AN INVITATION ΤΟ COMMUNE

IF YOU HAVE EVER joined in an Ethiopian coffee ceremony, you would recognise the privilege to be part of a ritual that combines impeccable hospitality, a feast for the senses and an invitation to create or strengthen fellowship.

It is a communal experience, in which hosts would prepare coffee beans that are native to the part of Ethiopia you’re in. If you’re in the Eastern Highlands, it would be the Harrar or Sidamo. Those in the Southwest would use the Genika variety.

The host first boils water in a jebena, a traditional black clay coffeepot. They take green coffee beans and clean them by placing them in a pan before placing it over a flame, stirring and shaking until the husks come off . They then roast the beans, before grinding them with a wooden mortar and pestle. Finally, they place this freshly ground coffee into the jebena. The room would then be filled with the sweet, intoxicating aroma of the beans, as conversation flows as freely as coffee.