A cross-cultural coffee tour through Maryland, from an Ethiopian coffee roasting ceremony in Takoma Park, to the cafes of Greektown, to a gourmet coffee enterprise in Annapolis
The Signal’s Aaron Henkin and Maryland Traditions folklorist Cliff Murphy are invited to a traditional Ethiopian coffee roasting ceremony at the Takoma Park home of Tebabu Assefa and Sara Mussie. The husband and wife team are the founders of Blessed Coffee, a business based on the principle of ‘virtuous exchange.”
Aaron and Cliff head to Greektown in East Baltimore’s Highlandtown neighborhood to visit two Greek coffeehouses: HellasCafé and KarellasCafé. They get an education in Greek coffee, backgammon, and pinochle, as well as the subtleties of the generation gap between first and second generation Greek immigrants and their different views on the neighborhood’s changing demographics.
Aaron and Cliff get a tour through the mechanical wonders of Ceremony Coffee Roasters in Annapolis, a company that outfits gourmet cafes with premium coffee, brewing equipment, and technical expertise. Company founder Vince Iatesta and wholesale director Ronnie Haas explain the art and science of extracting the perfect flavor from the perfect bean.
