Ethiopian coffee shops offer customs along with caffeine
LONDON — Growing up in Ethiopia, Yared Markos would often start his days the same way: with coffee. Family members, neighbors and passersby would be drawn in by the strong aroma of fresh beans roasting in a pot, often made by his mother or another family member.
Regardless of who they were, all were welcome.
And this tradition wasn’t limited to the morning. Coffee is typically drunk at the end of each meal. Drinking coffee was a communal experience for Markos, so when he first immigrated to London from Ethiopia 23 years ago, the culture shock hit hard.
“They sell our coffee in Starbucks and other places, but they don’t follow our traditions,” said Markos, who has owned Kaffa Coffee since 2004. The shop, now in the East London neighborhood of Dalton, hosts coffee ceremonies every weekend in the summer, as well as during cultural events year round, and special orders.
“Tourists will walk by and smell the coffee and come in asking questions,” Markos said. “It makes people want to learn more about the culture.”
Markos said that when he moved to London, in 2000, he didn’t see any Ethiopian coffee shops; now, there are more than a dozen all over a city where tea has been a staple for centuries. Ethiopian coffee has made similar inroads in cities around the world.
Markos named Kaffa after the southwestern region in Ethiopia where coffee beans are believed to have been discovered around AD 800. Traditional accounts say an Ethiopian goat herder named Kaldi noticed his goats acting strangely after eating some
berries. Kaldi took the berries to a monk, who threw them in a fire, calling them the work of the devil.
A strong aroma was released, and monks saved the remnants, putting them in a jug with hot water. When they drank the concoction, they realized it helped them stay awake during nightly devotions and prayers.
Over the years, coffeemaking in Ethiopia has evolved into full-on ceremonies led by the women in a household.
“The social value of the coffee ceremony is one of our biggest traditions,” Markos said.
Fresh beans are roasted in a pot for a few minutes before being passed around so everyone can inhale their aroma. They are then ground
to a powder and placed in a jebena, or Ethiopian coffee pot, traditionally made of clay, on top of a stove.
While the coffee is being made, frankincense is burned to enhance the already aromatic process. Once the kettle comes to a boil several times, the coffee is served in a small cup called a sini.
Anteneh Mulu, 46, and his business partner Polly Hamilton, 79, opened the Ethiopian Coffee Company shop in central London in 2013. Like Kaffa Coffee, they import directly from Ethiopia.
As Ethiopia’s traditions spread outside the country, both Markos and Mulu hope more people will be encouraged to prioritize community over caffeine while drinking coffee.