Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony

A quick cup of coffee does not come into the picture ; three cups accompanied by lots of conversation are the norm. The ceremony honours guests and pays respect to the humble coffee bean which first revealed its secrets in Ethiopia. How different might things be if the coffee gene could be patented and royalties received !
Fresh beans are roasted on the open fire, then ground by hand with a wooden pestle and mortar. Small cups and saucers line up in a tray, flowers decorate the scene and incense fills the air. Corn is popped as an accompaniment. Coffee drinkers wait patiently as the ground coffee and water bubble aromatically in the long spouted clay pot. After one or two trial splashes into a cup the brew is declared ready and the tray of filled cups graciously offered.

(Alun Thomas, Discover Ankober ; Discover the Coffee Caravan Route in Ethiopia)