Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee, something locals like to tell everyone they meet. The beverage remains an important part of everyday life and a major economic driver for the country. Unlike other coffee-producing countries that export a majority of their supply, Ethiopia consumes more than half of its own production.
Coffee in Ethiopia symbolizes more than just a drink. We have a saying in Ethiopia, “Coffee and love taste best when hot”. Ethiopia’s connection to coffee stretches back thousands of years.
I grew up with the story of how coffee was discovered. We are all taught the story of Kaldi, a goat herder who lived in the Kaffa region in Ethiopia. The story goes that while he was out with his goats one day, he let the goats go out to pasture and he noticed that some of his goats were jumping, baying, and had an air about them that was foreign to Kaldi.
Upon further investigation, he found that they had nibbled on some red cherries and, now curious, he tried some himself. Much to his shock, he, just as his goats had, felt a jolt of energy course through him once he ate this mysterious cherry. Like many new things, coffee was at first met with hostility as the monk whom Kaldi showed the cherries to threw them into a fire. However, as the cherries roasted the aroma that wafted from the fire changed the monk’s mind and the rest is history.
While there are deviations that come with a story that has been passed down generations, the conclusion remains the same. Arabica Coffee, the current most consumed around the world, originated in Ethiopia.
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Coffee is so integral to Ethiopian culture that we developed a ‘traditional’ way of brewing it. To paint the picture of how coffee is brewed, I want to first start by talking about the setup. The names I am using to describe the appliances are in Amharic, which is what my family speaks at home and is widely spoken in Ethiopia. The most common set needed to brew coffee includes a Jebena, the traditional coffee pot, a Kesel Mandeja which is a coal burner, and a small table of sorts where we lay out the cups we drink out of called Sini’s.
The small table is on top of a small mat, that usually has Ketema which is a type of grass lightly scattered on the mat. In some households there is usually a small incense burner put right in front of the mat, so as the coffee ceremony is happening the smell of the coffee roasting and the incense mingles in the air.
Traditionally, it is women who carry out the coffee ceremony. They start by washing the coffee (also called Buna in Amharic) and then roast the coffee on a flat pan over coal, and as the coffee roasts it emits the most enticing smell. As it was for the monk in the Kaldi story, the aroma is a huge part of the ceremony for a lot of Ethiopians. For my mother, it is her favorite part of the ceremony. She always takes a deep breath in and I would see her whole frame relax, often breaking into a wide smile.
The next part of the ceremony is to crush the beans in a ‘Mukecha’ which is like a mortar and pestle. Once the coffee is reduced to a fine powder, it is poured into the Jebena. The Jebena has water that had been boiling while the coffee was being ground, so all that is left is to add the coffee to the Jebena and wait while it boils. Once the coffee is ready, it is poured out into the Sini’s and given to everyone drinking on a little tray. It is common to have some sort of snack with coffee.
The coffee ceremony is what the family usually sits around on a regular day, but it’s symbolic role as the glue or the central point is heightened during national holidays. Those are the days I would wake up to the sound of Mahmoud Ahmed, one of my father’s favorite artists, belting from the stereo in the living room, the smell of incense, and walk out to see Ketema sprinkled everywhere. Family and friends would come to visit and it was common for the festivities to carry on the whole day. With each person coming in, a cup of hot coffee was waiting for them. On special occasions, we would bake traditional bread (also called dabo). This is what Coffee symbolizes for a lot of Ethiopians.
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Much of that consumption happens at home, gathered around a jebena, a style of coffee pot from Ethiopia and Eritrea. The pot is instantly recognizable with its spherical bottom, long neck, and swooping handle, and usually comes along with a matot, a straw throne that holds it up and keeps it from burning the table, and a little lid that keeps the coffee hot as it brews.
Handmade from red or black clay, the pot is seasoned over a coal fire and usually decorated with various patterns engraved or molded on its exterior, some of which may signify the region where the jebena was produced.
