In our day-to-day lives, it’s a drink. But for some people, it is not as simple as that: it’s a Sufi’s spiritual companion, an Emirati’s keeper of tradition and a Yemeni’s connection to his homeland. Today, we dive into three stories about coffee, exploring the tradition, culture and spirituality of this simple bean.

This episode was produced by Noon Salih, with editorial support from Alex Atack, Dana Ballout, Zeina Dowidar, Nadeen Shaker and Dina Salem; fact-checking by Dina Salem; sound design by Alex Atack; and mixing by Mohamad Khreizat. “Kerning Cultures” is a Kerning Cultures Network production.

*[Fair Observer is a media partner of the Kerning Cultures Network.]  

The views expressed in this post are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy.