Magic Coffee

If you aren’t a Coffee snob, maybe you don’t know that Ethiopia is synonymous with fantastic coffee. Additionally, I have found it to be magic.

The last day in D.C., a some of us took time to wander the monuments. I’ve been there a few times, but who would turn down the chance to see them at sunset?

After the monuments tour, I took a quick nap and got to the airport early for a 13hr flight…which was delayed.

For 3 hours.

After landing in Addis I was at only 6hrs of sleep in 48hrs. I would say I was totally impressed that I didn’t fall asleep during the basic schedule overview session we had, but that would almost be a lie.

After the session I most definitely did not fall asleep in, we were given coffee. Not sure why they waited until after, but it kept me up for an hour so I could eat dinner. (About a minute after I drank a cup, I felt like I was levitating. I think my hands were shaking a bit and my head started buzzing. American coffee has been ruined forever. Come at me Starbucks.) The foam on the top of the coffee (not latte foam – its like the crema at the top of an espresso shot) is beautiful. It’s served in small teacups, and it’s absolutely delicious with or without sugar. The cup that was roasted, ground and brewed in front of me tasted almost like hot chocolate. It was amazing.

The Ethiopian coffee ceremony is about community, family, building relationships, taking time to sit down with people you love, and then about hand roasted beans and a brilliant drink.

And it is magical.