Ethiopian · drink
Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony (Buna)
Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony (Buna) reads sweetness 7.8, warm spice 3.8 and salinity 3.6 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Ethiopian drink, about 30 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.
The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10
- Umami & Savory — 3.8 / 10
- Sweet & Fruity — 8.0 / 10
- Sour & Bright — 0.0 / 10
- Bitter & Earthy — 1.5 / 10
- Rich & Fat — 1.5 / 10
- Aromatic & Spice — 4.1 / 10
The measured notes (of 18)
Sweetness 7.8 · Warm Spice 3.8 · Salinity 3.6 · Floral 1.9 · Herbaceous 1.8 · Umami 1.7 · Earthy 1.3 · Nutty 1.3 · Bitterness 0.8 · Richness 0.8 · Fruity 0.6
What's in it (5)
- 1/2 cup green coffee beans
- 4 cups water
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt (traditional)
- 1 tbsp frankincense
Time & effort: about 30 min · effort: medium
Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 15.6 kcal, 0.3 g protein, 0.1 g fat, 4 g carbs
Dietary: Vegan — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.
How it's cooked (4 steps)
- Wash and pan-roast green coffee beans over charcoal, shaking the pan constantly until they are dark and fragrant, then cool.
- Grind the roasted beans coarsely using a mortar.
- Boil water in a clay jebena pot, add the grounds, and simmer until brewed; pour through a sieve into small handle-less cups.
- Serve three rounds called abol, tona, and baraka, each progressively lighter, with sugar or salt.
Dishes with a similar flavor shape
- Picarones — Peruvian
- New World Spanish Corn Pudding — Spanish
- Chleb Razowy (Polish Rye Bread) — Polish
- Teurgoule — French · Normandy
- Mizu Yokan (Chilled Smooth Red Bean Jelly) — Japanese
Keep reading: what sweetness, warm spice, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.
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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.