Traditional Coffee Ceremony at Sidamo Coffee and Tea in Maple Lawn offers a weekly taste of Ethiopia

By L¿Oreal ThompsonKenfe Bellay, owner of Sidamo Coffee and Tea in Fulton, is on a mission to spread his love of coffee. The weekly Ethiopian coffee ceremony at Sidamo showcases his belief that the rich drink is more than a caffeinated pick-me-up.

“I grew up in Ethiopia. It’s the birthplace of coffee,” says Bellay, who also operates a shop inWashington, D.C. “I remember watching my mother roasting coffee as a child. You see the color change, you smell it roasting. It’s the most beautiful smell — and you hear it crack.”

In Ethiopia, coffee is a central part of life in the community. “You don’t drink coffee just to drink coffee,” says Bellay, who owns Sidamo with his wife, Yalemzwed Desta. “It has a social aspect. Normally you don’t drink it by yourself. You’re in the village drinking with neighbors.”

Named after a region in Ethiopia known for its coffee, Sidamo presents the traditional coffee ceremony every Sunday at 2 p.m.

Source: baltimoresun.com