
Furni’s Ajwa Latte is espresso and steamed milk made with seven Ajwa dates from Madinah, served hot or iced, about a four-minute walk from Masjid an-Nabawi. It’s naturally sweet, with no flavour syrup used in place of the fruit. We’re open around the clock and pause service during salah.
Most visitors meet Ajwa dates in a gift box at the airport. The latte is the same fruit in a different form: something warm to hold after Fajr or cold to carry back through the afternoon heat. Below you’ll find what Ajwa is, how the latte tastes, how it compares to our other coffee, and how to reach us from the Haram.

What are Ajwa dates, and why are they tied to Madinah?
Ajwa (عجوة) is a variety of date grown in Madinah Province, and it is the date most visitors associate with the city. According to Saudipedia, the Saudi Ministry of Media’s encyclopedia, the province has around 4.5 million date palms across about seventy varieties, and roughly 800,000 of those palms are Ajwa.
You can spot Ajwa easily. The dates are small to medium, round, and so dark they look almost black, with fine wrinkled lines on the skin. They’re picked as ripe dates (tamr) by around August, which is why boxes of them line the shops near the Haram all year.
Ajwa also holds a respected place in Islamic tradition and appears in the hadith collections. That’s a big part of why pilgrims buy them to take home. We serve the Ajwa Latte as a coffee, for its flavour, and we don’t attach any spiritual or health promise to it.
What does an Ajwa latte taste like?
An Ajwa latte tastes like a smooth, milky coffee with the deep, toffee-like sweetness of dates running through it. Our version starts with espresso and velvet-steamed milk, then brings in seven Ajwa dates from Madinah for every cup.
Seven dates is a lot of fruit for one drink, and you’ll notice it. The espresso still comes through, but it sits behind a rounder, almost caramel sweetness that sugar syrup doesn’t quite copy. The finish is soft rather than sharp.
That fruit shows up in the numbers too. A plain latte on our menu is 120 kcal. The Ajwa Latte is 350 kcal, almost three times as much, and nearly all of the difference comes from the dates and how they’re prepared. So treat it as a proper treat, closer to a dessert drink than an everyday coffee.
Like every drink at Furni, the Ajwa Latte is prepared with Zamzam water. And it’s made fresh when you order, not batched in advance.
One honest note. If you like your coffee dark and barely sweet, the Ajwa Latte probably isn’t your cup. Start with an Americano or a cortado instead, and try the Ajwa Latte when you fancy something richer.
Hot or iced: which Ajwa latte should you order?
Order it hot if you’re coming out of Fajr or Isha and want something to sip slowly. Heat brings out the sweetness of the dates and makes the drink feel fuller. Order it iced in the middle of the day, when the walk back from the Haram is hot and you want something refreshing, not warming.
You can also add cold foam to any iced drink, though with this much sweetness already in the cup, we’d try it plain first.
How the Ajwa Latte compares with other coffee near Masjid Nabawi
If you’re deciding between drinks at our window, this is how the milky options line up. Prices and calories are from our menu as of October 2026.
| Drink | Key ingredient | Hot (SAR) | Iced (SAR) | Energy |
| Ajwa Latte | Seven Ajwa dates | 21 | 24 | 350 kcal |
| Spanish Latte | Condensed milk | 14 | 17 | 270 kcal |
| Karak Coffee | Spices and evaporated milk | 15 | 18 | 180 kcal |
| Latte | Steamed milk only | 11 | 13 | 120 kcal |
The Spanish latte is the coffee most people in Madinah already know, and it’s sweet in a sugary, condensed-milk way. The Ajwa Latte is sweeter still, but the sweetness tastes of fruit. Karak coffee goes the other direction: spice first, sweetness second. If you can only try one drink that feels specific to Madinah, we’d point you to the Ajwa Latte.
When to get an Ajwa latte between prayers
The easiest time is straight after a prayer, not just before one. We’re open 24 hours, but service pauses during salah, so arriving as the adhan begins means waiting. Leave yourself a comfortable gap and check the day’s prayer times before you set off, because they shift through the year.
In our experience, the calmest windows are just after Fajr and just after Isha. The stretch between Maghrib and Isha is short and busy across the whole area, so if that’s your only gap, order it to take away. The Ajwa Latte travels well in either form, and the iced one is easy to carry back to your hotel.
Late at night is quieter still. If jet lag has you awake at 2 a.m., the window is open, and a hot Ajwa Latte is a gentle way to sit with the city while it’s still.
What to eat with an Ajwa latte
Pair it with something savoury, like a warm paratha. The drink brings plenty of sweetness on its own, so a salty, warm paratha balances it far better than a dessert does.
Our pick is the Egg & Cheese paratha burger: fried egg and melted cheese in buttery, flaky paratha. It’s a simple breakfast after Fajr and easy to eat on the move. If you want more heat, the Spicy Potato Paratha has a dynamite sauce that balances the sweetness of the dates. For something more filling, try the Shaami Kebab, a spiced beef and lentil patty with green chutney.
Got a sweet tooth anyway? The Kashta & Honey paratha bun is clotted cream and honey in flaky paratha. It’s lovely, but with an Ajwa Latte, it becomes quite sweet, so it’s better shared.
How to find Furni from Masjid an-Nabawi
Furni is about 350 metres from the Haram plaza, a walk of three to four minutes. Start from Gate 329 and follow the route on our visit page, which includes a short video of the walk. On Google Maps, search for Furni by Chai Karak.
Save the pin before you leave your hotel. Searching “coffee near me” around the Haram brings up dozens of results, and a saved pin gets you straight to the window. You order at the window and can take your drink with you, which suits a quick stop between prayers.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Ajwa Latte made with real dates or a date syrup?
It’s made with real Ajwa dates from Madinah, seven in every cup. The sweetness comes from the fruit, which is why the drink has more body than a syrup-flavoured latte.
Does the Ajwa Latte contain caffeine?
Yes. It’s built on espresso, so it contains caffeine. If you’re avoiding caffeine late at night, ask at the window about your options.
Why seven dates?
Many visitors know the hadith that mentions seven Ajwa dates. Our latte is simply a coffee made with the fruit Madinah is known for. We don’t present it as a way of following that practice, and for guidance on the Sunnah, we’d always point you to a scholar.
Can I get an Ajwa latte at 3 a.m.?
Yes. Furni is open around the clock and only pauses service during salah, so check prayer times before you walk over.
Is an Ajwa latte a good gift idea for family back home?
The latte won’t survive a flight, but the idea will. Many visitors take Ajwa dates home, and blending a few into warm milk and coffee is an easy way to share a taste of Madinah once you’re back.
Try Madinah’s date in a cup
Next time you step out of Masjid an-Nabawi wanting something warm or something cold for the walk back, try the Ajwa Latte once. Have a look at our full menu to plan your order, read our story if you’d like to know where Furni began, then get directions for the four-minute walk from the Haram. For more coffee around the Haram, see our guide to the best coffee near Masjid Nabawi.