Luleit Habtamou

Luleit Habtamou

KAFFA
Cafes & hospitality industries in coffee promote quick service for people to receive a quick satisfaction. The wait time between ordering & receiving your coffee tends to be the most impatient part of the process, individualizing our end result needs and brushing off our surroundings, what happens before it’s made, and even acknowledging the barista making the order. There’s a lack of participation and sensory immersion during these wait times. Kaffa is the southwest region of Ethiopia historically known for being the birthplace of coffee. Coffee is more than just a caffeinated drink, it is a ritual and source of connection for the Ethiopian community. The buna(coffee) ceremony is a traditional social custom of the coffee making process for guests, family, and friends. With all five human senses thoroughly engaged, this brings a deeper connection between the host, guest, and the process that goes into their cup of coffee. KAFFA transforms the sini (coffee cup) as a sensorial, culturally rooted object in harmony with the traditional, handcrafted jebena (coffee pot), emphasizing the diversity in regional pattern designs and strengthening the relationship between the two. This project explores the importance of slowing down and finding satisfaction in the process of making through the lens of the buna ceremony, and how its sensorial design functions as a social mechanism in strengthening community.