ቁሳቁስ ጀበና
አማርኛ

Ethiopian pottery

ጀበናJebena

How is a jebena made? From earth to fire.

A step-by-step look at how the clay coffee pot at the heart of the Ethiopian coffee ceremony is shaped, polished and fired by hand.

See the stepsWhat is a jebena?

What is a jebena?ጀበና ምንድን ነው?

A jebena is a traditional clay pot for brewing coffee.

A jebena is a round-bellied clay pot with a long neck, a spout and a handle, used to brew coffee over hot charcoal. It is the centrepiece of the coffee ceremony, where it is set on a woven stand and poured for guests.

Jebenas are shaped entirely by hand, without a potter's wheel, usually by women potters who learned the craft at home. Shapes vary from region to region: some are wide and squat, others tall and slender.

The parts of a jebena

ክፍሎች

Every part of the shape has a job, from boiling the water to pouring a clean cup.

A jebena of smoked black clay on its woven straw stand, on a potter's board beside a lump of wet clay, a bowl of water, a wooden paddle and a polishing stone. The pot comes apart into the pieces the potter builds: the round belly, the neck drawn up from it, the spout and the handle pressed on, and the straw stopper in the neck. It stands 234 mm and the belly holds 1.06 litres. Point at the figure, or at a part in the list, to see that part. The arrow keys step through the parts, Space takes it apart or puts it together, and Escape puts it back.

  1. The round body sits directly on the charcoal, where the coffee boils.

  2. Water and ground coffee go in here. A small straw stopper in the top holds back the grounds while pouring.

  3. Long and thin, so the coffee pours in a slow, steady stream.

  4. Joins the neck to the shoulder, so the hot pot can be lifted and tilted.

  5. A woven straw ring that keeps the round-bottomed pot upright when it comes off the fire.

What goes into a jebena

ግብዓቶች

  • Potter's clay

    የሸክላ አፈር

    Dug from the ground and cleaned of stones and roots.

  • Sand

    አሸዋ

    Mixed into the clay so the pot does not crack in the fire.

  • Polishing stone

    የማለስለሻ ድንጋይ

    A smooth pebble that is rubbed over the surface to make it shine.

  • Fire and fuel

    እሳትና ማገዶ

    An open fire of wood, straw or dung hardens the clay.

How a jebena is made, step by step

አሠራር

Watch the pot take shape: from a lump of wet clay to a polished, smoke-blackened jebena.

  1. ፩Step 1

    Prepare the clay

    አፈሩን ማዘጋጀት

    The clay is soaked, mixed with sand and kneaded until it is smooth and even.

  2. ፪Step 2

    Build the belly

    ሆዱን መሥራት

    The round body is pinched and pressed into shape by hand, with no potter's wheel.

  3. ፫Step 3

    Form the neck

    አንገቱን መሥራት

    A long, narrow neck is drawn up from the top of the belly.

  4. ፬Step 4

    Attach the spout and handle

    አፍና እጀታ መለጠፍ

    Both are shaped separately and pressed on while the clay is still soft.

  5. ፭Step 5

    Polish and decorate

    ማለስለስና ማስጌጥ

    When the clay is half-dry, it is rubbed with the stone until it shines, and simple patterns are cut into the shoulder.

  6. ፮Step 6

    Dry in the shade

    ማድረቅ

    The pot dries slowly, out of direct sun, so it does not crack. As it dries, the clay turns pale.

  7. ፯Step 7

    Fire it

    በእሳት ማቃጠል

    The pot is fired in an open fire, which hardens the clay. Smoke darkens the surface, giving many jebenas their deep black colour. It is now ready for coffee.

The jebena in the coffee ceremony

የቡና ሥነ ሥርዓት

Freshly roasted beans are ground, boiled in the jebena over charcoal, and served in three rounds from the same grounds.

  • Abol · first round

    አቦል

    The strongest cup, poured from the first boil.

  • Tona · second round

    ቶና

    Water is added to the same grounds and brought to the boil again.

  • Bereka · third round

    በረካ

    The last and mildest cup. Its name means "blessing".

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