Why is coffee so important to Ethiopians?
The History of Coffee
Coffee is said to have been first discovered in Ethiopia, fortuitously, or more accurately, serendipitously, by a goat herder named Kaldi. The town? Kaffa. Hence, coffee. Coffee is called Buna is the Ethiopian Amharic language - it is important to differentiate the Amhara tribe / Amharic language from the many tribes of Ethiopia who occupy different regions throughout the country. Amharic is one of the most widely spoken languages in the capital city, Addis Abeba (which means “New Flower”; “addis” means new, “abeba” meaning flower). The population of Ethiopia os over 100m with 2.5m said to live in the capital.
How does do you make coffee grow?
Coffee growing has several moving parts. one of the most important is rich land - high altitude, the amount of slope on the mountain the seed is planted, temperature, rainfall, frost and the amount sun and shade are vital factors in coffee production . One of the farmers’ main challenge is to provide enough moisture in land and stop insects devouring the coffee cherries (which contain the coffee bean)
Coffee in Ethiopian culture?
As the founding country of coffee, Ethiopia does well to uphold its integrity. The famous coffee ceremony, of reverential spiritual ritualistic coffee experience conducted by Ethiopians daily in their homes, is part of the heritage every Ethiopian family inherits. Coffee ceremonies are both ritualistic and therapeutic, one is often invited to these, they are not performed by default or a standard, rather they are an event that takes place in the home or somewhere significant which injects unity and welcoming. The very nature of the ceremony is to create an atmosphere of unity. There will be the ceremony performer, which can range from the mother of the household, to the youngest in the household, but will always be performed by a female. The ceremony consists of live hand authentic coffee roasting, in a small handheld tin pan fashioned over a hot stove (the authentic way is to use coal). The live roasting produces fantastic aromas and hypnotising smoke rising from the roasting pan into the atmosphere rising to the ceiling coating the walls of the world. The seductive sweet aromas of the freshly roasted coffee leaves you salivating with anticipation. Once the beans are roasted, they are placed on a woven mat and taken to each member of the coffee ceremony, usually sat in a circle, who will wave their hands in blessing and acknowledgement over the steam and smoke rising from the now flaming hot roasted beans.
The meaning of coffee in Ethiopian culture?
In summary, coffee is very revered in Ethiopian culture today. In fact, the whole region of East Africa has a very special relationship with coffee. Very few households in Ethiopia will actually have instant mixed coffee, it will often be those who are expats in the country. Authentic Ethiopians would not use instant mix coffee in their homes, in can even be seen as disrespectful to the lady of the house who prides herself in her coffee making (roasting and brewing) prowess. There will also be a cohort of 10’s of millions of people who have never in their life tasted coffee. There are often expectations set when one is invited to a coffee ceremony, it is a chance for the lady of the house to ‘Wow’ her guests. The culture very much is hinged upon coffee ceremonies and the heritage within the culture given the very first coffee been coming from Ethiopia. Despite the fact that East Africans uphold the integrity of the coffee ceremony, and indeed the coffee cultural heritage, you often see many coffee beans and plants that were transported abroad many years ago being traced back to Ethiopia as being the place of their original roots. For example, the famed Panama Geisha, is the growth of an entire coffee production that started with a coffee plant transported to Panama from Ethiopia. Ethiopia has given us many gifts, but this arguable has to be one fo the best.
Our founders’ cultural roots are Ethiopian, with the very inspiration for starting this brand being the decades of witnessing the above described coffee ceremonies in his home growing up. Do check out our range of fine coffees to enjoy some great tasting premium coffees prepared with love.