When I was at University, I used to drink cups and cups of coffee. I’d drink coffee during the day to get me through boring lectures (especially when I hadn’t had enough sleep the night before) and at night to keep me awake while studying. It was in those days that I developed my taste for coffee: dark and sweet, preferably with no milk.

As an older adult, I no longer drink coffee as much as I used to. I am not a morning coffee drinker and in fact, I generally try to stay away from coffee because it makes me a little jittery. Nonetheless, after a heavy meal or when I need some pepping up (or both), I often turn back to trusty coffee.

In recent years, there’s one coffee that I have come to love above all others. That’s Ethiopian coffee served the traditional way. The first time I  drank this  kind of coffee was at Habesha Restaurant (in fact the first time I  ever ate at Habesha), when an Ethiopian colleague suggested ordering Ethiopian coffee to wash down the huge wonderful meal we had just had.

Ethiopian coffee is served very strong, just the way I like it, and without milk. It is usually accompanied by burning incense which (for me) is half the experience of drinking traditionally brewed Ethiopian coffee. I love the simplicity of Ethiopian coffee, which allows you to truly savor the  wonderful flavor of the coffee.

Until very recently, I had often heard about a famous ceremony surrounding how Ethiopians drink and serve coffee, the Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony. On a recent visit to Addis Ababa, I had the chance to witness this ceremony (or a summarized version of it) in the lobby of the Hilton Addis Ababa Hotel. I saw the process through which everyday Ethiopians take dried Ethiopian coffee beans and turn them into their potent flavourful brew. As if  I wasn’t sufficiently enamored with Ethiopian coffee before witnessing this ceremony, the ceremony gave me more background with which to further enjoy this drink.

Are you a fan of Ethiopian coffee? Or rather, do you much prefer the coffee of the coffeehouse culture, complete with complicated Italian-inspired names? If you have never tasted Ethiopian coffee before, I recommend it highly – simply ask for it at an Ethiopian restaurant near you (the best Ethiopian coffee I’ve ever had has been at Habesha Restaurant).

Let me know what you think when you do.

Until the next time,
Biche

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