Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony-Typical Ethiopian!!

Ethiopian coffee ceremony is not only making coffee and sipping it. It is much more than that. It's a significant cultural ritual that has been passed from generation to generation in the country believed to be the birthplace of coffee. To Ethiopians, coffee ceremony is a basic part of their social and cultural life. The coffee is taken through its full life cycle of preparation in front of you in a ceremonial manner. Coffee is called 'Bunna' (boo-na) by the Ethiopians. Ethiopians hospitality is usually defined during the coffee ceremony time. If someone is invited to the coffee ceremony it means that the person who is inviting is showing respect or/and friendship to that person. If a visitor comes to someone’s house it is obligatory to make a coffee just to show respect for the visitor, regardless of the time of the day. This coffee ceremony can take a few hours and if you are in a rush, it is advisable not to take the offer of the ceremony as it might take a longer time. But it is guarantee that you will enjoy this ceremony.

Ethiopian coffee ceremony is a beautiful one. This beautiful coffee ceremony is usually conducted by one young woman. Usually the conductor dressed in the traditional Ethiopian costume of a white dress with different kind of beautiful colors woven around the bottom and top edges.

This long process ceremony begins with the ceremonial materials being arranged over long fresh grasses. To make the ceremony more cultural and beautiful, usually grass is laid on the ground and the apparatus will be placed over the grass. Then the conductor gently washes the green coffee beans between her two palms in a flat pan. After that, she places the flat pan over a tiny charcoal stove. While she is roasting, she puts frankincense over the incense burner that always burned during the ceremony and this pungent smell circulates throughout the house.?

The conducting lady of the ceremony stirs and shakes the husky away. When the coffee beans have turned black and shining and the aromatic oil is coaxed out of them, they are removed from the tiny charcoal stove and put aside to cool; The cooled roasted coffee is then put in a small household tool called 'Mukecha' (moo-ke-ch-a) for the grinding after that they are ground by a pestle and a long handled mortar. After the roasted coffee beans are ground, the conductor slowly puts the powder into the black clay coffee pot which is known as “JEBENA”, which is round at the bottom with a straw lid.?

While the coffee is boiling, the youngest child will be sent out to call a close by friends and families to attend the ceremony. After the invited friends, families, neighbors, and respected guests arrived and the coffee is boiled enough, the JEBENA will be removed from the tiny charcoal stove. It takes a few moments before the coffee is poured into the cup. When it is ready to be served and stands ready, the lady pours the coffee into a tiny cup which is called S’NI and she serves the coffee to her family, friends and neighbors who have waited and watched the procedure for a long time. Elegantly pouring a thin golden stream of coffee into each little cup (S’NI) from a height of one foot without an interruption requires years of practice.?

Coffee is taken with plenty of sugar (or in the countryside, salt) but no milk and is generally accompanied by lavish praise for its flavor and skillful preparation.??Often it is complemented by a traditional snack food, such as popcorn, peanuts or cooked barley.?In most people’s house, coffee ceremony in the morning is hardly possible to miss. The ceremony is usually takes place three times a day- in the morning, at noon and in the evening.

It plays a vital role within the village and a time to discuss the community, the country’s political situation, and life and about who did what with whom. If invited to this beautiful coffee ceremony into someone’s house, it is important to remember that it is impolite to walk out before the conductor finishes the ceremony. It is culturally mandatory to wait until the third round as it is considered to bestow a blessing. Transformation of the spirit is said to take place during the coffee ceremony through the completion of all the three round process. The second and third serving are important enough that each serving has a name, first serving is called "Abol"; second serving is "Huletegna"(second) and third serving is "Bereka". The coffee is not grinded for the second and third serving, a portion of coffee powder is left on purpose for these two ceremonies. Some coffee drinkers easily differentiate each region’s coffee taste which varies according to the growing conditions.?