Our first video, a nice introduction to Cafe Buunni and to us!

Cafe Buunni Profile from Adam Golub on Vimeo.

There have been exciting developments in the last two months, however.  Two in particular, that we want to share here.

We were mentioned in the Wall Street Journal!  The article entitled “Village Feel on 181st” literally puts us on the map.  We are thrilled to get this exposure in an article about our neighborhood.

Cafe Buunni’s on the WSJ map…

Another exciting development is that we’ll be talking about Ethiopian Coffee Culture at the NYC Coffee and Tea Festival which will be held at the 69th Regiment Armory in NYC from March 23-24th. Elias will be talking about coffee culture in Ethiopia, including the traditional coffee ceremony as well as describing the more contemporary urban coffee culture in the country.  We will also have a booth with our coffees and some special treats and surprises. Use the promo code below to get half off your tickets!

Use this code to get 1/2 price tickets to the Coffee and Tea Festival

Cafe Buunni at 213 Pinehurst Ave, just below 187th St, in the Hudson Heights part of Washington Heights

Café Buunni has been open for 2 ½ months.  The  only experience we can relate this to, is how we felt in the first few weeks after our daughter was born. The sleep-deprivation of the first few weeks, the wonder and overwhelm, the moments of wondering oh-my-god-what-have-we done, followed by utter pride and joy.

We are learning as we go, and are humbled by all the compliments on our space, the quality of our coffee, the artistry of our baristas.  There are still some rough edges and maybe there will always be. But we are working on many ideas to keep Café Buunni an interesting and inspiring tiny space and we count on the continuing support of this tremendous neighborhood.

In addition to the sweet and savory offerings at the moment (assortment of sweet and savory croissants, mini-cookies in unique flavors like the latest Earl Grey and Grapefruit Zest, mini-cheesecakes, salted caramel and chocolate almond macaroons, vegan mini-cupcakes, handmade pies, mini-quiches, cheddar or ham and gruyere buttermilk biscuits), hand-made, “to-go” Ethiopian foods, we are working on more vegan and gluten-free options.  All of our syrups are kosher certified, as are the Umpqua oats, Almondina cookies, Fairytale brownies and the amazing Dear Coco Chocolate Truffles.  We are working on adding unique and delicious kosher certified products.

We also have a selection of personally selected items in the Café like Dr. Superhelga’s one-of-a-kind handmade toys, our own whole bean Buunni Coffee and all natural and handmade soaps by Manor House Soaps.  We will continue to find and offer unique gifts and personal treats to delight you.

There have been glitches.  The water pressure was too low causing problems with our equipment, we ran out of what we thought was a week’s supply of espresso beans during our opening weekend, we had to change milk suppliers (which turned out to be great news!), some of our wonderful staff have had to leave to pursue their dreams, we are still not fluent in the language of our POS system and sometimes you have to tell us your drink again…and again!

But for the most part, approaching our three month mark – the time has flown, we love getting to know you and introducing you to our favorite drinks and goodies, and we have been blessed with a spirit of tremendous camaraderie and good will among us and between us.

Thank you.

As we look forward to opening Cafe Buunni, we have been thinking about the relationship between coffee and community.  In Ethiopia, the two come together in the coffee ceremony.

Roasted and green coffee beans in a traditional Ethiopian roasting pan

The Ethiopian coffee ceremony is a time for friends and family to come together to share stories and news.  Social life often revolves around the ceremony – an invitation to take part is a gesture of friendship.  Unlike the quick dash in and out of the coffee shop you make every morning, the ceremony takes a considerable amount of time.  It begins with raw green coffee beans, and after roasting and brewing in the midst of familiar conversation; it arrives at a cup of hot strong “bunna”, or coffee.

Coffee ceremony essentials

 All of the necessary implements (coffee beans, sugar, incense, pan, stove, mortar, pestle, cups) are laid out on a bed of special long grass.  The grass represents abundance.  Soon the beans are placed in a pan on the small charcoal stove, where they begin to roast.  At the same time, the incense burns.  The smells form an aromatic combination

While stories, news, and often the latest gossip, have passed between friends and relatives, the beans darken and resemble the roasted beans that most of us are more familiar with.  They are carefully ground in a mortar and pestle.  The grinds are then stirred with hot water in a “jebena”.  The jebena is a clay pot reserved specifically for the brewing of coffee.  Waiting a few minutes allows the grounds to settle at the bottom of the jebena.

Holding the pot a foot above the china cups, the server pours the coffee in an even stream into the center of each cup.  The generations are served in descending order – from oldest to youngest.  The conversation then resumes as friends and family unite over the age-old tradition of a shared cup of coffee.

In the rush of daily life, we might not have time for the luxurious Ethiopian coffee ceremony.  Consider, however, the moment when the familiar barista who knows your morning coffee order by heart greets you on your way to work.  You may not have a few hours to spend as you enjoy it, but there is a certain comfort and joy in looking forward to a smile of camaraderie and a few kind words across the counter as you savor your morning coffee.

As Elias and Sarina are getting ready to open their first cafe, they have been trying to find ways to make the cafe not only community oriented but also environmentally friendly. I have been working on composting options for Cafe Buunni. We are planning on making compost an integral part of our waste management system.

Composting separates food waste from landfills and significantly decreases the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. Composting also utilizes and recycles essential nutrients. The natural breakdown process of food waste produces nutrient rich compost soil. This can be used in gardens, farms, parks, and anywhere plants grow.

In addition to composting our food waste, we will also be using compostable disposable cups and utensils. The corn-based cups we are considering look and function just like any other disposable cups but they breakdown completely and become compost that is beneficial to the natural enviroment, in stark contrast to plastics.

