Café- Nation
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia -Â The coffee aroma, the scent of roasted beans entices even the farthest passerby. The small coffee place, Tomoca Coffee House; located around Piazza has been attracting pedestrians for more than 60 years.
Different types of roasted, ground coffee types are piled alongside Ethiopian coffee ceremony pictures. This place is about coffee and only coffee. Â The t-shirts, the pictures, and the barista are all reminders for people to have coffee.
Inside it is very difficult not to notice a hanging quote on a yellow placard on the ceiling which declares, “When you drink a cup of coffee ideas come in marching like an army.†The quote on the placard is from the French novelist and playwright Honoré de Balzac. Customers get the small plastic chip and walk to the barista to order the type of coffee they want, whether it be strong or weak, with or without milk. There are only a few stools in one of the corners and people sip their coffee while standing or reading their newspaper.
Living in the birthplace of coffee, it is nearly impossible to ignore the presence and prevalence of it all around us, from the coffee ceremonies at so many people’s house to the ridiculous amount of coffee shops in the country.
From a very small thermos of coffee on the street to a small café all the way to fancy cafés, Addis caters to everyone.
It is not only coffee and tea that is served but places such as Bilo’s serve a myriad of other things including ice cream, Kaldis with its Frappuccino and Bole Mini with its famous milkshakes are also part of the café scene in Addis.
In the mornings most of the taxi stands are crowded with customers, taxi drivers and woyalas in a huge rush. But the ones that aren’t rushing are often seen sitting on a rock drinking a cup of tea or coffee they paid two birr for.
Read more at The Reporter
