, they are crushed and added to the coffee.
Traditionally, dried and ground Senegal pepper is added to this coffee at the end of the green roast, and usually Touba coffee is dark roasted to the extent that Senegal pepper is added, which gives the overall coffee a spicy and slightly bitter taste, and is finally strained with a filter cloth.
Usually this coffee is in Senegal, it will appear in restaurants and street stalls, they can usually brew this coffee for a day and then serve it to customers, so they all belong to the recipe of "cauldron stew", which usually uses 5 liters of water, 1 kilogram of coffee and half a kilogram of ground selim granules, which are placed in a large pot and sometimes added sugar.
Over time, this traditional coffee has evolved with the times, and it is said that Tuba Coffee now also sells its capsules as well, and even some single-serve coffee pouches that can be brewed by hand.
Then there is the interesting news that in 2007 Nestlé instant coffee sales in Senegal declined, due to the increase in consumption of this spiced tuba coffee, which squeezed Nestlé's market share. In response to this, Nestlé has launched an African coffee range in Senegal, including instant coffee with different spices and flavors. Whether Tuba coffee can be promoted to a wider range of countries or regions, I think it is closely related to regional food culture, but the market still has the potential to grow, and we can wait and see how it changes.