Mugrobi coffee ceremony

coffee is *VERY* important to Mugrobi people and so is this ceremony

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Sat Dec 15, 2018 7:05 pm

Coffee, called kofi har or just kofi* by Mugrobi, was one of Mugroba's first exports. Legend has it that Hulali himself brought sacred beans and gifted them to the Mugrobi, telling them that the beverage made from the beans symbolized the fertile earth around bodies of water. Because of this legend, the Mugrobi coffee ceremony is something that most Mugrobi people participate in at least occasionally. It's not unusual for more religious Mugrobi to have a daily ceremony after the evening meal, as it's considered by some to be a religious rite. Even Mugrobi people who live alone will partake in the coffee ceremony, though it's more of a meditative practice for them. Also, temples to Hulali incorporate the coffee ceremony into services.

Most Mugrobi houses and apartments have at least a small alcove dedicated to the coffee ceremony, while extremely wealthy Galdori may have an entire room dedicated to the coffee ceremony. Mugrobi restaurants always conclude their meals with a coffee ceremony done at the table or, if the restaurant is more luxurious, done in a special coffee room.

Coffee is also important when doing trade with a Mugrobi trader. Often, when Mugrobi traders meet with their wholesalers or other traders, there will be a coffee ceremony beforehand to bless the trade. The coffee ceremony is too long to be done when running a shop, but coffee is always be offered in Mugrobi-owned shops. More well-off shop owners will usually hire a young adult specifically to keep the coffee going, as running out of coffee while the shop is open is seen as a sign that you have fallen from Hulali's favor by superstitious Mugrobi. More religious Mugrobi will leave a shop and not shop there at all if they find out there is no fresh coffee.

The first part of the ceremony is called the "gathering of the beans", even though not all of this part involves beans. First, the host will greet each guest at a small fountain or bowl of water by the hearth or fireplace. If the ceremony is part of formal negotiations, it's customary that the guests give a small gift to the host, such as a trinket or a small amount of money. If the ceremony is following a meal, they will all move to the kitchen or coffee room. Because of the importance of the ceremony, all Mugrobi houses have a hearth or fireplace, even if they use a stove for cooking food. For wicks or traders who are traveling in a caravan, a special hearth called a kofi har eschana is used for the coffee ceremony.

The host will scoop up water with their hands and wash their mouth out. They then spit into a dented bowl specifically for this purpose, saying "I pledge my honor to Hulali. I speak truth here". Non-Mugrobi people must also pledge their honor to Hulali for the duration of the ceremony. If religious non-Mugrobi people are in attendance, a special part of the coffee ceremony is added at the end, where they drink from a special cup, thank Hulali for his presence, and re-swear their honor to their chosen deity.

The spitting of the water is considered symbolic for spitting out evil and lies. After the host has done this, each guest repeats the process. Once everyone has cleansed their mouth, a servant is called to take the dented bowl and dump the spit into wherever other bodily wastes are dumped. If the host doesn't have servants, they empty the bowl themselves, washing their hands before returning to the guests.

When using a kitchen for the coffee ceremony, guests will sit in chairs around the hearth. In dedicated coffee rooms, the guests sit at special tables carved from calypt trees, which are found along riverbanks in Mugrobi. The tables are rectangular and usually have wave-like carvings on the tabletop.

While the guests get comfortable, the host will gather the supplies. Human, passive, and wick Mugrobi keep their coffee beans in a special ceramic jar, while Mugrobi galdori often use Living Conversation to grow coffee plants in their houses and will gather and process coffee cherries daily, to be used in the future after they dry some. It's one of the few activities of physical labor that even wealthy galdoris do. They will also gather the tools used in a coffee ceremony:

* a special roasting pan
* mortar and pestle
* a tray with a sugar bowl, a salt bowl, a bowl with a blend of spices called kofi har menda, and a small jug of cream
* small mugs similar to teacups
* a kofi har pot. A Mugrobi coffee pot is a ceramic, glass, or metal pot with a pot-shaped "belly", an open neck, and a spout covered by a small metal ring surrounding a piece of fabric.

Lastly, small snacks that have been made for the ceremony will be brought out. Some common kofi har ceremony snacks are:

* a type of crisp made from corn and spiced heavily with a fiery spice mixture, with cream or yogurt to dip the chips in
* a sweet bread made from flour and dates
* popped corn
* dried meat
* dried fruit
* for wealthier Mugrobi, pastries
* temple ceremonies only: dry, flavorless crackers that are dipped in the coffee before eaten

The host will present the beans and each tool to the guests for them to examine. This is just a formality, though -- it is considered extremely rude to comment negatively on the quality of the beans or tools. Not everyone can afford top-of-the-line beans and tools and to comment on someone's poverty is a huge faux pas in Mugrobi society.

This is when "the preparation of the beans" begins. The host will then sit on the left side of the hearth and start roasting the beans in the roasting pan while everyone discusses their day or other general topics. If the coffee ceremony is taking place in a temple, a priest will stand on the right side of the hearth and lead the congregation in prayer. Once the prayer is done, the people attending the ceremony are encouraged to stand up and thank Hulali for specific blessings in their lives.

Once the beans have started blackening and popping some, the host takes them off the hearth or fireplace and starts heating up water in the kofi har pot while the beans cool. Once the beans are cooled, the host grinds them up using the mortar and pestle. The ground up beans are passed amongst the guests, each of them taking an appreciative sniff and complimenting the host on the quality of their beans.

The host pours the grounds into the pot and starts chanting a quiet prayer to Hulali as the coffee brews. The guests remain silent during this period, unless the ceremony is taking place at a temple. In that case, the parishioners will chant along with the host.

Once the coffee is done brewing, the third phase of the ceremony, called "Taking the blessing of Hulali" in Estuan, begins. The host will walk around and pour coffee into each guest's cup. When every guest has been given coffee, the host will walk around with the spice tray and provide each guest with the spices they desire. The host only serves themselves after all the guests have been served. This is a signal that the "serious" discussion is to begin. Political or trade negotiations begin at this point, along with discussion of other serious topics like philosophy or science. In temple, this period is used for silent reflection.

There are usually three rounds of coffee to each coffee ceremony. If the ceremony is part of negotiations and the discussion finishes before all three rounds are done, the conversation goes back to general discussion. If the discussions haven't been concluded by the end of three rounds, the host will go wash out the kofi har pot and roast more beans.

Once the discussion is over, the host will gather up the supplies as the guests stand up and get ready to leave. The host will bow to each guest, thanking them for their presence and, in turn, the guests will thank the host for the ceremony and pleasant company. If there are religious people present, this is when they will thank Hulali for his presence and re-swear their honor to their chosen deity.

When all the guests have left, the host will take all the tools into the kitchen, where they'll be cleaned with special cloths. If the host is wealthy, it's acceptable for servants to do this part. If the filter on the kofi har pot is too stained, it will be replaced at this point.

* The kofi part of kofi har is pronounced KO-fee, with a long O sound.
Last edited by jadeowl on Mon Jan 21, 2019 6:59 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Mon Jan 14, 2019 3:28 pm

Mmmm. I need to wrap up Mugroba and stick this in the Culture section. This is so great. Also, I now must go make coffee.
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