Cafe Buunni will be working with a commercial composting company to manage our composting needs. Working with a commercial composting company gives our cafe a few more advantages than “backyard” composting. First, it takes the food waste away from the cafe so we will not attract rodents to the cafe and its neighbors. Second, the company has a distribution system in place for the compost produced so we that it gets used as it should in creating rich, fertile soil. Lastly, working with a large company expands the types of things we can compost.

An important thing to remember about the compostable cups and utensils is that they do not break down like a banana peel. The cups need to be heated to about 120 degrees to be able to break down properly. This is why working with a commercial composting company gives us an advantage. Their process for composting allows the natural heat produced from the sun, the microorganisms that break down the waste, and an industrial tarp to naturally heat the compost to temperatures around 150 degrees. Ultimately these cups will be transformed into rich and useful compost without toxins being released into the environment.

We are really excited about our composting program and hope that you are too!  Cafe Buunni aims to be a community resource and we believe that respecting the environment is a part of respecting our community.

I started drinking bunna (Amharic for coffee) when I was 18 years old. Late? I know. That is because my parents thought of coffee as addictive and wanted to spare me. But I managed to steal a sip or two behind their backs, and I knew that I would start drinking coffee (officially) as soon as was free of my parents’ supervision. So, I did. Soon after I started college, I began drinking coffee religiously and I have stuck with it ever since.

I drink macchiato (Ethiopian-style), cappuccino or any other drink with coffee in it. But my favorite is plain black coffee made in the traditional clay pot (jebena). I think what makes this special for me is the ceremony as much as the coffee itself.

For me, drinking coffee the Ethiopian way is much more than just the drink. I am sure the same is true for many of my fellow-Ethiopians. It is as much about the ceremony and the gathering (and the discussion about everything and nothing)! It is probably one of the few occasions where families, neighbors and friends allow themselves to relax and enjoy everything coffee has to offer. And it was one of the few occasions I have always looked forward to when I was in Ethiopia, especially after a long and busy week; I prefer having my ceremonial coffee on weekends.

The roasting, grinding, brewing, and the talking may take about an hour or more depending on the gathering. But what I find most interesting and noteworthy is how we still managed to keep this tradition of ‘lengthy coffee ceremony’ intact in the face of everything else changing in these busy modern times. This is priceless!

And after all is done, the sweet aroma of the roasted coffee lingers; a reminder of how life is a little better when we drink coffee, the Ethiopian way!

So, it’s official! We hope to open Café Buunni late this summer and look forward to serving you fabulous Ethiopia inspired coffee, tea, espresso-based drinks, juices and smoothies as well as small selection of the highest quality food and snacks.

We’re looking for experienced baristas, cashiers and local food and baked goods vendors.  If you have any suggestions or would like to apply, please email us at info@buunnicoffee.com.

Elias’ macchiato at Barista training at Coffee Fest NYC

In a stroke of extremely good timing, the Coffee Fest came to NYC last weekend.  Elias and I attended every class we could and split up to cover as many topics as possible. We talked to vendors, of things we didn’t even know we needed, and generally got educated about what specialty coffee is in 2012.   Many of the classes were oriented towards would-be coffee house owners like us, and topics covered sustainable operations, quality for profit, essentials for success in specialty coffee, espresso blending, and hyper-local marketing. All good!

While we were absorbing all that we could, it did make us ask ourselves, what is going to make Buunni different?  The answer for us is our rootedness in Ethiopia and our personal connection to the coffee we want to serve.  Simple, authentic, and truly good micro-roasted coffee is what we’re about, and coffee with an Ethiopian twist.  So, we look forward to introducing some uniquely Ethiopian preparations as well.

Elias did a hand’s on barista class and made beautiful drinks.  The one with the layers is another way they do macchiato in Ethiopia.  Lovely, and once we’re open, please come in and try it!

Made with love in Addis Ababa

We’re drinking our Ethiopian Yirgacheffe light micro roast this Sunday morning and it tastes good!  One of the first rules in a small business start-up book I recently read is: don’t fall in love with your product!

But, I can’t help it.  I love Buunni Coffee.

We arrived back from Ethiopia two and a half weeks ago, and it has been a whirlwind.  As soon as we got home we saw a tiny commercial space right in our very own Hudson Heights part of Washington Heights (just below Inwood).  There is very rarely any space available in this small strip. Ignoring rule #5 of above-mentioned business book, we jumped right in and put in our proposal.

Since then it’s been fingers tightly crossed and stomach-full of butterflies and we still don’t know. So we’re micro roasting lovely coffees, Elias is doing his in-person coffee bean deliveries in the Hudson Heights and Inwood neighborhoods, we’re talking to architects, attorneys, accountants, but in essence we are waiting.  Of course we’re also looking at other spaces and the Buunni to-do list seems to be flourishing.  But, if we’re honest with ourselves, we’ve got our heart set on this space and we’re waiting (this probably throws out some other rule in the business book)!

Certifying coffee as organic is a time-consuming and often very expensive process that the majority of small-holder famers will never be able to achieve.  The exception are those farmers that are well-organized in coffee farmer cooperatives that in turn belong to a union of coffee farmers’ coops and therefore have the know-how, the contacts, the language, and access to funds to make organic certification a reality. 

This poses dilemmas for buyers that are trying to do the right thing for people and the planet. Do we buy coffee from a particular cooperative because it is certified organic, when neighboring farmers may use the exact same organic methods, but are not certified?  Do we avoid all coffee that is not labeled as organic and exclude the farmers that have the least access to the technical skills and finances to get certified?  How do we explain to customers in the US who want the security of certified organic, that there are many types of wonderful coffees in Ethiopia that are grown organically, but that will never be certified and labeled organic? What do we call coffee that we know to be organic but will probably never be certified as organic?

One example of the dilemmas that face us on this trip!