African Coffee

Not only is Ethiopia considered the birthplace of coffee but it is also the home of a coffee ceremony much like the Japanese have a tea ceremony.  And like the Japanese the ceremony has been performed for centuries and is used to honor guests.  I have been privileged to take part in this wonderful ceremony and I want to tell you about this unique experience.

The ceremony is a celebration of coffee from the raw bean to the finished product.  It typically begins when the hostess lights the brazier at the beginning of a traditional Ethiopian meal.  Incense (usually Frankincense or Gum Arabic) is lit at the same time to sweeten the smoke and get the party started.  Then, as with any grill, the brazier is left to smolder until the coals are at their peak of heat.

At the end of the meal our hostess reverently laid out all of the accoutrements required for the ceremony.  The first was the coffee roasting pan, it looked rather like a half of a tin can with a very long handle welded to the side.  The next piece was wooden bowl called a mukecha (moo-ke-ch-a).  Propped inside the bowl was a metal capped stick called a zenezena.  This set-up was pretty easily recognized as what I would have called a mortar and pestle.  The third piece was the famous Ethiopian coffee pot.  Made of clay the pot has a spherical base, a long graceful neck and a handle where the neck connects with the base.  This special pot is called a jebena.   And last but not least a tray of small handleless cups (crini) was laid to one side.

When all was made ready our hostess then brought out a tray with a large decorative bowl of green coffee beans.  We clapped and cheered our appreciation of the beans (as was appropriate).  Smiling, our hostess knelt in front of the brazier and scooped a handful of the green beans into the roasting pot.  She waved them over brazier with a rhythmic shaking motion and sang a beautiful song. (note:  I don’t really know if the song was part of the ceremony as later, I participated in several that did not include a song). 

It seemed to be only moments before the sound of the clanking beans changed to a cracking, and popping sound.  The room became filled with the aroma of the roasting coffee.  Our hostess got to her feet and carried the pot around the room to further enchant our noses.  Many people say that they like the smell of coffee, even folks who don’t drink it.  But I have to tell you the smell of coffee beans roasting puts the finished product to shame.  Later I found out that the little walk around the room had a dual purpose, the first and foremost is to allow the guest to appreciate the aroma and to mark the end of the first phase of the ceremony.  The second is to help cool the beans for the next step.

The beans were then poured into the mukecha and ground into a powder.  This process also had a wonderful rhythmic sound and if you are lucky a song will accompany this phase as well.  One of the things I noticed was that the smell of the coffee changed slightly as it was being ground, taking on a more ‘earthy’ character.  Our hostess then deftly scooped the powder into the traditional jebena (it already contained the correct amount of water) and placed it onto the brazier to boil.

As you can guess, the coffee released yet another amazing aroma as it neared its final phase.  Our hostess explained that as soon as the coffee began to boil up into the neck of the vessel it would be ready.  Curiously enough you can hear the sound of the coffee when this happens.  It is a light and happy sound almost like a baby gurgling.  I watched in anticipation as our hostess removed the pot from the fire and in one swift motion tilted the boiling pot and filled all of the cups.

The cups were brought to the table to begin the Abol which is the name for the drinking of the first boil of the coffee.  I reached eagerly for my crini, my need to satisfy the last two of my five senses overwhelming.  I just HAD to touch it, to TASTE this brew that was thicker and blacker than anything I had ever seen in a cup.  The smell was divine as I drew a small amount into my mouth.

The expression on my face must have been priceless, I know this because all of my companions burst into laughter.  Our hostess smiled as she patted me on the back to help with the coughing fit.  After the tears had dried on my face all I could say was “Wow.”  It was then explained to me that it is customary to add a great deal of sugar to the Abol as this first boil can be somewhat bitter.  Bitter…yeah…that sorta describes it!  However the addition of sugar did make a remarkable difference in the cup.  Instead of adding a sweet element it seemed to smooth out the flavor and bring the earthy character of the coffee forward.  (And this is from a person who finds adding sugar to a regular cup a coffee an abomination.)  Delicious!

As I stated above the Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony is a celebration of the coffee bean.  From start to finish all of your senses will be immersed in the wonder that is coffee.   I urge anyone that has any love of ‘the bean’ to get yourself to an Ethiopian restaurant and experience the birth of coffee.

Special note:  The skill required to perform this ceremony is remarkable and thus it is NOT recommended you try this at home.  If you are able to get to an Ethiopian restaurant you may need to call ahead to request the ceremony.  From start to finish the ceremony usually takes from 30 to 45 minutes (many restaurants do not hand grind the beans).   However if the beans are hand ground it can take as long as an hour.

Oh yeah, if you’ve never tried Ethiopian food you are in for a real treat.  The names are very exotic but the cooking is pretty ‘down home’ for this southern born girl.  Not to mention you get to eat with your hands…how cool is that!

Here is a web site that I found that lists Ethiopian restaurants all over the world, check it out:  http://www.ethiopianrestaurant.com/

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