This week on Seasoned, we’re thinking about ways coffee spurs connection and builds community. You’ll hear stories about two very different coffee experiences.

Producer Katrice Claudio talks with Elijah Hilliman, the co-founder of Semilla Cafe + Studio in Hartford. Semilla is a coffee shop, but it’s also a neighborhood living room serving as a creative space “rooted in intention and reclamation” for Connecticut’s BIPOC and LGBTQIA communities.

Plus, Producer Tagan Engel attends an Eritrean coffee ceremony hosted by her dear friend Farha Abubaker. We get to know Farha and the traditions behind each part of the ceremony.

And, listeners shout-out J. René Coffee Roasters for both the excellent coffee and the mission behind its sister coffee bar, Victus Coffee. Listen to our interview with owner and coffee expert, J. René Martinez.

GUESTS:

• Elijah Hilliman: Co-owner of Semilla Cafe + Studio

• Farha Abubaker: Formerly a chef and journalist, currently a teacher in New Haven, Conn.

LEARN MORE:
Read Ayannah Brown's story, MAROON Series by Semilla Café + Studio in Hartford is generating a new scene of CT music artists. The song at the close of our first segment was "Real Small Change" by local jazz and R&B quartet, Mixed Company.

This show was produced by Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Catie Talarski, Meg Dalton, Tagan Engel, Katrice Claudio, Stephanie Stender, Meg Fitzgerald and Sabrina Herrera.

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