3 Cups of Coffee

This last week while visiting the new babies (see blog posting below) at Elizabeth's house I met a new woman named Lydia. She was there by the fire making the coffee. She was very patient with my few words in Mabaan. I asked her many many times to explain to what she was doing and what everything was called. Here are few pics from my time with Lydia learning the Sudanese way to make coffee. 

First you take the beans (fresh and green in color) and place them over the fire to roast them.   

Fire with freshly roasted beans (bottom of pic- blackened beans). Essential tools for making coffee-- Fire, tea kettle, coffee pot, strainer, fresh water from the bore hole (inside yellow jug). Plus there is usually a chicken or dog around nearby too. :)

Next, you grind the beans using a metal rod into a dust.

Then you add the grounds to boiling water with some fresh ginger and maybe some cardamon too. Then you pour the hot coffee over a filter to strain out the grounds.

The coffee cups are tiny china usually with small flowers or some sort of design on them. After my 3 cups of coffee, which I am still unsure of the taste. It's very different than coffee back home very sweet and strong. The small clear glasses in front are usually designated for tea but since we had many people drinking coffee we used them too.