The surge of Yemeni coffee and tea shops has reached the campus area with Būn Chai, recently launched on the busy block of S. State between Liberty and North U.
Co-owner Ghazi Alsafari says that Michiganders are already familiar with Yemeni coffee shops, so they chose to open their first location near the university to reach a wider clientele. “Now the new students that come from California, from Florida, from Washington, from Idaho, Nebraska, you name it, they’re going to want to know what this is about,” he says. “This is their first taste of Yemeni coffee. It’s a good situation for us to kind of put our name on the map.”
They’re aiming to differentiate from similar establishments with recipes that blend both coffee and tea into lattes and that infuse matcha drinks with traditional Yemeni flavors such as cardamom and cinnamon. That explains the name, which refers to both coffee and tea. (The macron diacritic in būn signifies a vowel sound similar to “good.”)
Frappés and fruity refreshers accompany the specialty lattes, traditional brews, and classic espressos on the menu. Most of the pastries, both savory and sweet, are made in-house.
Alsafari, a pharmacist, is partnering with neurosurgeon Ali Luqman to develop the brand. The self-described “coffee snobs” import their beans from their ancestral land and roast them in Hamtramck, where the next of what they hope will be many shops is slated to open later this year.
Two other partners, Abrahim Algahim and Alsafari’s brother Nader, are the day-to-day operators in Ann Arbor.
The green, gold, and almond interior, the work of a Yemeni designer, is striking for its use of recessed lighting to outline the country’s terraced mountain landscape. It seats about seventy-five on two levels.
With rent north of $10,000 per month, it will take considerable volume to succeed, but Alsafari is undaunted.
“I’ll be honest, it’s probably a little easier knowing that myself and Dr. Ali have a certain amount of money that we can be comfortable investing,” he says, “but ultimately, we know that our product is really, really good.”
Būn Chai Yemeni Coffee and Tea, 306 S. State. Daily 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
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