coffee

For a coffee lover like me, Ethiopia is a dream come true. It’s no wonder, though – legend has it that the coffee bean was discovered by Kaldi, a goat herder in Ethiopia. Kaldi noticed that when his goats ate this certain berry, they acted really wired. So he tried it himself and felt the same way. He shared his discovery with a local monk who brewed the beans in hot water to help him stay awake through prayers, and coffee as we know it was born! Frankly, it doesn’t matter to me whether or not this legend is true, because Ethiopian coffee is the best damn coffee I have ever tasted. 

All coffee is served in small, concentrated espresso glasses. Besides plain coffee, the main other drinks are tea and macchiatos (coffee served over milk). I have also seen an espresso shot served with tea instead of milk (which I haven’t tried yet because I’m not sure I would like it). All of these drinks are served with a ton of sugar, which is placed in the bottom of the glass before pouring the coffee. You are also often offered extra sugar to add if you like. This is the only sweet I have had in Ethiopia so far, so even though I prefer my coffee black, I’m getting more used to it being served with sugar.  I also still haven’t figured out how to say “no sugar!” yet so there’s that…

Ethiopia is also unique in that they are the only culture (that I know of) that has a traditional coffee ceremony. I have heard of traditional tea ceremonies is various cultures, but never a traditional coffee ceremony. So far, I have only experienced one traditional coffee ceremony, which was randomly served when I was “on call” with Dr. Ismael, by a couple nurses and “porters” (which we call transport staff). The ceremony starts with an offering of popcorn, then coffee (with sugar) is served in at least three successive rounds. From what I understand, it takes a long time to learn how to prepare the coffee properly. In the lower right side of the picture, you can see the coffee pot on top of a jebena (a small charcoal oven). Elsa is fanning the oven to heat the charcoal. The coffee grounds are in the bottom of the pot and then water is added and boiled in this fashion. When the water is the right temperature (I think judging this is one of the hardest parts, although Elsa made it look easy), the coffee pot is removed and tilted, allowing it to cool for a certain amount of time. Some of the smaller pieces of charcoal are placed in a small stand (near the popcorn platter in the picture) and sprinkled with incense. The coffee is then poured over sugar and served all around. There are blessings associated with each round of coffee. 

The main point of the coffee ceremony, as well as just asking others for coffee (or tea), is community. The people here never seem to rush. I like the cultural tradition of taking time to talk and socialize – making it a priority. Coffee and talking to people – what a wonderful fusion of two things I love!