Origin: Ethiopia  |  Prep: 20 minutes  |  Brew: 20-30 minutes

About This Brew

Jebena Buna is less a recipe than a ceremony: the heart of Ethiopian hospitality and the birthplace of coffee itself. A host roasts green beans over coals until dark and fragrant, carrying the smoking pan among guests to share the aroma, then grinds them by mortar and pestle and brews them in a jebena, a rounded clay pot with a long spout.

The brew is coaxed to a boil until it surges up the spout, then poured from a height into small handleless cups, filled to the brim. The ceremony unfolds over three rounds (Abol, Tona and Baraka), each progressively lighter as more water is added, and can last well over an hour. Often served with popcorn and sometimes scented with the herb tena adam (rue), it is communal, unhurried and deeply ceremonial.

Ingredients

• Green coffee beans (about 1/2 cup), or whole dark-roasted beans
• Water
• Sugar or salt, to taste (optional)
• Tena adam (rue) sprig (optional)

Equipment Needed

• Jebena (clay coffee pot)
• Roasting pan
• Mortar and pestle
• Small handleless cups
• Charcoal or stove

Instructions

1. Wash the green beans, then roast them in a pan over heat until dark and aromatic (skip if using roasted beans).
2. Let guests inhale the smoke and aroma.
3. Grind the roasted beans coarsely with a mortar and pestle.
4. Add the grounds and water to the jebena and bring to a boil over heat.
5. When the coffee rises toward the spout, remove from heat briefly, then return until brewed.
6. Let the grounds settle, then pour from a height into small cups, filling to the brim.
7. Serve, repeating for the Tona and Baraka rounds by adding more water.

Tags: Africa · Hot · Advanced