Lattafa Khamrah Qahwa 100ml EDP – Coffee Gourmand

Qahwa (قهوة) is Arabic for coffee — specifically the cardamom-spiced Arabian preparation, which is exactly where this fragrance starts. It is the second bottle in the Khamrah line, released by Lattafa in 2023, and one of the winners of the Fragrantica Readers’ Choice Awards 2024.

Khamrah Qahwa keeps the warm, sweet, spiced DNA of the original Khamrah and moves it in a darker direction. Cinnamon and cardamom open it, praline and candied fruit build the heart, and arabica coffee, vanilla and tonka carry the finish.

It is not a dupe of a designer fragrance, and we’re not going to pretend it is. You will see it loosely compared to all sorts of things online, but there is no settled consensus — Fragrantica’s own award write-up says Qahwa bears almost no resemblance to Kilian Angels’ Share. That comparison belongs to the original Khamrah, the bottle most often matched with the Kilian; Qahwa moves away from it with cardamom and coffee. It is an original Lattafa composition and a Khamrah flanker, and that’s the honest way to buy it.

One thing worth knowing up front: despite the name, the coffee is a supporting note rather than the headline. The cardamom and praline do most of the talking. If you want a straight espresso bomb, read the reviews section below before ordering.

The Scent Pyramid at a Glance

Eleven notes across three tiers — the full Khamrah Qahwa notes list, in the order you’ll meet them.

Khamrah Qahwa — Quick Specs

The Khamrah Qahwa Notes, Layer by Layer

Top — Cinnamon, Cardamom, Ginger. Picture a coffee pot being prepared the Arabian way: cardamom pods cracked open, a cinnamon stick on the side, ginger root on the counter. Cinnamon arrives first with dry warmth, cardamom rises alongside it — green, almost lemony — and ginger adds a little heat underneath. Some reviewers find this opening sharp for the first half-hour. Spray and wait; it softens.

Heart — Praline, Candied Fruits, White Flowers. This is where Qahwa settles and where most people fall for it. Praline brings a nutty caramel sweetness, candied fruits give it a jammy depth, and white flowers add an unexpected powdery lift that keeps the whole thing from becoming heavy. The cardamom lingers through this stage too, and it’s a big part of the character.

Base — Vanilla, Arabica Coffee, Tonka Bean, Benzoin, Musk. The dry-down is café crème rather than black espresso: roasted coffee rounded by vanilla and tonka, with benzoin and musk giving a warm, resinous anchor. It sits close to the skin later in the day but stays remarkably persistent on fabric.

Performance, Measured

Qahwa or the Original Khamrah? Who Each One Is For

There’s no designer bottle to measure Qahwa against, so the useful comparison is the one most people are actually making: this, or the original Khamrah. We stock both, and there’s only £2 between them, so there’s no reason for us to push you either way.

Be honest about the sweetness before you order. Qahwa trades the original’s dates for cardamom and coffee, but it is still very much a sweet, spiced gourmand. If sweet fragrances have never worked on you, the coffee won’t change that. If you like the original but wish it were a little darker and spicier, this is your bottle. We’d rather tell you now than process a return later — and our full Lattafa dupes guide maps the rest of the range.

Which Khamrah Should You Buy?

Khamrah is now a line of four, and they are genuinely different fragrances rather than tweaks of one formula. We stock all four — pick on the notes:

Short version: for cold evenings and a spicier, darker Khamrah, stay on this page. For summer, go straight to Waha. Still undecided? Which Lattafa Khamrah Is Best? The complete UK collection guide →

The Khamrah Qahwa Bottle

The Khamrah Qahwa bottle uses the same instantly recognisable Khamrah silhouette as the original — heavy glass, an ornate cap and a weight in the hand that reads far more expensive than £20.99.

Khamrah Qahwa packaging is the standard Lattafa presentation — a printed outer carton carrying the official holographic authentication seal, which is what you should check first when it lands. The 100ml atomiser is even and fine-misted, and two or three sprays is genuinely all it wants.

What Khamrah Qahwa Reviews Say

The consensus is strong and fairly consistent. It is rated 4.33/5 on Fragrantica from more than 16,000 votes. Reviewers there mostly report nine to twelve hours on skin, strong projection for the first two to three hours, and days of life on a scarf or coat. The praise clusters around the cardamom-praline heart, the performance and the price.

Three caveats come up repeatedly. First, the coffee is quieter than the name suggests — Fragrantica’s own reviewer found cardamom and praline dominant and the coffee fading, so don’t expect an espresso bomb. Second, the opening can be sharp for the first half-hour, and a few people find the amber-woody base strong at close range. Third, it’s easy to overspray: three sprays is plenty and five is too many, especially indoors.

For the full picture, including what Lattafa claims for longevity against what wearers actually report, read our Lattafa Khamrah Qahwa review.

Good to Know Before You Buy

• It’s a cold-weather fragrance. Autumn and winter evenings, date nights, dinners, weekend plans. Heat amplifies the spice and sweetness sharply — for summer, Khamrah Waha is the one built for it.
• One spray in an office. Projection is strong in enclosed spaces for the first couple of hours. Two to three sprays is the sweet spot anywhere else.
• It’s unisex. Lattafa markets it for everyone, and the spice-and-coffee structure wears comfortably on anyone.
• Spray on clothing if the opening bothers you. The cinnamon-ginger start is softer on fabric, and fabric holds it for days.
• Give a fresh bottle a few weeks. Like most Lattafa releases, it’s commonly reported to smooth out after a short rest in a cool, dark cupboard.
• Also listed as “Khamrah Qahwa by Lattafa”, “Lattafa Qahwa”, “Khamrah Coffee” and “Lattafa Khamrah Qahwa Unisex 3.4 oz EDP Spray” — same fragrance, you’re on the right page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Tap a question to open the answer. The nine things people ask most before buying this bottle.

Written by Shaheen Shah Abrar, Founder of Royal Scents. Notes checked against Fragrantica; performance figures are wearer-reported on Fragrantica, not our own tests. Cardamom and praline first, coffee second — that’s the honest picture.