Sep 30, 2026 · 42 min · 11 segments
Tonight we're talking about the arabica plant's sacred beginnings, its egalitarian effects on people of all cultures, Third Places, and the existence of Plant Teachers. All that and a cup of coffee!…
The oldest religion of the Horn of Africa is monotheistic and predates the Abrahamic religions.
Eventually, Waaqa became disappointed and annoyed with him, which resulted in his death.
When Waaqa visited the area the next day, he found the corpse of the person lying in a grave, and tears burst from his eyes.
At that very moment, a coffee plant sprouted from the spots where his tears had dropped.
In fact, the Burana Oromo still swear by Kuma to show that they're telling the truth.
Coffee beans were first produced by a small, upright, flowering tropical evergreen known as Coffea arabica.
The Oromo people call it buna, a word only used now to describe an unroasted bean.
Buna Qalla, or coffee sacrifice, is the oldest confirmed human relationship with the plant.
It's a ritual that can only be performed by a matriarch who bites open dried beans and simmers them in butter.
So our first relationship with coffee was not to use it as a mere stimulant, but as a way of keeping faith.
There, it became adopted by the Shadhiliyah, an order of Muslim mystics known as Sufis, practitioners of the interior life of Islam, who sought direct personal experience with the divine through prayer, chanting, and ascetic practice.
The body is an instrument of devotion, so coffee arrived not as a novelty, but as a facilitator.
The Oromo already recognized it as sacred, and the Shadhiliyah treated it accordingly.
The oldest religion of the Horn of Africa is monotheistic and predates the Abrahamic religions.
Eventually, Waaqa became disappointed and annoyed with him, which resulted in his death.
When Waaqa visited the area the next day, he found the corpse of the person lying in a grave, and tears burst from his eyes.
At that very moment, a coffee plant sprouted from the spots where his tears had dropped.
In fact, the Burana Oromo still swear by Kuma to show that they're telling the truth.
Coffee beans were first produced by a small, upright, flowering tropical evergreen known as Coffea arabica.
The Oromo people call it buna, a word only used now to describe an unroasted bean.
Buna Qalla, or coffee sacrifice, is the oldest confirmed human relationship with the plant.
It's a ritual that can only be performed by a matriarch who bites open dried beans and simmers them in butter.
So our first relationship with coffee was not to use it as a mere stimulant, but as a way of keeping faith.
There, it became adopted by the Shadhiliyah, an order of Muslim mystics known as Sufis, practitioners of the interior life of Islam, who sought direct personal experience with the divine through prayer, chanting, and ascetic practice.
The body is an instrument of devotion, so coffee arrived not as a novelty, but as a facilitator.
The Oromo already recognized it as sacred, and the Shadhiliyah treated it accordingly.
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