But there’s more to a jebena than good looks; the pot is one part in a multistep communal brewing process, often led by the matriarch of a household, that’s as much about sharing an experience with friends and family as it is about caffeine intake. It’s this ritual that makes the jebena so dear to people in Ethiopia, as well as those who have left the country, including those who have fled violent conflicts throughout the years. During the ’70s and ’80s, for instance, refugees from the Ethiopian Civil War carried jebenas and related customs around the world.
In 2008, I tightly wrapped my jebena in my favorite sweater, alongside other essentials that Ethiopian mothers pack for children who set off to become students in the diaspora: berbere spice blends, stored in the freezer, that forever ruin your ice; raw honey in case you get sick; a handwoven blanket called a gabi to keep warm in winter. I knew I would need my jebena to maintain a connection to Ethiopia and its slow, communal culture of coffee consumption, a stark contrast to America’s favorite coffee chains with their disposable grab-and-go paper cups.
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Why You Need a Jebena
There are so many high-tech ways to brew coffee these days it can make your head spin: V60, siphon, moka pots, French press, drip, espresso machines, Chemex, vacuum. Like some of these other methods, the jebena relies on great design and gravity to do the work of brewing and filtering out solids, but it doesn’t require pressure, filters, percolators, or electricity.
After adding grounds and hot water to the pot, the jebena is tipped forward on its little straw stand as the coffee brews, forcing the coffee grounds to sekena, or “settle,” into the curve of the body. The method produces a flavor profile that’s full-bodied and expressive without becoming overwhelming or bitter.
The jebena isn’t for anyone in a rush. The traditional method calls for washing green coffee beans, roasting them on a flat steel pan, and pounding them with a mortar and pestle. The brewing ceremony that typically follows can last an hour or two, depending on the group. If you’re rushing to work before a meeting, get your double shot espresso.
If you want your coffee brewed before you wake up, get yourself an automated dripper. But brewing with a jebena is a compelling reason to take a break from the hustle and bustle of life. It creates something special out of an otherwise mundane task.
The jebena is especially ideal for serving coffee to a group. Multiple steps in the traditional brewing ceremony are designed to encourage interaction between hosts and guests. Once the coffee beans are roasted, the host shakes them in front of each recipient to share the aroma. The participants are expected to reciprocate, fanning the smoke towards the host’s face in return and giving a gesture of approval if the smell is good.
Then there is the protocol for the order in which the coffee is served, starting with the elders and working down in age (as the youngest in my family, this never bodes well for me). The same coffee grounds can be reused twice or even three times, resulting in weaker rounds of coffee as the gathering goes on. There are usually snacks to balance out the caffeine, most popularly popcorn, popped sorghum, or traditional breads like ambasha and dabo kolo.
In homes in Ethiopia and the diaspora, these coffee ceremonies occur daily, giving families and friends a chance to socialize and bond. And during the rare times it’s not in use, the jebena acts as an eye-catching centerpiece, communicating that cultural heritage.
Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony
How to Use a Jebena
Whether or not you wash, roast, and pound your own coffee beans, start with a medium grind. Add the coffee and cold water to the jebena; 25 grams of coffee with 150 milliliters of water is enough for a single serving, but most models can hold up to 150 grams of coffee with 900 milliliters of water to serve a group of six. Place the pot on the stove over medium heat, and let it brew until the coffee climbs up the neck of the pot (this will take less than 10 minutes; you’ll know it’s ready when you hear it rushing to the top). Just as it’s about to spill over, add a few drops of cold water to make it simmer down.
Grab the pot by the handle (which remains cool) and place the jebena on its little matot, tipping it forward toward the spout and allowing gravity to take over. Place the cover on top to keep the coffee hot, and do not disturb the sekena. Once the coffee has settled, which should take about three minutes, steadily pour the coffee into small clay or porcelain cups. If anyone is interested in a second or third round, just add 150 milliliters of water for each drinker and start the brewing process again. Although methods may vary slightly, these basics are generally agreed upon.
Where to Buy a Jebena
Support your local Ethiopian or Eritrean mom-and-pop shops, which are likely to have some jebenas on hand. I remember the culture shock I felt when I first came to visit America and I realized that coffee was seen as an ‘on the go’ drink.
