Ethiopian Coffee Story: Which Brand of Ethiopian Coffee Beans is Best

The Rich Coffee Heritage of Ethiopia

Ethiopia is currently Africa's largest coffee-producing nation, but only 60% of its coffee beans are used for export, while the rest is used for various ceremonial purposes. For example, at weddings, people create mixtures of coffee beans and coffee pulp, coffee with honey, and various herbs to make remedies for warding off bad luck. This demonstrates that coffee is an integral part of local life. FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopian Yirgacheffe is widely regarded as synonymous with Ethiopian specialty coffee. In FrontStreet Coffee's daily bean series, there is a FrontStreet Coffee washed Yirgacheffe that represents the most typical flavor profile of the Yirgacheffe region. FrontStreet Coffee launched its daily bean series to both showcase the fundamental flavor characteristics of growing regions and enhance recognition, while also offering high-quality, cost-effective options.

In 2003, Starbucks introduced its Commitment to Origins (CTO) program and launched "Fair Trade Coffee," making caring for coffee farmers a key part of its brand image. However, the reality was quite different!

Starbucks heavily promoted Ethiopia as the birthplace of coffee. Starting in March 2006, the Ethiopian government began applying to the United States Patent and Trademark Office to register geographic trademarks for three Ethiopian coffee origins—Sidamo, Harar, and Yirgacheffe—aiming to gain more control over coffee marketing and promotion and secure better prices for coffee farmers. This move was opposed by Starbucks and other coffee retail giants.

Ethiopian farmers receive only seventy-five cents per pound when selling coffee beans to Starbucks, while Starbucks sells them for thirteen dollars per pound—a price difference of thirty-four times.

The Legal Battle Between Ethiopia and Starbucks

To gradually increase Ethiopia's coffee export revenue and improve the lives of its fifteen million people working in the coffee industry, the Ethiopian government launched the "Fine Coffee Trade Marking and Licensing Initiative." A crucial step in this initiative was to obtain trademark protection for Ethiopia's specialty coffee varieties. Initially, Starbucks denied all accusations, arguing that registering trademarks was not the best way to help farmers, suggesting instead that a regional certification system, similar to France's model for quality wines, would be more appropriate. However, on May 9, 2007, the American coffee chain Starbucks signed an agreement with the Ethiopian government, agreeing to respect Ethiopia's trademark rights for its unique coffee varieties on Starbucks product labels, ending their long-standing trademark dispute.

Through the success of this trademark case, it is hoped that thousands of Ethiopian coffee farmers and their families can be lifted from poverty, enabling their children to attend school and receive better healthcare.

FrontStreet Coffee has observed that Starbucks uses medium roasting for almost all its coffee beans. Ethiopian coffee beans are primarily characterized by floral and citrus notes, but Starbucks' medium roasting masks these original flavors. FrontStreet Coffee has recently sourced coffee beans from different growing regions for cupping and evaluation, including beans from Ethiopia. In fact, coffee cupping has always been a practice at FrontStreet Coffee. FrontStreet Coffee's original intention was not just to sell beans, but to taste coffee beans from around the world. In this process, FrontStreet Coffee aims to understand every coffee-growing region, different coffee varieties within the same region, and different processing methods for the same coffee variety, building corresponding databases and making comparisons between different coffee regions. FrontStreet Coffee hopes to help more coffee enthusiasts understand the world of coffee.

Coffee Cultivation in Ethiopia

Around 1995, Ethiopia underwent administrative region changes that significantly impacted coffee growing areas. The former Sidamo province was divided into the new Sidama region (comprising a small portion) and largely incorporated into the Oromia region. Additionally, Yirgacheffe, which originally belonged to Sidamo province, was incorporated into the new Gedeo zone. Consequently, Ethiopian coffee items on the market may use both old and new regional names. Here, we use the new regional divisions as the basis to understand Ethiopia's coffee cultivation map.

