I have actually put off posting about this very important tradition because I was fearful of missing or confusing details. I have added this video that describes a more modern/upscale version of the coffee ceremony. Go ahead and watch it and then I will tell you what I have learned about the significance of some of the steps.
Historians believe that the first coffee trees originated in Kaffa, Ethiopia. The very word "coffee" was derived from kaffa. Ethiopian legend claims that a goat herder noticed his flock of sheep became energetic after eating the beans. The goat herder tried them and liked the way that they helped him stay alert. Soon people throughout Ethiopia were snacking on coffee beans which were ground and rolled in animal fat. Traders traveling the spice route between East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula spread the word about the bean's stimulating effect. The popularity of coffee spread quickly. No one knows when coffee was first drank, but many historians believe that hot coffee began in Ethiopia.
Coffee is still Ethiopia's most important crop. The coffee business employs 25% of the Ethiopian people. Ethiopian coffee is known world wide for it's high quality. Joshua's Ethiopian family is from the Sidama part of Ethiopia where much coffee is produced. The Amharic word for coffee is bunna.
The coffee ceremony is a social ritual that many Ethiopians participate in daily. A young woman typically performs the ceremony. She may spread grasses and flowers as a beautiful and fresh smelling carpet before she begins with the coffee. Incense may also be burned to ward off evil spirits.
Every coffee ceremony begins with unroasted beans. After the beans are washed, they are traditionally roasted in a flat pan over a charcoal stove. The beans pop and darken as they roast. When the beans are fully roasted the host carries them around the room waving her hand over them so the fragrance fills every part of the room. The beans are ground/crushed by hand using a mortar and pestle. They are then put into a tall black clay pot called a jebena. Water is added and the coffee is boiled. The coffee is poured delicately into little cups. Sugar, or salt in the country, is added.
Tradition is to drink 3 cups of coffee during the ceremony. The first is the strongest and the second and third become progressively weaker. This is because the original grounds are reused. The last cup, called bereka, is believed to contain the soul of the coffee and thus is lucky.
Popcorn is commonly served with coffee.
It is a ceremony of significance. It takes a long time, but I am told the coffee is worth waiting for. The best coffee I have ever tasted some tell me. Yum! I look forward to finding out for myself!
The video below is a more traditional coffee ceremony.
