Buna Ceremony
Introduction:
Ethiopia is without a doubt the most important country in the history of coffee. It was here that our favourite drink was created for the first time. Ethiopian coffee ceremonies were supposed to be the start of all coffee rituals around the world called the Buna Coffee ceremony. Such a title is not entirely correct since the word Buna already means coffee. Therefore, it is more accurate to say either a coffee ceremony or a ‘Buna ceremony’. Guests and friends are usually invited to the ceremony.
How Buna ritual is performed?
The ritual begins with seats being arranged in a circle inside an open location. Because only women make coffee, the woman who holds this ceremony is usually the hostess of the house. Scattered leaves and grass and some occasions along with flowers on the floor.
Vegetation is a symbol of hospitality, gratitude to nature, and a sign of respect for the guests. And since the venue of the ceremonies is sacred, it needs to be decorated. Then the woman starts a fire to roast coffee beans. It can be like a little bonfire or a compact call burner, or a modern gas burner, which is becoming increasingly popular because of its practicality.
Another important element is that the woman burns incense on a little saucer with some bark. It is said that the scent of incense drives evil spirits out of the house. Next to the burner, the coffee roaster is a plate with a glowing mirror. As a result, scents are combined, creating a peculiar, constantly changing perfume that ranges from roasted coffee to incense. Their final pronouncement is usually much more forceful.
The hostess then washes green coffee beans before roasting them. The main idea of this step is evidently to clean the beans, but also to moisten them. Then this contributes to their better roasting. Next, the woman removes the quality beans. Now the coffee is ready to start the procedure.
The next phase is not anobligatory part of the tradition, but often, while women are busy with coffee, Men offer guests and themselves short of something stronger than just coffee. The hostess meanwhile starts the roasting process. She puts coffee beans on a large middle dish and sets it on fire. Traditionally the platter was solid, but lately, a kind of frying pan with holes often replaces the irregular one. The lady is continuously stirring the coffee beans with a metal stick similar to a small fire iron, bringing them to a dark colour. There are no special requirements for lighting, but most of the ceremonies are passing in the twilight.
When the smoke from roasting beans begins to swirl inside the room, it moves slower than usual as if hypnotized by the melancholic rhythm of the whole ceremony, coffee is roasted fairly quickly, six to seven minutes after that begins the acquaintance with coffee.
The hostess removes the frying pan with steaming coffee, shifts them to another plate, and alternately brings it to each of the guests.
Every visitor inhaled deeply, savouring the aroma of freshly roasted coffee beans as it was pushed towards him. The nose is tickled by the fragrance. Ethiopian elders believed that the buna ceremony would be incomplete without sniffing.
The hostess selects all under-roasted beans before beginning to grind crash coffee; the acceptable beans are then placed in a vertical mortar grinder. The woman takes a short pestle in her hands and begins to precisely smash the beans in the mortar. This is a difficult method. After 15 to 20 seconds of heating, stop feeling in your hand. Furthermore, it is not only physically demanding, but it necessitates a high level of accuracy to avoid hitting your fingers at full speed.
She grinds the coffee, lays it out on paper, and pours a handful into a jar called “Jebena.” It can be spiced with cardamom and cloves, among other things. Later, cold water is also added. One of the most beautiful images from the ceremony appears to be Jebena standing on the flames.
Interestingly, the hostess also pours some water into a small plastic cup and places it near her. When a few minutes later, the coffee starts to boil it almost gets out. The lady pours some cold water from this cup into the coffee pot. Then she pours some coffee back into the cup. And then she hits the cold liquid again to bring down the boil. And she repeats this cooling operation from time to time. After brewing coffee, the woman removes the coffee pot and allows it to cool for about five minutes.
During this time, grounds are deposited into the pot, and Jebena is placed on a small round stamp woven from dry banana tree leaves.
The same leaves, only green are also used to hold the hotpot by the handle.
Guests prefer light snacks, local injera, spongy flatbread, or traditional bread or popcorn. Most often the starter is served from the very beginning of the ceremony, spreading them on large plates. But at first, they guess takes quite a bit. This is not to eat, but to refresh the taste buds before coffee. Well, the bread is okay. But how did the choice fall on popcorn?