Ethiopian coffee cultivation is primarily concentrated in the western and southern regions, with smallholder family farms accounting for 90% of total cultivation. Nearly 1.2 million smallholder families rely on coffee cultivation for their livelihood. Each farm has less than 4 hectares of cultivation area, with an average altitude of 1,000-2,300 meters, a planting density of 1,000-1,800 coffee trees per hectare, and an output of approximately 600kg per hectare.

Ethiopian coffee cultivation is divided into four categories based on scale and pattern:

• Forest Coffee (8-10%): Coffee trees coexist with other crops in natural forests without any artificial management. Farmers regularly harvest coffee cherries.
• Semi-Forest Coffee (30-35%): Coffee tree cultivation areas are located between forests and farmers' living areas. The coffee trees are the same natural varieties as forest coffee, but farmers manage these cultivation areas and plant other cash crops.
• Garden Coffee (50-55%): Coffee trees are planted around farmers' living areas and are mostly self-cultivated by farmers.
• Plantation Coffee (5-6%): Large private growers with more processing facilities and production capacity.

Ethiopia's Nine Major Coffee Growing Regions

1. Yirgacheffe (Specialty Region): Altitude 1,800-2,000 meters (Garden Coffee System)

Yirgacheffe is affiliated with the Sidamo region but was separated due to its unique flavor profile. Besides the town of Yirgacheffe itself, it includes three sub-regions: Wenago, Kochere, Gelena, and Abaya. Therefore, in the new Yirgacheffe grading system, Yirgacheffe A, Wenago A, Kochere A, and Gelena/Abaya A are more expensive than their B-grade counterparts.

The so-called Yirgacheffe flavor refers to rich jasmine fragrance, lemon aroma, peach and almond sweetness, and tea notes. FrontStreet Coffee believes that "a hundred flowers blooming" is the most fitting description.

Traditionally, Ethiopian Yirgacheffe used the oldest natural processing method. However, in 1972, Ethiopia introduced the washed processing technology from Central and South America to improve coffee quality, making Yirgacheffe coffee's jasmine fragrance and citrus notes clearer and brighter. FrontStreet Coffee believes that the fundamental difference between washed and natural processing is that washed processing presents the coffee's basic flavors, directly reflecting the special characteristics of the growing region, while natural processing adds sweetness and fermentation notes on top of these basic flavors.

Thanks to the introduction of washed processing, Yirgacheffe quickly became representative of world specialty coffee. After the 1970s, this region focused on washed processing, becoming Ethiopia's most popular washed bean region. However, in the 21st century, natural processing technology has gradually improved, frequently producing impressive natural beans. This is credited to Yirgacheffe coffee trader Bagoch, who, missing traditional natural bean flavors and reluctant to see natural processing gradually replaced by washed processing, improved the natural bean processing method, enhanced flavors, reduced defect ratios, and introduced three extremely famous Yirgacheffe natural beans: Idido Misty Valley, Beloya, and Aricha.

In addition to washed and natural processing, there are other processing methods such as red honey and anaerobic. FrontStreet Coffee previously cupped a FrontStreet Coffee red honey Yirgacheffe, which maintained the basic flavor profile while adding complexity. Compared to FrontStreet Coffee's natural Yirgacheffe, it had a lighter body, while compared to FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe, it had a fuller body.

2. Sidamo (Specialty Region): Altitude 1,400-2,200 meters (Garden Coffee System)

Fine washed or natural Sidamo coffee typically has noticeable sweetness, with strawberry and berry flavors favored by many coffee enthusiasts, making it as prestigious as Yirgacheffe. Sidamo and Yirgacheffe have similar varieties, with medium-sized beans but also dwarf small-grain varieties that farmers often sell separately. Currently, the most notable Sidamo coffee bean is FrontStreet Coffee's natural Flower Queen. After its debut at the Ethiopian green bean competition TOH in 2017, it made a stunning impression, breaking Geisha's monopoly in brewing competitions and becoming the only coffee capable of competing with it. Flower Queen comes from Hambela, a sub-region under the Guji zone. Like Yirgacheffe, Guji was originally part of Sidamo but became independent due to its outstanding flavor profile. However, when people mention Guji today, it's still generally considered part of the Sidamo region.

