Ethiopia All Coffee Bean Growing Regions Flavor Characteristics | How Much Does Ethiopian Coffee Cost Per Cup

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Jimma (Major Commercial Bean Region): Elevation 1,350～1,850 meters | Forest/Semi-forest System

Jimma is the capital of the Kaffa Forest or Kaffa Province, with its English spelling being quite inconsistent. Maps mostly show it as "jimma," but coffee burlap bags are often labeled as "Djimmah." This is Ethiopia's largest coffee-producing region, accounting for one-third of exports.

The Kaffa Forest is renowned for its original wild varieties. Jimma serves as the distribution center for this region's Kaffa coffee. Farmers habitually transport coffee harvested from the forest areas to Jimma, where hundreds or thousands of varieties are mixed together and sold as commercial beans, causing the aromas of many delicious varieties to be masked.

Washed premium Jimma, while lacking the citrus fragrance and floral notes of Yirgacheffe, has a remarkably clean and transparent flavor profile similar to Central American premium coffees. Commercial-grade premium Jimma is quite common in the Taiwan region. If you're lucky, you can find reasonably priced Jimma that offers the refreshing aroma of lemon peel, which is no less impressive than Sidamo. Overall, Jimma has superior flavor compared to Brazil's major commercial bean Santos, making it an excellent mid-to-low price blending bean.

Illubabor (Major Commercial Bean Region): Elevation 1,350～1,850 meters | Forest/Semi-forest Coffee System

This region is located in western Ethiopia, bordering Sudan, and is the westernmost coffee-producing area. The coffee gene diversity here is second only to the Kaffa Forest. The 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 is rarely sold independently.

Limu, Lekempti (Major Commercial Bean Region): Elevation 1,500～1,800 meters | Forest/Semi-forest Coffee System

This region produces both natural and washed beans, with similar bean shapes to the long beans of Harar, and also has some premium-grade varieties that are quite popular in Europe and America. Most are hailed as the "poor man's Harar," with fruit acidity and fruit flavors superior to Illubabor, offering bright flavors.

Tepi, Bebeka (Major Commercial Bean Region): Elevation 500～1,900 meters | Garden/Forest/Semi-forest Coffee System

These two regions are very close, with Tepi located north of Bebeka. They feature enterprise-managed coffee plantations and have recently promoted garden systems to increase farmers' income, with an annual output of about 3,000 tons. Both areas have wild coffee with low production but flavors that differ significantly from Harar and Yirgacheffe. Low fruit acidity is their main characteristic, making them suitable as blending beans. Both natural and washed processing methods are available.

Lake Tana Shoreline (Alternative Region): Elevation 1,840 meters | Forest System

Monastery coffee and surrounding forest coffee have extremely low annual production, less than 10 tons, so it can hardly be called a region. The area's numerous Eastern Orthodox monasteries, churches, religious murals, and myths create what might be the world's most "divine" coffee.

Ethiopian Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's roasted Ethiopian coffee beans offer excellent guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, they provide exceptional value for money. A half-pound (227-gram) bag costs only about 90 RMB. Calculating at 15 grams per cup, one bag can make 15 cups of coffee, with each cup costing only about 6 RMB. Compared to cafe prices that often exceed 100 RMB per cup, this represents a truly conscientious recommendation.

Important Notice :

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