Green beans roasted, ground and boiled in a clay jebena, shared over three rounds.
Ethiopia is preparing a UNESCO nomination for the ceremony (2025). It is not on the list yet.
Where it comes from
Ethiopia is where arabica coffee comes from. The famous Kaldi goatherd story first appears in a 1671 book and is probably a legend.
The ceremony (buna) is a core custom in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Beans are roasted in front of guests, ground by hand, boiled in a jebena and poured from a height.
There are three rounds from the same grounds, each weaker than the last: abol, tona and baraka ("blessing"). A ceremony often lasts an hour or more.
How to make it at home
Pan-roast green beans until dark and share the aroma.
Grind them fine.
Bring water to a boil in the jebena, add the coffee and simmer briefly.
Let the grounds settle, then pour in one steady stream from a height.
Add water to the same grounds for the second and third rounds.
