The origin of American coffee: comparison of taste, flavor, description of grinding degree

Introduction to the Origin of American Coffee

To be able to feel a coffee ceremony from beginning to end is to be a guest at the local Mohamed's house. Mohamed works in the government, and his wife, Jenna, works in a Chinese company. A few years ago, Mohamed, who had just graduated from college, was a young man with an uncertain future from the countryside, while Jenna was the daughter of a businessman in the capital, and their love affair had been opposed by the woman's parents because of differences in economic conditions. Later, Mohamed helped Jenna solve her work problems through her Chinese friends, and their marriage came naturally. Now that Jenna is on vacation at home less than a year after giving birth, Mohamed has become the breadwinner and center of the family. The street lights were dim in many parts of Addis Ababa at night, and our car turned around in a labyrinth of low houses and finally stopped in front of an iron door. Their house is a separate house, and there is a car parked in the yard. After several years of hard work by Mohamed and financial support from her family, they have been able to live an upper-middle-class life in the capital.

Soon after we were seated, Jenna silently began the coffee ceremony. The coffee beans hissed and burst, and the sweetness of the sugar converted into caramel dispersed. There is also a strange aroma mixed with it, sometimes strong and sometimes light. It turned out that Jenna was burning incense at the same time, and she kept adding spices to a petal-shaped ceramic tray. The incense burned is the frankincense that often appears in the Old Testament. It is the resin from the frankincense tree, which forms a yellow reddish translucent crystal after condensation. This spice is common in East Africa and the Arab regions of Yemen and Oman, although top frankincense gold is hard to find. I noticed that Jenna also added a handful of cloves to the pan when roasting coffee. She said that sometimes it could be cinnamon or nutmeg, which added layers to the aroma of the coffee. So the coffee ceremony is first of all a feast of smell.

When the slow secretion of oil makes dark brown coffee beans shine, it is time to grind coffee. There is no bean grinder, and wooden pestles and mortar are completely used to mash the coffee beans in the coffee ceremony. In this way, it is destined that the coffee powder will not be too delicate and looks similar to the "medium grinding" degree of the bean grinder. Such a fine powder is just right for the next step of brewing coffee. On the charcoal fire, the water in the pottery pot boiled and smoked, and Jenna poured the coffee powder into the pot. This pottery pot is very simple and has no structural mystery. After waiting for a while, she poured the coffee into a large glass cup and poured it back into the clay pot, three or four times. I am actually a little confused about this process, because the uncontrollable size of charcoal fire and the process of repeated dumping will wear out the aroma of coffee. Jenna stressed that this link should have a good control of time. The allocation of specific time depends entirely on experience. Since childhood, she has seen her mother to preside over the coffee ceremony at home. "every day after school, I will smell coffee and frankincense when I come to my house. It makes me feel warm, because it means that my mother is at home, waiting for me. "

When the dregs precipitate a little, the coffee can be divided. First of all, it is necessary to bring coffee to the oldest male elder in the family, not only as a sign of respect, but also because the coffee first baked has the strongest flavor and is not suitable for women and children. Coffee should be served in three rounds, each with no new coffee powder, just water. If the first round is likened to espresso (Espresso), the last round is like American coffee (Americano) diluted with water, and children who are not very young at home can participate. The snacks that go with coffee are popcorn and fried wheat.

"if Ethiopians invite you to a coffee ceremony, you must not refuse, otherwise it will be a serious social mistake." A local Chinese friend told me. Once he went to the countryside for an inspection. Before he left, an old man in the village offered to invite him to his home to participate in the coffee ceremony. Thinking that he had an itinerary to hurry after, he told the translator that he wanted to decline politely. Unexpectedly, the translator told him directly that such an invitation must be accepted. Coffee ceremony is a kind of high-standard etiquette for hospitality, and it is also an activity when relatives and friends get together. It is said that it also has the function of resolving conflicts. In short, the core of the coffee ceremony is to gather human feelings, not just for that drink.