How to Make Ethiopian Coffee (Buna)

Last Updated: February 5, 2024

Ethiopian Christmas, called Gena in Amharic, is a day of festivity. On this day Christians from all denomination gather to celebrate and eat together. On this day a country that is politically and ethnically divided comes together. Drinking coffee— or Buna as is called in Amharic— is customary during Christmas. However, people also drink coffee in special gatherings and birthdays. Ethiopians usually drink coffee with a side of roasted grain mix snack called Kolo.

Ingredients

Gebena (An Ethiopian pot for brewing coffee)
6 Ceni (Ethiopian small cups)
2 cups of water
Ethiopian Coffee roasting pan (can order online or can just use a regular pan)
Coffee grinder
2/3 cup of green beans (Ethiopian Yirgacheffe used here)
1 tablespoon of salt
1 tablespoon of sugar

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Roasting the Coffee

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You don’t want to trigger the smoke detector.
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Any left over flavor from other foods will change the taste of the coffee.

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6
Continuously move your hand back and forth while holding the pan for 10 minutes. You want to make sure all the beans are roasted equally.
- Never leave the coffee on the oven top while the gas is still on. The coffee beans will get burnt, and the taste of the coffee will be bitter.
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This is customary in Ethiopian culture.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Brewing the Coffee

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7
Place the gebena slanted, so the grounded coffee can settle down into the bottom layer.
- Be careful not to move the gebena once placed; moving can cause the bottom layer of grounded coffee to be mixed with the top layer of your coffee.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Serving the Coffee

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Serve them to your friends and family.
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Question

What is gebena in English?

Community Answer

There isn't a specific English word to refer to the Ethiopian coffee-brewing jug, but you could refer to it as a coffeepot.

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Tips

To get a better Ethiopian atmosphere you can play Asina Genaye, a famous Ethiopian holiday song, on youtube and listen while preparing the coffee.

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How to Make Ethiopian Coffee (Buna)

Ingredients

Steps

Roasting the Coffee

Brewing the Coffee

Serving the Coffee

Community Q&A

Tips

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