An Ethiopian Calling
“AMBESSA is Ethiopian (or Amharic) for ‘lion’, representing strength, pride and independence to the people of Ethiopia, it also represents my voyages around the world and the life journey we all take everyday.
— Chef Marcus Samuelsson
Our original, “An Ethiopian Calling” Brew News story from October, 2016 was about Chef Marcus Samuelsson and a handful of his Ethiopian-inspired tea blends. We no longer carry that particular line of teas but Chef Samuelsson’s story remains as inspiring as ever, and we’re ever so pleased to have Marcus’ Bermuda at the Hamilton Princess so we’ve kept what we think are the good parts of the story and included what we think are four heart and soul-warming choices in their stead:
We hope you enjoy them and we hope you’ll join us on the Convenience Coffee Facebook page and invite you to subscribe to Brew News.

Chocolate Chai Latte
— black tea with warming spices and rich, dark chocolate
Skinnygirl Chocolate Chai Latte is a skinny twist on the classic chai latte — carefully selected black tea that’s carefully balanced with warming spices and rich, dark chocolate.
All Skinnygirl brand lattes and hot cocoas are made with no artificial flavours, colours or sweeteners and at only
50 calories per cup — all our Skinnygirl brand lattes and hot cocoas contain no artificial flavours, colours or sweeteners
order Chocolate Chai Latte
Authentic Green Tea
— alive with invigorating sunlight and fresh air
Unlike some green teas, this Celestial Seasonings blend is smooth from first the first sip to the last.
Its fresh flavour whispers of the moment when a new day first dawns, alive with invigorating sunlight and clean air. The gentle touch of our Authentic Green Tea makes taking care of yourself a pleasure.
— Celestial Seasonings teas are made with only the highest quality herbs, teas and botanicals that have been grown according to Earth-friendly practices.
order Authentic Green Tea
Rooibos Red Tea
— only grown in the Western Cape area of South Africa
From our Twinings Teas collection, African Rooibos Red Tea is a naturally caffeine-free, antioxidant-rich herbal tea with a distinctive reddish colour and a pleasantly sweet flavour that you serve just as you would black tea.
Dutch settlers to the Cape in the early to mid-1700s used the leaves as an alternative to expensive black tea that had to come by sea from Europe. (no ZipEx back then)
— great to drink with lunch or in the afternoon
order Rooibos Red Tea
Earl Grey Black Tea
— smoky, rich black tea
The story goes that Earl Grey, the Georgian prime minister, was given cases of this tea by a Chinese Mandarin. He liked it so much he brought it home and asked Twinings to recreate it for him.
Light and fragrant with distinctive bergamot and lemon flavours, Twinings’ Earl Grey still has all the taste of that original and fans still think it’s the best.
— the aroma of Bergamot essential oil, added to many Earl Grey teas like this one (originally to make them taste like more expensive Chinese teas) is a well-known mood elevator and reputed to be effective at alleviating anxiety.
order Earl Grey TeaIN A LIFE SO RICH and rewarding of experience, culture, cuisines and possibilities, I never want to lose sight of how lucky I am or how unique my journey has been.
— Chef Marcus Samuelsson
Shop all our African-inspired selections at coco.bmChildren want to mimic adults. They notice when you choose to prepare fresh vegetables over calling in another pizza pie for dinner. They will see that food made with love and care outweighs going through the drive-through window.
— Chef Marcus Samuelsson
More on Marcus
- Born in Ethiopia
- Raised in Sweden
- Apprenticed at midtown Manhattan’s Aquavit
- Married Gate Maya Haile in Ethiopia
- Opened his first Red Rooster in Harlem
- Marcus’ Bermuda opens at the Hamilton Princess
- For even more on Chef Samuelsson tune in to marcussamuelsson.com
Origin, other sources and thanks for this Brew News edition, “An Ethiopian Calling”:
- White-winged Black Terns near Bahir Dar, Ethiopia courtesy Paulo Philippidis at Flickr
- This page was updated on February 11, 2017.
Related resources:
- Edward Lane at Men’s Health with “6 Reasons to Drink more Green Tea” — February 23, 2016
- More on Charles Grey, 2nd of the Earls Grey
[…] we published “An Ethiopian Calling” earlier this month on October 11th, Tropical Storm Nicole had just turned her eye […]
[…] we began this month we shared four Ethiopian-inspired Fine African Teas by Chef Marcus Samuelsson and Harney & Sons and took a look at some of the incredible scenery […]