Chemo

Chemo is a hot coffee leaf beverage documented in Tepi Town, Southwestern Ethiopia. The leaf is heat-treated first, then brewed with water and finished with local herbs, spices, butter, or salt.

Lightly roast or heat the leaves, crush them, simmer in water, and strain out the fibrous leaf. Add the prepared herb and spice mixture, then warm through.

The research describes three main preparation routes. Roasted leaf gives a darker cup. Heated leaf is milder. The Majang route handles leaf, spice base, and chilli infusion separately.

The exact set changes by household and availability. The leaf is strained and not eaten.

Awoke, Gizaw, and Tilahun. Traditional preparation and cultural significance of chemo, an indigenous coffee-leaf beverage in Southwestern Ethiopia.