Ethiopian Coffee Bean Culture and Flavors: What is the Three-Round Coffee Ceremony? How Do Ethiopians Drink Coffee?

Coffee is not only a popular crop in Ethiopia but also an important part of their culture.

FrontStreet Coffee has many coffee beans from Ethiopian producing regions. Let's pick one to introduce to everyone! This time we're introducing the TOH champion bean from Uraga, a sub-region of Guji, Ethiopia. This is a local native variety processed using the washed method. The overall cleanliness is very high, with citrus and grapefruit flavors upon entry. The aftertaste has a tea-like sensation with honey sweetness, and the jasmine aroma in the dry fragrance is also very appealing.

So much so that they created a daily activity called the Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony. In this ceremony, locally grown coffee beans are roasted on a flat iron pan over a small charcoal stove. After roasting is complete, the beans are placed on clay plates or mats, releasing their aroma for guests to enjoy. The beans are then crushed into small particles using stones and brewed with boiling water and spices (cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom). The coffee is poured into small cups with sugar, and then the fragrance is released into the air to dispel any evil spirits.

As a sign of respect, the eldest male in the group is served first, and the youngest child is responsible for serving. This tradition symbolizes the connection between all generations. Three rounds of coffee are served during the ceremony, often accompanied by bread or popcorn. The complete ceremony takes about one to two hours, and being invited to such a gathering signifies friendship and respect. Can you imagine if the coffee you drink daily has this kind of symbolic meaning?

Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony

The Ethiopian coffee ceremony is an important part of Ethiopian culture. It involves roasting coffee beans and preparing boiled coffee in containers similar to ibriks used for making Turkish coffee.

Cultural Significance

In some parts of Ethiopia, housewives (or young women in the household) perform or participate in two to three-hour coffee ceremonies three times daily (once in the morning, once at noon, and once in the evening). Women also hold ceremonies when welcoming visitors into their homes and during celebrations.

The coffee ceremony is considered the most important social occasion in many villages, and being invited to a coffee ceremony is a symbol of respect and friendship. Guests attending the ceremony might discuss topics such as politics, community, and gossip. The performer of the ceremony and the coffee she produces are also widely praised.

Regardless of the time of day, occasion (or lack thereof), and invited guests, the ceremony generally follows a different format with some variations.

Beyond pure socialization, the coffee ceremony also plays a spiritual role in Ethiopia, emphasizing the importance of Ethiopian coffee culture. Coffee has a long connection with Islam, and it is said that the spiritual properties of coffee undergo a spiritual transformation in the three-round coffee ceremony.

Ceremony Process

FrontStreet Coffee will introduce the specific process:

First, the woman conducting the ceremony scatters fresh, fragrant grass and flowers on the floor. She begins burning incense to ward off evil spirits and continues to burn incense throughout the ceremony. She fills a round-bottomed black clay coffee pot (called a jebena) with water and places it on hot coals.

Then, the hostess takes raw coffee beans and carefully washes them in a heated long-handled pan-like pot. She places the pan on hot coals or a small fire, stirring and shaking to remove the husks and debris from the beans until they are clean.

After the beans are washed, she slowly roasts them in the same pan used for washing. During roasting, she makes them roast as evenly as possible by shaking the beans (like shaking old-fashioned popcorn) or constantly stirring. Once the beans turn medium brown, roasting can be stopped, or it can continue until they become dark and glossy with released essential oils. The aroma of roasted coffee is rich and considered an important aspect of the ceremony.

After the hostess roasts the beans, she grinds them. She uses tools similar to a mortar and pestle. The "mortar" is a small, heavy wooden bowl called a mukecha (pronounced moo-key-cha), and the "pestle" is a wooden or metal cylinder with a blunt end called a zenezena. Using these tools, she crushes the beans into coarse grounds.

By the time the coffee beans are ground, the water in the jebena is usually ready for coffee. The performer removes the straw lid from the coffee pot and adds the freshly ground coffee. The mixture is boiled and removed from the heat source.

At this point, the coffee is ready to be served. A tray of very small, handleless ceramic or glass cups is arranged, with the cups very close together. The ceremony performer pours the coffee from about 1 foot above the cups in a single stream, ideally filling each cup evenly without interrupting the coffee flow. The coffee grounds remain in the pot. This technique prevents coarse coffee grounds from entering the coffee cups.

In some cases, the youngest child might serve the first cup of coffee to the eldest guest. Afterward, the performer serves the others.

Guests can add sugar as desired. Milk is typically not offered. After adding sugar, guests "bunna tetu" ("drink coffee") and then praise the hostess's coffee-making skills and the taste of the coffee.

After the first round of coffee, there are usually two additional servings. These three servings are called abol, tona, and baraka. Each serving is progressively weaker than the first. It is said that each cup can transform spiritually, and the third drinking is considered a blessing to the person who drinks it.

Variations

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