Gurage Mukecha or Coffee Grinding Vessel

A squat red drum with a hole through its middle and a small latch on one flank.

This mukecha or coffee grinding vessel is Gurage, from Ethiopia, East Africa, and dates to the 19th century. It is wood. Ethiopia is widely regarded as the original home of coffee, and preparing it by hand, from roasting through grinding, is an important household ritual. Short cylinder with a round bore and a wide stepped foot at the base. The surface is a worn brick red with fine incised vertical lines, scuffed pale on top. A small metal tab sits at the side of the rim. It is 6 inches high and 7 in diameter.

Plain, solid and quietly pleased with its own heft.