In Ethiopia, nobody "grabs a coffee." Coffee is an event. The traditional coffee ceremony — buna — can take an hour or more, happens in homes several times a week, and is one of the most generous expressions of hospitality you will ever experience.
The setting
The ceremony usually begins with fresh grass or flowers scattered on the floor, a small table called a rekebot holding handleless cups (sini), and a charcoal burner with frankincense smoldering nearby. The host, traditionally a woman of the household, wears a white cotton dress with colorful embroidered borders.
Roasting in front of guests
Green coffee beans are washed and then roasted in a flat iron pan over the charcoal. The host stirs and shakes until the beans turn dark and glossy and begin to crackle. Then the pan is carried around the room so every guest can waft the smoke toward their face — a gesture of welcome and appreciation.
Grinding and brewing
The roasted beans are ground by hand with a mortar and pestle (mukecha) and added to boiling water in the jebena, a round clay pot with a long neck. When it boils up through the neck, it's taken off the heat and allowed to settle. The host then pours from a height into each cup without stopping — a skill that takes years to master.
Three rounds
Coffee is served in three rounds, each brewed from the same grounds with more water added:
- Abol — the first and strongest cup.
- Tona — the second, gentler cup.
- Baraka — the third, meaning "blessing." Leaving before the third round is considered impolite.
Coffee is often served with sugar (sometimes salt or butter in the countryside) and snacks like popcorn or roasted barley.
The ceremony is not about caffeine. It's about time — giving it, and sharing it.
What it taught us
We can't ship a ceremony across the ocean. But the ritual shaped how Befona works: roast carefully, never rush, and treat every cup as something to share. If you'd like to try something close at home, brew our Bensa Sidama Natural in a French press, pour it into small cups and invite a friend. Stay for the third round.
