An Introduction to Coffee Tasting Culture: Do You Know How Ethiopians Drink Coffee?

Ethiopia: The Birthplace of Coffee

Ethiopia, as the birthplace of coffee, is undoubtedly a dream destination that countless coffee enthusiasts long to visit. Yirgacheffe, Guji, Sidamo, and others are all renowned coffee-producing regions in Ethiopia, with their coffees possessing highly distinctive flavors that are deeply loved by everyone.

Coffee Culture in Ethiopia's Capital

Have you ever wondered how people in these regions that produce such delicious coffee actually prepare it? In Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, you'll find two distinctly different types of coffee shops: one influenced by the coffee culture brought during the Italian occupation in World War II, featuring espresso-based establishments in bustling urban areas; and the second type, which is more commonly seen throughout Ethiopia - these coffee shops are found on every street corner and alley across the country!

These are less coffee shops and more like coffee stalls, as these establishments are quite simple. Despite their simplicity, what these stalls sell is Ethiopian tradition - a coffee brewing method that Ethiopians have continued for thousands of years! The stalls are filled with cups and jars of various sizes, including African-style clay pots (Jebena) and several handleless ceramic cups - all essential components of Ethiopian tradition. In addition to the clay pots and handleless cups, they are also equipped with a stove, a flat pan, and a mortar and pestle, all indispensable for coffee preparation.

The Traditional Ethiopian Coffee Brewing Process

When we drink coffee, we emphasize freshness - referring to brewing coffee beans within a certain period after roasting to enjoy exceptionally flavorful fresh coffee! Ethiopians also value freshness, but their concept differs from ours, because for Ethiopians, freshness means made to order, with "making" starting from roasting the coffee beans! First, the stall owner adds charcoal to a rectangular stove to start a fire. Once the fire is burning, they place a flat pan on top, pour in raw coffee beans, and begin roasting. When the coffee beans are roasted, the stall owner removes the flat pan, replaces it with a clay pot containing room-temperature water to heat, and then pours all the coffee beans into a cylindrical mortar for grinding! From roasting to grinding takes approximately ten minutes.

After grinding, the water in the clay pot happens to reach boiling point, creating rolling bubbles. At this moment, the ground coffee can be poured into the pot to begin the coffee brewing process.

When the hot water in the pot makes bubbling sounds again from boiling, it means the coffee preparation is complete! Great care must be taken when pouring the coffee, as too much movement will cause the coffee grounds settled at the bottom of the pot to pour into the cup, resulting in the unpleasant experience of drinking coffee with grounds.

Ethiopia's Coffee Consumption and Production

Throughout the entire process, from roasting the coffee beans to brewing the coffee, FrontStreet Coffee believes everyone can see that this method might seem rather crude by today's standards. Ethiopia produces nearly 6.5 million bags of coffee beans annually, with almost 3 million bags consumed by its own people! The remaining 3.5 million bags are all used for export. From this data, we can see that Ethiopians drink a tremendous amount of coffee!

Despite high consumption, coffee-related technology is not particularly advanced! Due to Ethiopia's economic conditions and technological limitations, these coffee beans are typically purchased and transported abroad for roasting and testing. Ethiopia itself has almost no specialty coffee roasting conditions or technology (very little!). This results in most finished coffee products available within Ethiopia being rather crude!

Preserving Ancient Coffee Traditions

It is precisely because of this that Ethiopia can now preserve these thousand-year-old traditions. Additionally, in some of Ethiopia's more ancient villages, coffee ceremonies accompanying this coffee preparation method are still preserved today. Interested friends can visit FrontStreet Coffee's article "Ethiopia's Ancient Coffee Ceremony" for more detailed information. Although this coffee preparation method may not be suitable for us today, FrontStreet Coffee believes this holds the unique charm of old-world coffee culture. Experiencing the taste of coffee from a thousand years ago in 2024 - isn't that a truly romantic thing?

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