FrontStreet Coffee's Flower Queen coffee has now evolved to version 4.0. The original Flower Queen was included in versions 2.0 and 3.0. FrontStreet Coffee found that the flavors of these two batches were very close to the original Flower Queen, but the body and aftertaste didn't match the 2017 original. Surprisingly, FrontStreet Coffee could still identify green beans identical to the original Flower Queen batch from these two batches. As for Flower Queen 3.1, FrontStreet Coffee discovered during cupping that it was quite different from Flower Queen, more closely resembling Geisha flavors (not Panamanian Geisha, but similar to Geisha Village's Geisha profile, which are completely different styles). FrontStreet Coffee also confirmed this change with the green bean importer. It's rare to see multiple flavor profiles in the same bean from the same year and batch. Understanding Flower Queen's origins and its development after winning championships helps explain the flavor inconsistencies. This is why FrontStreet Coffee continuously explores coffee beans from around the world—only through constant experimentation can one understand these changes.

3. Limu (Specialty Region): Altitude 1,200-2,000 meters (Garden, Forest, Semi-Forest, Plantation Coffee Systems)

Lower production, mainly exported to European and American markets, difficult to purchase in Taiwan, but very popular in Europe and America. Available in washed, natural, and semi-washed processing methods. Limu has noticeably lower body viscosity, with flower and citrus flavors inferior to Yirgacheffe and Sidamo, but it offers grassy notes and brown sugar aroma with bright fruit acidity.

4. Harar (Specialty Region): Altitude 1,500-2,400 meters (Garden Coffee System)

Harar exclusively uses natural processing. It's an ancient eastern city, but coffee is not grown within the urban area. So-called Harar coffee refers to coffee produced in the Harar Jegol highlands of the greater Harar region. With annual rainfall of only 1,000mm, all coffee uses natural processing. In terms of flavor, Harar coffee is famous for its distinctive "mixed aromas," typical of ancient early flavors. It stands alongside Yirgacheffe as one of the "twin stars." If Harar's defective beans are carefully sorted, you can easily detect berry aromas with pleasant fermented mixed notes. However, due to various factors, Harar coffee quality has been unstable in recent years, and the grading system is not reliable, so cupping or tasting is essential before purchasing.

5. Jimma (Commercial Bean Region): Altitude 1,350-1,850 meters (Forest/Semi-Forest System)

Jimma is the capital of the Kaffa forest or Kaffa province, with chaotic English spelling—maps mostly show "jimma," but coffee burlap bags often use "Djimmah." This is Ethiopia's largest coffee-producing region, accounting for one-third of exports. The Kaffa forest is famous for original wild varieties. Jimma serves as the collection center for this region's Kaffa coffee. Farmers are accustomed to transporting forest-harvested coffee to Jimma, where hundreds of varieties are mixed together and sold as commercial beans, causing many delicious varieties' flavors to be masked. Washed specialty Jimma, while lacking Yirgacheffe's citrus and floral notes, has a quite clean and transparent flavor profile similar to Central American specialty coffee. Commercial-grade specialty Jimma is common in Taiwan, and with luck, you can find high-quality, reasonably priced Jimma with clear lemon peel aroma, comparable to Sidamo. Overall, Jimma has better flavor than Brazil's commercial Santos, making it an excellent mid-to-low-price blend component.

6. Illubabor (Commercial Bean Region): Altitude 1,350-1,850 meters (Forest/Semi-Forest Coffee System)

This region is located in western Ethiopia, bordering Sudan, making it the westernmost growing region. Coffee genetic diversity here is second only to the Kaffa forest. Beans are significantly larger than Yirgacheffe and Sidamo, with lower fruit acidity, good viscosity, and balanced flavor. Most coffee from this region is transported to Jimma for blending and rarely sold independently.

