In Seattle, a taste of Ethiopian coffee culture

The aroma of incense and roasting coffee filled a room at the Northwest African American Museum on Saturday afternoon, as five women demonstrated a centuries-old ritual from their home country of Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee.

It was not the intimate, hours-long event that Ethiopian coffee ceremonies typically are.

A few dozen attendees crowded the room, chatting and laughing and walking around, fueled by excitement and coffee. Some were from Seattle's Ethiopian community, which the museum estimates numbers 20,000 to 25,000 people.

"I like to come and see what other people think of the culture," said Endanchy Girma, a native Ethiopian who has lived in Seattle for more than 30 years.

She plans to open a coffee shop called Café Char at 2310 E. Madison St. in March, and will hold monthly coffee ceremonies there that last the more traditional three hours.

"Every time I visit [Ethiopia], this is the best thing I enjoy, the ceremony," she said. "You get to visit all the neighbors."

Legend has it that coffee was discovered when a herder noticed his goats happily dancing, and he tried some of the berries they had eaten.

Ethiopians began drinking coffee as early as the ninth century, according to a museum exhibit called "East by Northwest: A New African American Experience" that is a look at Ethiopia and its immigrants to Seattle.

"Among visitors, there are a lot of misconceptions" about Ethiopia, said Brian Carter, the museum's deputy director. "For a lot of people, the famine of the '80s is the touchstone."

The exhibit challenges that image with photographs of Ethiopia's lush agricultural landscape, Blue Nile Falls and striking Sof Omar cave system.

A life-size model of a traditional Ethiopian dwelling — a gojjo — sits near a photo of traffic and skyscrapers in the capital city of Addis Ababa.

One large photograph depicts Alem Abate, an Ethiopian immigrant to Seattle, leading a coffee ceremony in a traditional white dress.

Abate poured coffee at the museum's ceremony on Saturday, while Menkeli Kanaa raised her voice above the crowd to share insights and answer questions.

Kanaa's brother in Ethiopia grew the coffee that was roasted over a single burner, then brewed in a black clay pot called a jebena.

The women then served coffee in small tea-sized cups with sugar. In Ethiopia, Kanaa said, the additions might include butter or salt, but rarely milk.

"Modern cafes serve cappuccinos, but that's not traditional," Kanaa said.

The ritual is such a strong part of Ethiopian culture that even its language is permeated with coffee references, she said.

" 'I don't have anyone to drink coffee with' means 'I don't have a friend,' " she said. "And there's the warning, 'Don't get your name mentioned at coffee time.' "

Melissa Allison: 206-464-3312 or mallison@seattletimes.com