It is suggested that not only thanksto its taste but also because of its appearance, dishes with white flakes consistently attract your attention by creating particular colour contrast with coffee. A mixture of roasted barley seeds with some other cereals is often used as a snack too. Sometimes it is prepared right during the ceremony. The coffee has infused down a bit and the woman starts pouring it into cups on a small table in front of her, , the cups can be clay as well as wooden, bamboo or porcelain as a modern version, in most cases, Ethiopian coffee cups have no handles. The proper way to hold them is not from the bottom. It can be hot with fingertips at the top. Sometimes the hostess puts in the cup a herb stem called ‘Tenor Adam’. Adam’s health. It has a calming, relaxing effect. Sugar is served with coffee, but in the depth of the country, it can also be sold. Salted coffee is a common thing in Ethiopia. Important note, guests, does take cups with coffee from the hostess with both hands. Or even say 1.5 hands because the cup is taken with one hand while the other one is supported by the elbow. The Ethiopian greeting looks similar by the way.
Traditionally, the cups are distributed starting from the eldest and most respected person in the ceremony. Almost always guess, praise coffee after the first sip. Expressions can be different. The hostess adds a handful of ground coffee to the Jebana for some water and says the coffee pot is on fire again. At this point, she uses a curious tool, a little stick with something like a cork at the end. It is used to plug the port for preserving the coffee aroma and sometimes also for pushing through the coffee grounds stuck in the jebena neck all this time. Guests start socializing, laughing, discussing something, or just sitting. The hostess means can repeat a couple more times her popcorn offering. So it is the first part of the buna ceremony. Then the woman pores, we’re into the port and the whole preparation procedure is repeated.
Guess a served this second cup of coffee and after a while, they drink the third cup. To complete the circle, the first gap is named Abol, the second is Tona, and the third is called Baraka. The names of the cups may vary in different regions of the country, but their symbolism remains an alternate. The first cup is drunk for taste as it is the strongest. The second copy is run for good luck. Third, the weakest is for a blessing, because with the completion of the ceremony, you are blessed. By tradition, you can drink one cup or three, but not two. Older people use the same cup for all three sets. Well, the younger generation washes them or uses the clean one for each session. Due to its length, the ceremony nowadays is often reduced. Only one cap can be prepared for a guest. In a trimmed version when customers have very little time, roasting is excluded from the ceremony. Coffee in such cases used already roasted. Nowadays you can even catch a very light Buna ceremony version with a coffee pot from a thermos somewhere. A miniature Jebena can be used to serve a cup of coffee. So you pour yourself some drink. Obviously, in this case, the procedure loses a decent part of its charm. The modern world dictates its conditions.
However, the buna has always belonged to almost sacred traditions. The Ethiopians say that if someone had suddenly died during the ceremony. Everyone would have finished their coffee first and only then they start to take care of the dead. At first, glance, drinking three cups of coffee for an hour looks like a huge dose, but here, there is a nuance. Each subsequent cup turns out to be weaker since the main part of the brute grounds remains the same. I repeat the same portion of ground coffee that is brood all the time. Just a little bit of fresh coffee and water is added to the. Thus you consume three cups and get the threads of 1.5, maximum of two cups of coffee. Another unique point is the Ethiopian attitude towards drinking coffee by children. It seems that they studied the effect of coffee on the child’s body over the centuries, the children in Ethiopia start drinking coffee at the age of 14. Probably it is related to physiology.
But the Ethiopians explain that by the age of 14 years old, a child is considered an adult and can earn himself a coffee. In other words, the moment one starts drinking coffee is a kind of acquisition of official adult status. But in reality, Ethiopia starts slowly giving coffee to children from five to six years of age. And this is done very prudently. The child is first allowed to drink from the third, the weakest cup. Later he begins to try a stronger second cup. And then when he is already coming of age, he’s allowed to drink the first cup, the strongest one. The coffee ceremony in Ethiopia can also be held in the evening.
How can they drink coffee at night? It can be explained by the same progressive loosening of coffee strength mentioned above. The third cup already has a prominent character. The whole ceremony usually lasts about an hour, but as they say, in good company, it can take a couple of hours.
Nowadays, a ceremony can be performed even right in the condominium apartment. We must admit that the coffee ceremony in our days begins to lose too fast, at least in cafes and bars. However, this victory will never be either undisputable or complete because the most ancient coffee ceremony in the world will undoubtedly live forever. Ethiopia has 83 various ethnic groups. They are so different that only the coffee ceremony unites them all. It doesn’t matter if you are a Christian or a Muslim.
Buna has no borders. Actually, in all languages of the country where the coffee was born, there is an expression, “may you always have plenty of coffee in peace”, heavy and attended the ceremony at least once.
We will unquestionably fall in love with the Buna ceremony. The reasons for this are difficult to explain probably because everything about the history, aesthetics, communication and the coffee flavour is perfect. But most importantly, it has a soul.
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