July 28, 2005
Electric tea
Dip one Addis Tea teabag in a cup of boiled water. (Any teabag will do but it is always good to Buy Ethiopian).
Add a good slug of araki - a clear local-brewed aniseed spirit, kind of like an Ethiopian ouzo.
And there you have a cup of electric tea - or chai currento as it is called out here. A perfect way of getting through the rainy season.
Posted by aheavens at July 28, 2005 5:45 AM
Comments
too bad that our benign tea drinking tradition has been alcoholized. What's next? coffee with alcohol. I am not happy.
Posted by: safiya at July 28, 2005 10:01 PM
It reminds me of a song me and my friends used to sing when we were kids.
Here it is:
Betiwat tenesto buna buna (wake up in the morning and drink coffe)
Kemisa behuala katikala ( After lunch, Katikala)
KeErat behuala tej tej ( After dinner, tej)
Yih new medhanitu lesew lij (This is the remedy for human being's ailments)
Now that I am old, I don't subscribe to the song's logic. I don't drink alcohol and feel great about it. It the healthiest thing you can do.
Posted by: Samuel at July 28, 2005 10:24 PM
Hi Andrew,
I'm posting this comment hoping that you'll continue to do what you're doing thru your blog no matter what my fellow country men and women might say. When you write about our hunger, you get accused of "...recycling old story...." When you write about your experience about perhaps a very common drink, someone is "not happy" lord, I don't know what I would do if I were you.
Just wanted to let you know there are so many of us who enjoy your insight into our people's lives and out country's "situation" as Bereket might call it - so keep on keeping on young man!
Posted by: mua at July 29, 2005 1:15 AM
It is good for cold and flue drinking chai coroneto as the local see it it is good ethiopian winter eventhough it is not as powerful as vodka. I admier your posts try to point out the ethiopian service sector lacks, good customer service the basic thing here in the west please keep it up good job
people learn so do I.
Thanks Andrews
Posted by: Balefe at July 29, 2005 1:23 AM
"What's next? coffee with alcohol?"
Sorry Safiya, it is already happening. Here is a recipe for 'Irish Coffee'.
1 cup (8-ounces) heavy cream
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 cups strong, hot black coffee
3/4 cup Irish whiskey
Using an electric mixer, beat the cream with 1 tablespoon of sugar until soft peaks form. Set aside.
Combine remaining sugar, coffee and whiskey.
Pour into mugs and top with whipped cream. Serve immediately.
Serves 4 to 6.
Posted by: Andrew at July 29, 2005 8:53 AM
Selam Andrew,
Yes i like electrik tea..or shai Korenti...that is what i am missing as I am now burning in a european summer! The good thing about shai korenti is not just that it warms you up in a cold rainy habesha season but it can also be used when you have a sore throat. So you donot need strepsils out there. Just put enough electricity into your tea and it will go away!
bye
Posted by: mintesinot at July 29, 2005 12:32 PM
Hmmm, tastes good.
Posted by: czar at July 29, 2005 2:37 PM
from the support shown to chai electrik and now irish coffee, i think there are too many men commenting!
Posted by: safiya at July 29, 2005 10:32 PM
You could be right Safiya. What are the women drinking?
Posted by: andrew at July 30, 2005 4:40 AM
While on our tour (April '05), we had a stop at a coffee house in Addis. We bought coffee & tea.
My mother & I each picked up a box of tea.
I glanced at her box and commented about how funny it was that two different teas would use the exact same packaging.
We were ROFL when we realized I was holding mine upside down.
She had a box of Addis.
I was holding a box of "SIPPY"
(The way the "A" is printed, it sort of looked like a "Y" when turned updise-down)
We've been calling it "Sippy Tea" ever since.
It turns out I'm not alone either.
Mom brought a box back for a friend of ours.
She called and said, "I just love that "Sippy Tea" you brought back for me!"
She read the box the same way I did!
LOL!
Nancy << loves her "Sippy Tea"
Posted by: Nancy at July 30, 2005 9:52 PM
Dear Sir,
You used to be good at informing us the political situation of the country. Why don't you continue to mix some politics(real one)in your blog?
Posted by: Daniel kidane at July 30, 2005 10:38 PM
Andrew:
What do women drink in Ethiopia? Well, today, after lunch, my female relatives and I had some freshly ground coffee flavored with chinadam (don't know what it is in English, but is is NOT ALCOHOL). Ofcourse, we burnt incense to set the mood. The mood was family, community, even religion as the elder women took this occassion to bless us all.
Women and men also drink tea flavoured with cinnamon and other spices.
We also drink wine, beer, tela when the occassion calls for it.
Why corrupt tea and coffee with alcohol? Maybe I am a little uptight about this because I am a moslem. but i think others will also agree.
Posted by: safiya at July 31, 2005 11:09 PM
What exactly is "addis tea"? That is, what are in the ingredients? thank you.
Posted by: Kal at February 25, 2006 12:50 AM
Hi Kal - Addis Tea is just the leading brand of tea sold in Ethiopia. It is a good, basic tea, and comes in yellow boxes of about 30 bags. When you turn the box upside down, the words 'Addis Tea' magically become 'Sippy'. And that's all I know.
Posted by: andrew at February 25, 2006 4:55 AM
Did anyone actually figure out the ingredients of Addis Tea?
Posted by: Marco at March 21, 2007 6:36 PM