Promoting tradition as well as beans, Ethiopian coffee shops find fans far from home

LONDON (AP) — Growing up in Ethiopia, Yared Markos would often start his days the same way: with coffee. Family members, neighbors and passersby would be drawn in by the strong aroma of fresh beans roasting in a pot, often made by his mother or another family member.

Regardless of who they were, all were welcome.

And this tradition wasn’t limited to the morning. Coffee, or buna in Amharic, is typically drunk at the end of each meal. Drinking coffee was a communal experience for Markos, so when he first immigrated to London from Ethiopia 23 years ago, the culture shock hit hard.

“They sell our coffee in Starbucks and other places but they don’t follow our traditions,” said Markos, who has owned Kaffa Coffee since 2004. The shop, now in the East London neighborhood of Dalton, hosts coffee ceremonies every weekend in the summer, as well as during cultural events year round, and special orders.