Jebena: The World's First Coffee Brewing Device

In today's fast-paced world, nearly everyone enjoys coffee and has their own set of tools to brew it for themselves and their loved ones each morning. Many have a favorite café they visit before or after work, where the coffee is prepared with the attention and care they prefer.

While brewing methods

vary from person to person, the ancient history of coffee preparation remains unfamiliar to many.

Coffee has been present in Ethiopia since the beginning, where these red berries have adorned the highland rainforests for millennia. According to records, early coffee consumption began with chewing the fresh fruits and leaves of the plant. In Ethiopia, some isolated tribes in the southern and southwestern regions still consume the coffee plant in this manner. The practice of roasting coffee beans over fire and then boiling them in water became a popular tradition later on.

This is also true for the ancient, ornate vessel used for brewing, the Jabana. Records indicate that this coffee brewing pot has been in use for 3,150 years in the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Sudan, and Eritrea).

During coffee ceremonies, a female family member brews the coffee in a Jabana. The ceremony master prepares and serves the coffee in festive attire, and the event is made special and intimate with ornate vessels and equipment.

What is a Jabana?

A Jabana is a coffee brewing pot made of clay. According to tradition, this pitcher has been used to brew coffee for over a thousand years across the country. Specialized workshops craft them. Traditionally, Ethiopian Jewish communities were the first to make these pitchers, along with other clay utensils and decorative items.

In the workshop shown in the picture, only women work, providing livelihood opportunities for women who may be marginalized. The women earn their living by pottery.

The first phase of making the tool involves mixing a base material consisting of slaked lime and clay. The mixture is kneaded and worked together, then carefully shaped on a wheel. First, a hollow sphere is formed from the raw clay, to which the long neck is added. The spout of the Jabana follows, which is evenly worked onto the vessel with wet hands. Once this is complete, a stick is used to pierce through the spout of the Jabana so that the freshly brewed coffee can flow into the cup. Next, the handle is attached using a similar method, and the decoration of the vessel begins.

The decoration makes each Jabana particularly unique. Each vessel has its own story, as they are handmade, and the women working in the workshop proceed according to their own styles and decorative ideas. Therefore, every Jabana is unique. You never see exactly two identical pitchers, as "Variety is the spice of life" (as the Ethiopian proverb goes).

After drying, the ornate vessels are coated with a black glaze and then fired in a kiln to achieve their final hardness.

If you would like to get acquainted with Ethiopian coffee specialties, visit our webshop, where you can find excellent coffees.