Sudo Menu

Ethiopian Tea and Juice: Spiced Shai, Layered Juices and Fasting Drinks

Sudo Menu Editorial · 3 November 2026

Coffee gets most of the attention in Ethiopia, but walk into any cafe in Addis Ababa and you will see just as many people with a glass of tea or a tall, colourful juice. Tea is the drink of long conversations and cold mornings, while the country’s juice houses serve some of the most spectacular drinks anywhere. This guide covers both, and explains which drinks suit a fasting day.

Shai (ሻይ): Ethiopian tea

Tea in Ethiopia is usually black tea, served hot, sweet and often spiced. It comes in a small glass rather than a mug, and many people drink several glasses over the course of a conversation.

Spiced tea

Spiced tea is very common. Depending on the cafe or the family, the tea may be brewed with:

The spices are usually boiled with the water before the tea leaves go in, which gives a warm, aromatic glass. Sugar is almost always added unless you ask for it without, ya-le sukar.

Tea with milk

Shai be wetet (tea with milk) is also popular, especially at breakfast. Because of the milk, it is not a fasting drink.

Herbal teas

Some cafes offer herbal infusions. Tena adam, rue, is sometimes added to tea or coffee for its sharp herbal flavour, and ginger tea is a common home remedy. Lemon tea is popular too.

Spris: tea and coffee together

Spris (ስፕሪስ) combines tea and coffee in one glass, poured carefully so the two form separate layers. It is lighter than a coffee and stronger than a tea, and because it contains no milk, it is a favourite on fasting days. Our guide to Addis cafe culture covers it in more detail.

Ethiopian juice houses

Juice houses, ye-chimaki bet, are an institution in Ethiopian cities. They serve thick, freshly blended fruit drinks, often so dense they are eaten with a spoon. Popular fruits include:

Layered juice

The most famous juice house drink is the layered juice, often called spris like its tea-and-coffee cousin. Avocado, mango, papaya and other fruits are blended separately and poured one on top of another in a tall glass, creating bands of green, orange and yellow. It is usually finished with a drizzle of lime or a little syrup. It is as much a dessert as a drink, and a good way to understand why Ethiopian juice houses are so loved.

Asking for it your way

Juice houses are happy to adjust:

Fasting-friendly drinks

On Wednesdays, Fridays and during the long fasting seasons, many people avoid dairy. Fasting-friendly drinks include:

Drinks with milk, such as macchiato, cappuccino and shai be wetet, are not fasting drinks. Some smoothie-style juices are blended with milk or yoghurt, so it is worth asking if you are fasting.

Drinks and digital menus

Drink menus are often the longest part of a cafe menu: dozens of coffees, teas and juices, with sizes and extras. On a digital menu, sizes and options can be shown clearly, for example a small or large juice, with or without sugar, and drinks can be marked as fasting-friendly. On Sudo Menu, guests can tap the fasting filter to see only fasting drinks and dishes, and venues can mark a seasonal juice as sold out the moment the fruit runs out.

In short

Ethiopian cafes are not only about coffee. Try a glass of spiced shai on a cool morning, a spris when you want something in between, and a layered avocado and mango juice when you want a treat. On fasting days, stick to black coffee, tea, spris and fresh juice, and you will be in good company.