Ethiopian coffee ceremony

The Ethiopian coffee ceremony is unique; I have neither seen anything like this ceremony nor tasted a cup of coffee this good. Thanks to my friend Shenait (Sunshine in Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia), I have been invited to several Ethiopian parties that always end with a wonderful coffee ceremony. The prized Ethiopian coffee beans which are raw and green in color are first roasted over a flame. Guests take turn to roast the beans. Then these roasted beans are ground and set to brew. While the coffee is brewing guests sit in a circle and a special kind of incense is burnt in a small pot. This pot containing incense is circulated among all guests, and as a custom, everyone takes a whiff of incense from this pot. Then small cups (like the Chinese teacups) are arranged in a round platter. Now the freshly brewed coffee is poured in these cups and all guests sit in a circle and enjoy this fresh and heavenly tasting coffee.