There is perhaps no place more associated with coffee than Ethiopia. It is the birthplace of coffee, the place where Kaldi and his goats famously got their first caffeine buzz. Ethiopia gave the world Gesha. And 12 centuries after the original discovery, Ethiopia continues to grow some of the most sought-after coffees in all the world.
Almost as old as coffee itself is the Ethiopian coffee ceremony. It dates back to the ninth century and for over 1,000 years has been a part of Ethiopian hospitality and culture. And now, the country is making a bid to have it recognized by UNESCO.
As reported by Qahwa World, the push for recognition comes as part of Ethiopian Coffee Culture Day 2026. Taking place in Addis Ababa, the event was created by Warka Coffee with the central focus being the designation of the Ethiopian coffee ceremony as Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.
The Ethiopian coffee ceremony is traditionally performed by women, who will roast and grind the coffee for guests before brewing it three different times in a jebena. The act of service continues to this day, both within the country and globally, with many Ethiopian-focused coffee shops and restaurants offering customers an opportunity to take part in the ceremony.
By achieving UNESCO Heritage status, Worka CEO and founder Seada Mustefa hopes not only to highlight the importance of the coffee ceremony but further cement Ethiopia’s place in the global coffee network. It seeks to establish coffee not as mere commodity but as a vehicle of cultural importance.
If successful, the Ethiopian coffee ceremony would join Turkish coffee as a UNESCO designate for intangible cultural heritage. In 2022, Italy made an attempt to have espresso recognized but the bid was never formalized, opting instead to push for opera, which succeeded in making the list in 2023.
The entire approval process can take years, but it has hard to imagine the Ethiopian coffee ceremony not making the cut. It is nearly as old as coffee itself, and perhaps more than any other preparation, expresses the full history of the world’s most popular beverage.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
