Ethiopia is where coffee began — not as a commodity, but as a ritual of hospitality that still unfolds in homes across the country today. To be invited to a coffee ceremony is to be welcomed as family.
It starts with green beans roasted in a pan over open coals, the smoke wafted toward guests to share the aroma. The roasted beans are ground by hand and brewed in a jebena, a clay pot with a long neck, then poured from a height into small handleless cups.
Tradition calls for three rounds — abol, tona, and baraka — each a little lighter than the last, each meant to be shared slowly, in conversation. The third round, baraka, means “blessing.”
Bring the tradition home
You don't need coals and a jebena to share in it. Our Ethiopia single origin comes from smallholder farmers in the Sidama zone, grown from indigenous heirloom varieties — a direct link to where the whole story started. Grind it fresh, brew a pot bigger than you need, and pour for whoever's with you. Serve it slow, in small cups, and let the second and third cups stretch the conversation. That's the ceremony, wherever your kitchen is.
Explore all our origins in the coffee collection.