Lattafa Khamrah Qahwa: Cardamom Coffee with a Sweet Heart
Qahwa is the Arabic word for coffee, specifically the cardamom-laced coffee poured from a dallah, and that’s exactly where this fragrance begins. Green cardamom and cinnamon open it with ginger crackling underneath. The middle turns soft and nutty with praline and candied fruit, and the coffee comes in last, rounded by vanilla and tonka so it reads as a milky café drink rather than a bitter espresso. It’s the second fragrance in the Lattafa Khamrah line and one of the best-rated bottles in our Lattafa perfumes range.
The Scent Profile
Top: cinnamon, cardamom, ginger. Cardamom is the character note, green, slightly lemony and aromatic. Cinnamon warms it and ginger adds a dry prickle. The opening is spicy rather than sweet, and some people find the first twenty minutes sharp before it settles.
Heart: praline, candied fruits, white flowers. This is the stage most people fall for. Praline brings a caramelised-nut sweetness, candied fruit adds a jammy glow, and a soft powdery floral lift keeps it from getting heavy. The cardamom stays in the background throughout, which is what separates Qahwa from the original Khamrah’s date-led middle.
Base: vanilla, arabica coffee, tonka bean, benzoin, musk. The coffee finally shows up here, and it’s creamy rather than roasted-black. Vanilla and tonka soften it, benzoin adds a resinous warmth and musk keeps it close. If you’re expecting a pure coffee scent from the first spray, know that the coffee is a finishing note, not the headline.
How Khamrah Qahwa Compares
Lattafa makes no inspiration claim for Qahwa. Its own product page lists notes and nothing more. The community hasn’t settled on a single reference either. Fragrantica reviewers mention Kilian Angels’ Share most often, largely because of the family link to the original Khamrah, and also bring up Armani Stronger With You Intensely, Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male Le Parfum and Versace Eros. That spread tells you something: there’s no consensus designer match. What Qahwa shares with those scents is a general sweet-spiced-vanilla warmth, not a specific structure. None of them is built around cardamom and coffee the way this is.
The fairer comparison is with the original Khamrah. The two share cinnamon, praline, vanilla, tonka and benzoin. Qahwa swaps the dates and nutmeg for cardamom, ginger and coffee, which makes it darker, spicier and slightly less syrupy.
Lattafa Perfumes is an independent UAE house with no affiliation to, licence from, or endorsement by Kilian, Giorgio Armani, Jean Paul Gaultier, Versace or any other brand named here.
Lattafa Khamrah Qahwa Performance & When To Wear
Qahwa is rated 4.33 out of 5 on Fragrantica from more than 16,000 votes. The individual longevity and sillage tallies weren’t available to us, so the bars reflect the written reviews, which are unusually consistent. Most describe long wear, heavy presence on clothing and strong projection early on, and several warn that over-spraying tips it into headache territory. Reviewers also say a bottle improves after it has rested for a while.
Wear it when it’s cold. Autumn and winter, weekend mornings in a thick jumper, dinners, evenings out. It isn’t a summer fragrance, as heat inflates the sweetness fast.
Who It’s For
Qahwa suits anyone who likes the idea of Khamrah but wants it drier and more aromatic, and anyone who loves cardamom. It’s listed as unisex by both Lattafa and Fragrantica, and the spice-and-coffee balance doesn’t lean hard either way. It’s the wrong choice if you want a straight, bitter coffee fragrance or if sweet scents have never worked for you.
How it compares with the other houses we stock
For a coffee-forward alternative, Khadlaj Caffe Latte (£19.99) puts coffee in the top notes with sweet almond and milk, then vanilla, caramel and almond cream underneath. It’s milkier and more obviously “latte”, where Qahwa is spicier and keeps the coffee for the dry-down.
If the cardamom is what you love, Riiffs Fareed (£29.99) opens on cardamom and pepper but goes somewhere completely different: lavender, geranium, vetiver and cedar. It’s a dry fougère with no gourmand sweetness at all, and a good pick if you want the spice without the sugar.
Qahwa and the Rest of the Khamrah Line
Qahwa builds on the original Lattafa Khamrah (£22.99), which uses cinnamon, dates and praline where Qahwa uses cardamom and coffee. If you want the Khamrah warmth with smoke instead of coffee, Khamrah Dukhan (£19.99) brings pimento, incense and tobacco and is noticeably less sweet. For warm weather, Khamrah Waha (£37.69) is a fresh yuzu-and-cucumber scent that only shares the name and the vanilla base. See the whole line on our Lattafa Khamrah page.
Price, Size & What You Get
Qahwa comes in one official size, 100ml Eau de Parfum. Smaller bottles you see online are decants. At 24p per millilitre, it costs just a pound more than the original Khamrah.
Why buy from Khaleej Scents
Every bottle we sell is 100% authentic and sourced from authorised distributors. We never refill or repackage. Delivery is free across the UK on every order, with no minimum spend. Checkout is secure and dispatch is quick. Unopened items can be returned within 14 days.
Lattafa Khamrah Qahwa FAQs
What does Lattafa Khamrah Qahwa smell like?
Cardamom and cinnamon coffee with a sweet heart. It opens spicy, turns nutty and jammy with praline and candied fruit, and finishes on creamy coffee, vanilla and tonka.
What are the full Khamrah Qahwa notes?
Top: cinnamon, cardamom, ginger. Heart: praline, candied fruits, white flowers. Base: vanilla, arabica coffee, tonka bean, benzoin, musk. Fragrantica and Lattafa’s own site list the same pyramid.
Is Khamrah Qahwa a dupe of anything?
Not in any settled sense. Lattafa makes no such claim, and Fragrantica reviewers name several different fragrances, including Kilian Angels’ Share and Armani Stronger With You Intensely, without agreeing on one. Treat it as an original flanker of Khamrah. Lattafa has no affiliation with any of those brands.
How long does Khamrah Qahwa last?
Fragrantica reviewers widely describe it as very long-lasting, with strong early projection and days of life on clothing. We don’t quote an hour figure because the vote breakdown wasn’t available to us.
Is Khamrah Qahwa unisex?
Yes. Lattafa and Fragrantica both list it for women and men.
How much is Khamrah Qahwa in the UK?
£23.99 for 100ml at Khaleej Scents, with free UK delivery and no minimum spend.
Does it actually smell of coffee?
Yes, but late and softly. The coffee is a base note, so the first hour is mostly cardamom, cinnamon and praline. When it arrives, it reads as a creamy café coffee, not a dark roast.
Notes verified against Fragrantica and lattafa.com in September 2026. Both list the same pyramid. Launch year 2023 per Fragrantica; no perfumer is credited there. Designer comparisons reflect Fragrantica reviewer comment, not a manufacturer statement. Performance is described from Fragrantica reviews and its 4.33/5 rating from 16,257 votes; it is not our own testing. Written by Shaheen Shah Abrar, Khaleej Scents.
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