Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony

At this year's Conference, we continue our tradition of offering an Ethiopian coffee ceremony on Monday evening after the K12 awards ceremony. This ceremony, one of the most recognizable parts of Ethiopian and Eritrean culture, is a beloved ritual that is offered for hospitality when visiting friends.

 

The ceremony is typically performed by the woman of the household and is considered an honor. The coffee is brewed by first roasting the green coffee beans over an open flame in a pan. This is followed by the grinding of the beans, traditionally in a wooden mortar and pestle. The coffee grounds are then put into a special vessel and boiled. The boiling pot is usually made of pottery and has a spherical base, a neck and pouring spout, and a handle where the neck connects with the base. 

An Ethiopian woman carefully pours delicious coffee into small ceramic demitasse cups. This tradition is as much about hospitality as it is about the coffee.

 

The host pours the coffee for all participants by moving the tilted boiling pot over a tray with small, handle-less cups from a height of one foot without stop until each cup is full. The coffee ceremony may also include burning of various traditional incense.

We hope you will stop in and enjoy a beautiful taste of East African culture!

Monday, 5:45 pm - courtyard of NCED Conference and Hotel