7. Gimbi, Lekempti (Commercial Bean Region): Altitude 1,500-1,800 meters (Forest/Semi-Forest Coffee System)

This region produces both natural and washed beans, with varieties similar to Harar's long beans, and small quantities of specialty-grade coffee popular in Europe and America. Mostly known as "the poor man's Harar," with fruit acidity and fruit flavors superior to Illubabor, with bright flavors.

8. Tepi, Bebeka (Commercial Bean Region): Altitude 500-1,900 meters (Garden/Forest/Semi-Forest Coffee System)

The two regions are close, with Tepi north of Bebeka. Tepi has enterprise-managed coffee plantations and has recently promoted garden systems to increase farmer income, with annual production of about 3,000 tons. Both areas have wild coffee with low production but flavors distinctly different from Harar and Yirgacheffe. Low fruit acidity is the main characteristic, making it suitable for blends, available in both natural and washed processing.

9. Lake Tana Shore (Alternative Region): Altitude 1,840 meters (Forest System)

Monastery coffee, with surrounding forest coffee producing very small quantities of less than 10 tons annually. It's hardly a coffee region. The area's numerous Eastern Orthodox monasteries, churches, religious murals, and myths create the world's most "divine" coffee. European monks established the local coffee cultivation industry, later managed by coffee communities or cooperatives in villages surrounding the town. There are no dedicated plantations here—coffee trees naturally scattered throughout forests and gardens. During harvest season, the Ethiopian Coffee Trading Corporation comes to town to purchase coffee beans collected by farmers.

The Red Cherry Project

The so-called Red Cherry refers to the Red Cherry Project, jointly initiated by Dutch trader Trabocca and local farmers, aimed at improving the quality of small-scale farms. Coffee cherry harvesting requires not only picking fully red, mature fruits but also doing so entirely by hand—these are just the most basic requirements. There are also corresponding requirements for coffee bean processing methods.

The Red Cherry Project is also an enhancement approach that encourages farms to invest more effort in the bean selection process. These coffees command relatively higher prices. Main implementation regions include Yirgacheffe, Sidamo, Bench Maji (Bonga Forest), Lekempti, Kembata, Illubabor, Harar, and Limu—all regions with unique flavors that fully showcase Ethiopian coffee characteristics. However, FrontStreet Coffee believes that current specialty coffee operations essentially follow the Red Cherry Project approach, but the exclusive term "Red Cherry Coffee" remains associated with Ethiopia. Red Cherry Project coffees are marked with Trabocca on their burlap bags.

Ethiopian Coffee Varieties

Ethiopia has nearly 2,000 recorded coffee varieties (1,927 indigenous varieties and 128 introduced varieties). Ethiopian coffee cultivation doesn't separate varieties, leading to mixed harvesting of coffee beans. This results in noticeably uneven bean sizes. Coffee varieties are typically labeled as "local indigenous varieties."

However, FrontStreet Coffee observed that this year's COE (Cup of Excellence) in Ethiopia no longer described coffee varieties as "local indigenous varieties" but instead used numerical designations like 74158 and 74110, as well as names like KURUME and TYPICA. FrontStreet Coffee purchased the 22nd-ranked coffee beans, which were Typica variety from the West Arsi region in Sidamo. Currently, this region's reputation doesn't match Yirgacheffe or Guji, but among the 28 award-winning beans at this year's COE, 9 came from this region.

Ethiopian Coffee Bean Processing Methods

Ethiopian coffee processing is primarily dominated by natural and washed methods, with washed processing accounting for a larger share. The biggest difference between washed and natural processing lies in the role of coffee pulp. In washed processing, after selecting mature coffee cherries, the skin and pulp are removed for washed fermentation, then dried to 12% moisture content. Natural processing skips the washed fermentation step, directly drying the selected mature coffee cherries to 12% moisture content, after which the skin and pulp are removed.

