Arabica coffee finds its origin in Ethiopia and throughout the centuries Ethiopians have developed a true coffee ceremony which is passed down from generation to generation. This ceremony is an integral part of their social and cultural life, and is considered a crucial part of friendship and respect. Traditionally the coffee ceremony takes place three times a day - in the morning, at noon and in the evening. It provides an opportunity within the village to share news, exchange gossip and discuss community, politics, life, etc. Usually the ceremony is conducted by a young woman, dressed in a traditional Ethiopian white dress. She starts by spreading fresh, aromatic grasses and/or flowers on the floor, and begins burning incense to ward off evil spirits. Then she continues by washing the raw coffee beans to remove the husks and other debris. Next the beans are roasted in a flat pan over a small charcoal stove, after which they are ground using a mortar and pestle. This ground coffee is transferred to a jebena, a traditional coffee pot, which is then filled with water and placed on a fire, where its contents is brought to a boil. This brewed coffee is poured into a decanter and cooled, then poured back into the jebena and brought to a boil again. This process is repeated once more. Then a filter is placed in the spout of the jebena to seperate the grounds from the coffee when it is poured. This pouring is a whole ritual in itself: the jebena is held about 30 cm above neat rows of delicate china cups, in which the coffee is poured in a single stream, ideally filling each cup without breaking the stream of coffee. And though this ceremony sounds pretty simple and straightforward, it can easily take up a few hours, no matter the time of day. One thing to remember, when invited to take part in this ceremony, it is impolite to retire until you have consumed at least three cups, as the third is considered to bestow a blessing.
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AuthorI wouldn't be surprised to find out I was born with a passion for coffee. For the life of me, I can't remember not loving coffee. And by that, I don't just mean drinking it, but everything involved from its cultivation over the processing to the final product that is my loyal companion throughout the day. Archives
February 2014
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