Ethiopia Coffee
Ethiopian coffee tradition is an important part of Ethiopians social life as well as cultural life. If Ethiopians invite you to attend a coffee ceremony, it is considered a mark of friendship or respect and is an excellent example of their hospitality.
Most people who find themselves as guests in their house would never fail to notice, the coffee ceremony Ethiopians are quick to present to their guests or visitors.
Their homage to coffee is sometimes ornate, and always beautifully ceremonial. The ceremony is usually conducted by one young woman wearing her traditional Ethiopian clothing of a white dress, with woven borders made up myriads of spectacular colors.
The long Ethiopian coffee ceremony starts with the ceremonial equipments being arranged upon a bed of long scented grasses. Next, the coffee is roasted on a flat pan over a tiny charcoal stove, the pungent smell mingling with the heady scent of incense that is also customarily burned during the Ethiopian coffee tradition.
Next, the woman who is in charge of the coffee ceremony carefully washes the handful of coffee beans on the heated furnace, then stirs and shakes the remains away. Once the coffee beans have turned black and shining and the aromatic oil is coaxed out of them, they are ground by a pestle and a long handled mortar.
The ground coffee is slowly stirred into the black clay coffee pot locally known as ‘jebena’, which is round at the bottom with a straw lid.
Because of the ancient manner used by Ethiopians, the ground result can be called anything but even, so the coffee is put through a dainty filter many times.
The youngest child is then sent out to announce when it is to be served and stands ready to bring a cup of coffee first to the eldest in the room and then to the others, connecting all the generations.
Finally, the lady in charge of the Ethiopian coffee ritual will serve the coffee to friends, who would have patiently watched the Ethiopian coffee ceremony for the last, almost, hour.
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