If you're trying Ethiopian coffee beans for the first time, FrontStreet Coffee recommends starting with washed-processed coffee beans, as they better represent the original flavors of Ethiopian coffee—clear acidity and elegant floral and fruit notes. Natural-processed coffee beans build on this foundation by adding aroma concentration and sweetness.

Ethiopian Coffee Bean Grading

The ECX (Ethiopian Commodity Exchange) has defined grading based on defect rates: G1 and G2. G1 represents no more than 3 defective beans per 300g of green beans, while G2 represents 4-12 defective beans per 300g.

Additionally, there are flavor-based grading definitions. G1 and G2 grade coffee beans are evaluated using SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) cupping methods. Beans scoring 85 points or above receive Q1 grade, while those scoring 80-84.75 points receive Q2 grade.

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Coffee Beans

FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe Coffee Roasting Recommendations

The most distinctive flavors of Yirgacheffe coffee are its refined acidity and rich floral and fruit notes. To maximize these flavors, FrontStreet Coffee believes light roasting is most suitable. Whether natural or washed processed Yirgacheffe coffee beans, light roasting maximizes their special characteristics. However, medium to dark roasted Yirgacheffe coffee is also available on the market. This slightly weakens the acidity while enhancing body—selection depends on personal preference, with light roast remaining the mainstream choice.

FrontStreet Coffee Washed Yirgacheffe Coffee Bean Roasting Curve

FrontStreet Coffee Natural Yirgacheffe Coffee Bean Roasting Curve

Yirgacheffe Coffee Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee recommends using a V60 dripper for light-roasted coffee beans, with water temperature around 90°C, water-to-coffee ratio of 1:15, 15g coffee dose, and grind size similar to fine sugar (80% pass-through rate on China #20 standard sieve).

FrontStreet Coffee uses segmented extraction. The bloom water amount is twice the coffee dose—30g water for 30 seconds. After blooming, pour in a small circular flow to 125g, then continue pouring to 225g when the water level drops to just expose the coffee bed. The total extraction time is 2 minutes.

Flavor Descriptions

FrontStreet Coffee Natural Yirgacheffe Coffee: Light fermented wine aroma, rich flavor intensity, with citrus, honey sweetness, and cocoa notes, with a long aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee Washed Yirgacheffe Coffee: Brighter and livelier acidity, lemon acidity, citrus aroma, clean flavor with some black tea notes in the finish.

Overall, both natural and washed Yirgacheffe coffees have fruit acidity with noticeable fruit juice characteristics, similar to citrus fruits like lemon and orange.

Ethiopian Sidamo Coffee Beans

FrontStreet Coffee's Sidamo Coffee Roasting Recommendations

Actually, Sidamo coffee roasting philosophy is similar to Yirgacheffe—both aim to highlight bright berry characteristics. FrontStreet Coffee believes light roasting is most suitable. Below is an example using FrontStreet Coffee's natural Flower Queen 4.0.

FrontStreet Coffee Sidamo Flower Queen 4.0 Coffee Bean Roasting Curve

Sidamo Coffee Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee recommends using a V60 dripper for light-roasted coffee beans, with water temperature around 90°C, water-to-coffee ratio of 1:15, 15g coffee dose, and grind size similar to fine sugar (80% pass-through rate on China #20 standard sieve).

Sharp-eyed readers will notice that the grind size for this Sidamo coffee bean differs from the previously mentioned Yirgacheffe. Each coffee bean has a different optimal grind size due to factors including variety, altitude, processing method, and roasting. Therefore, when FrontStreet Coffee receives a newly roasted bean, it first sieves to determine the appropriate hand-pour grind.

FrontStreet Coffee uses segmented extraction. The bloom water amount is twice the coffee dose—30g water for 30 seconds. After blooming, pour in a small circular flow to 125g, then continue pouring to 225g when the water level drops to just expose the coffee bed. The total extraction time is 2 minutes.

Flavor Description

Citrus acidity, full berry juice sensation, strawberry, cream, lemon black tea notes, with long-lasting sweetness.

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

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