Coffee History (2) – Ethiopian Coffee

What is currently being posted under “Coffee History” is from Uncommon Grounds.

Ethiopian coffee drinking involves ceremony and ritual, providing an ideal setting for socializing. It typically takes about an hour. While guests sit and chat charcoals warm inside special clay pots. Green coffee beans, taken from the host’s trees, have already been sun-dried and husks removed. Just prior to making a fresh brew of coffee, the green beans are washed and the silver skins removed. Frankincense thrown on the coals fills the room with a rich aroma. The green beans are poured onto a disk heating on the open fire and the beans are stirred as they roast. After a few minutes the beans turn a cinnamon color then crackle during the “first crack.” Once golden brown the beans are removed and ground to a fine powder in a mortar. The coffee grounds are placed into a clay pot of water, heating on the coals, along with cardamon and cinnamon.

Everone’s mouths are watering as the aroma of the coffee fills the room. The rich liquid is poured into little 3 oz cups with some sugar. Mmm, good coffee! (OK, so I haven’t actually tasted coffee made this way, but I can just imagine the exotic smells and flavors.)

Coffee History (1) – Mythical Origins

I’m currently reading Uncommon Grounds – The History of Coffee and How it Transformed the World, by Mark Pendergrast. So between practical posts of different ways of brewing coffee and tasting different beans, I’ll post short historical pieces. If history is not your thing, just avoid reading “Coffee History” posts.

Myth has it that a young goat herder in Ethiopia found his goats jumping, dancing, bleating, and biting each other after eating the leaves and red berries of a particular tree. They didn’t die, but rather the next day they went back to the same group of trees for a second helping. The young boy decided to try the plant himself. As he began to chew the bitter leaves and the sweet beans, a tingle traveled from his tongue down his gut and spread throughout his whole body. He began to jump, dance, sing, and play with his goats. The young boy was convinced that he would never be tired or grouchy again. Coffee was found! Humanity would never be the same!