Kafe Amè (literal translation is “sour coffee”) is a drink that is made often in Haiti. People drink it when they have stress, anxiety, tension, nervousness, distress, or panic. They also drink it for itching and headaches. (You should not drink it if you are pregnant or have high blood pressure).

You begin by gathering certain leaves in the area around where you live. You take the leaves and wash them. You will need ginger and sour oranges. You boil water and add the above ingredients and boil until the leaves are cooked.

Next, you take coffee beans and roast them. After you roast the beans, you grind them up into a powder.

Once the coffee beans are a power form, you boil water. You take the coffee powder and put in into a fine cloth and pour the boiling water over it. Then, you take the coffee water and the water from the boiled leaves and sour oranges and add them together.

Once you have the mixture done, you taste it. If it is too sour you can roast some sugar to add, but not too much, and then add homemade moonshine to it. You let it sit and get cold and then drink it.

For headaches: You can take the mixture of leaves after they are boiled, and let that water get to room temperature. You then wash your forehead very well with soap. You soak a cloth in the water mixture and ring it out. Then, you can tie the cloth on your forehead. This is one type of traditional medicine in Haiti.