Chemo

Chemo is a hot Arabica leaf beverage from Tepi, Southwestern Ethiopia, made with fresh or sun-dried leaf, a paste of herbs and spices, often butter, and salt.

In the common roasted route, tender leaf tips are roasted and crushed, boiled about 15 minutes, then cooked 25 to 30 minutes more with the herb and spice paste, in about a litre of water. Salt balances the bitterness. It is filtered and served hot.

Roasted is the most common and gives a sweeter, more balanced cup. Heated tips, warmed briefly over fire, give a milder one. In the Majang route leaf and chilli are boiled separately and filtered together.

Mint, rue, coriander and korarima are also named. The set changes by household.

Awoke, Gizaw and Tilahun, Traditional preparation and cultural significance of chemo, an indigenous coffee-leaf beverage in Southwestern Ethiopia, Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 2026.