Lucy Never Drank Coffee

 

Ethiopia- the birthplace of coffee and the cradle of civilization. 

 

Ethiopia is responsible for all the coffee served at every coffee shop worldwide, right up to the latest trend of independent cafes. The coffee plant, its bean, and the roasting of the bean to make coffee—all originated in Ethiopia.

 

No one appreciates coffee more than Ethiopians. Coffee is Ethiopia’s largest export, and they drink more coffee than they export. 

 

No matter where Ethiopians go or what they are doing, they sit down and have a shot of espresso made the traditional way. The ritual involves a metal percolator shaped like a teapot with an extremely long neck. They start by roasting the beans, then pounding them, instead of using an electric bean grinder. They heat the pot with ground coffee and water over hot charcoal. Then they stick a wad of straw in the opening to the pot. Before the pot boils over, they remove the straw, let the pot cool, and stick the straw back in and start the boiling again. This is how they percolate the coffee. It is done when they decide it is done. 

 

As part of the setup, they put a cheap green plastic Hawaiian skirt under the entire affair, even in fancy hotels. 

 

Places where we saw coffee being served included the space between the door leading out of the Hyatt and the outside, the first-floor circular lobby of a shopping mall, a cheap t-shirt store, a luxurious hotel, and a nightclub. 

 

If they are not hyped up enough on caffeine, they also chew chat. Chat has the consistency of chewing tobacco, and it’s halfway between an espresso and meth. It is illegal in many countries, but people are addicted to it in Ethiopia. 

 

However, one person who did not drink coffee was Lucy. Coffee had not been discovered 3.2 million years ago. 

 

Ethiopia is considered the birthplace of civilization because of Lucy. Archaeologists found the remains of a young girl and named her Lucy. She was thought to be one of the first members of the human family that walked upright. The National Museum in Addis has her actual bones. 

 

Lucy was given the crown for the first human ever up until 2024. Then some earlier bones were found. But Lucy will retain her title for the benefit of this blog. Please note, the National Museum does not mention the 2024 disclaimer. I found it on a deep dive into WIKI. 

 

So, thank you, Ethiopia, for coffee and humans.