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Ethiopian · Eritrean

Ethiopian coffee (jebena buna)

Vegetarian

ጀበና ቡና · jebena buna

Freshly roasted coffee boiled in a clay jebena and poured in a thin stream into small cups — the heart of the Ethiopian and Eritrean coffee ceremony, served over three rounds.

Ethiopian coffee (jebena buna) is an Ethiopian hot drink, ready in about 30 minutes and made with finely ground coffee. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
15 min
Cook
10 min
Rest
5 min
Total
30 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
2

Ingredients

6 small cups

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    If starting from green beans, wash them and roast 30 g in a dry heavy pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 10–15 minutes until dark brown, glossy and fragrant. Let the smoke waft over guests, as at a ceremony, then grind or pound the beans.

    Food safety: Roasting coffee smokes — ventilate well.

  2. Step 2

    Bring the water to the boil in a jebena or small saucepan (opens in a new tab), add the coffee, stir and let it rise to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 3–5 minutes.

    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Take off the heat and let the grounds settle for 3–5 minutes (tilt the jebena on a ring so they collect at the bottom).

    • 5 min

  4. Step 4

    Pour from a height in one continuous thin stream into small handleless cups without stopping, so the grounds stay behind. Serve with sugar (opens in a new tab) (or salt).

    • 2 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    For the second (tona) and third (bereka) rounds, add more water to the same grounds, boil again, settle and pour. Each round is lighter.

    • 8 min
    • medium-low heat

About this dish

Origin
Ethiopia · Well documentedThe coffee ceremony is a central hospitality ritual in both Ethiopia and Eritrea.Also popular in EritreaMore food from Ethiopia
Dish
Breakfast · Snack · Hot drinks
Cooking method
Boiled
Taste
bitter, rich, smoky, aromatic / warmly spiced
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat · Low-sodium · DASH-style
Without the optional extras: Whole-food focused, Paleo-style, No added sugarWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Finely ground coffee
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering · Fermentation

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

2 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 101 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 20%
  • Carbohydrate 80%
  • Fat 0%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy2 kcal2 kcal
Protein0.1 g0.1 g
Carbohydrate0.4 g0.4 g
Net carbohydrate0.4 g0.4 g
Sugars0 g0 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre0 g0 g
Fat0 g0 g
Saturated fat0 g0 g
Trans fat0 g0 g
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium2 mg2 mg
Salt equivalent0 g0 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
18 mg
Calcium
11 mg
Iron
0 mg
Magnesium
4 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
0 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
0 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: sugar, salt.
  • Finely ground coffee: Instant coffee powder used as a stand-in for the soluble part of roasted ground coffee; list the grams actually consumed with consumedGrams.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • A small twist of horsehair or a clean fibre plug in the jebena spout catches stray grounds as you pour.

Common mistakes

  • Stopping and starting the pour, which stirs up the grounds.

Serve with

  • With popcorn, roasted barley (kolo) or bread, and frankincense burning nearby.

Storage

  • Drink each round fresh; re-boiled coffee from a previous day tastes stale.

History

Coffee arabica is native to the highlands of south-western Ethiopia, and drinking it at a shared ceremony is a long-standing tradition there.

Confidence: Well documented

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sip & Blend

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

The spice and seasoning backbone

Spices, masalas & pastes

  • Salt (optional)1 pinch · 0.4 g
Used in step 4

Less sweet, dairy-free, caffeine-free or for more people — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sip & Blend

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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