Muscat – The first Omani Qahwa Competition was held on the sidelines of the Food and Hospitality Oman exhibition on Monday at Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Participants were judged based on criteria including knowledge of the history of qahwa, preparation techniques using traditional utensils, serving etiquette and most importantly, taste.

Engineer and realtor place first and second in first Omani Qahwa CompetitionThe championship comprised two rounds – Arabic Qahwa and Signature Qahwa.
In the Arabic Qahwa round, participants prepared qahwa with spices and other ingredients using an electric dallah – the Arabic coffee pot. In the Signature Qahwa round, participants brewed qahwa with any ingredient using an electric dallah or any other brewing equipment.

Popularising qahwa

Afshin Hasan Mohammed, general manager of Al Roofoof and co-organiser of the competition, informed that the objective behind it was to preserve the tradition of qahwa and the intangible Arabic heritage associated with it. “We would like to take the qahwa championship to all parts of Oman and collaborate with winners to sell his or her signature recipe through our channels to hotels and supermarkets in the sultanate.”

According to Medina Ilyas, founder of Medina Coffee, who co-organised and judged the competition, people were hesitant – probably owing to the fact that it was being held for the first time – but 15 participants enrolled, of which eight took part.

“Beside the judging criteria, we asked general questions on the spices participants used and the health benefits of those spices,” Medina said.
“Not many people are aware that ‘qahwa’ actually means ‘brew’ when translated to English.”

Sara al Ali, another judge of the competition, is a coffee expert and entrepreneur from Saudi Arabia. “I am vey happy and honoured to be one of the judges. We are creating history by being part of the first competition of Omani qahwa.”

Noting the significance of the event in preserving heritage, she said, “Arabic qahwa or Qahwa Omaniya is the symbol of Arab generosity and hospitality.”

The winner 

Zakariya al Qassabi, a mechanical engineer, was declared the winner.

Passionate about coffee, Qassabi has been researching and experimenting with different ingredients. He finally has a signature recipe. “The key is using fresh ingredients and ensuring quality of coffee beans.”

He learnt coffee making from his grandmother “but I developed the recipe myself and I wish to sell this signature recipe and promote Omani qahwa”.
Salam Hamad Salam Anbuali, who came second, is a real estate agent. He also runs a coffee mixing and processing factory that produces the Al Mashrak al Arab brand of coffee.

His father was a well-known coffee maker in Dakhliyah.  

Salam visited the Food and Hospitality Oman exhibition not knowing about the qahwa competition. “Luckily, I had a pack of our own brand of coffee in the car and participated just for fun. If I was aware of the competition, I would have prepared for it.”

Salam is currently looking to expand the family coffee business. Their coffee sells in Qatar, Saudi and the UAE, besides Oman.

Ahmed al Balushi, Arabic coffee maker at Grand Hyatt Muscat, won the third place in the competition.

(Text and photos by Syed Fasiuddin)