The Traditional Coffee Ceremony:

The Coffee ceremony is one of the most recognizable parts of Eritrean and Ethiopian culture. Coffee is offered when visiting friends, during festivities, or as a daily staple of life. The coffee is brewed by first roasting the green coffee beans over hot coals in a brazier. This is usually accompanied by the burning of a traditional incense. The intense aromas blend wonderfully. Once the beans are roasted each participant is given an opportunity to sample the aromatic smoke by wafting it towards them. This is followed by the grinding of the beans, traditionally in a wooden mortar and pestle.

The ground beans are then put into a jebena and boiled over coals. The jebena is usually made of clay and has a spherical base, a neck and pouring spout and a handle where the neck connects with the base.

The coffee host pours the coffee for all participants by moving the tilted boiling pot over a tray with small, handleless cups without stop until each cup is full. Some of the coffee will inevitably miss the cup but this is done to prevent the coffee grounds from contaminating the brew. One extra cup is poured each time. The grounds are brewed 3 times.

Coffee is taken with plenty of sugar (or in the countryside, salt) but no milk and is generally accompanied by lavish praise for its flavour and skilful preparation. Often it is complemented by a traditional snack food, such as popcorn, peanuts or cooked barley. In most parts of Ethiopia, the coffee ceremony takes place three times a day - in the morning, at noon and in the evening

Reference Materials:

Epicurean.com - Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony