The Story of Ethiopian Coffee Beans - Introduction to Ethiopian Coffee Characteristics and Flavors - Ethiopian Coffee Bean Prices

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Ethiopia: The Birthplace of Coffee

Rich, aromatic coffee is one of the essential spiritual beverages for modern urban dwellers. Ethiopia, ranked as the fifth largest coffee bean producing country in East Africa, is the birthplace of the currently globally popular Coffea Arabica native varieties. Therefore, it's no exaggeration to call Ethiopia the root of world coffee. If you love coffee, how can you not make this pilgrimage?

Ethiopia exports at least 200,000 tons of coffee beans annually, with growing regions including the familiar Yirgachefe and Sidamo. Most local coffee bean cultivation areas are located in the Kaffa region within the southwestern SNNPRS (Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regional State), with a total coffee tree cultivation area of approximately 10,600 square kilometers. Since many believe that coffee beans originated in Bonga, about 100 kilometers south of the major southern city of Jimma, I made a special visit to Bonga during my trip to Ethiopia to gain deeper insights into the situation.

Coffee Farming Systems in Ethiopia

My first stop was visiting coffee farmers. It turns out that local coffee farming models can be divided into three main categories: the first is forest-style, meaning wild and unmanaged; the second is garden-style, with small yields managed by farmers; and the third is large-scale cultivation, serving large-scale coffee merchants. Currently, about 90% of local coffee agriculture follows the garden-style model. For example, a small farm I visited in Bonga is managed by Samuane and four other young workers. They are responsible for daily tasks including weeding, harvesting ripe coffee beans, and drying the coffee beans. Samuane mentioned that during busy periods, his farm can harvest an average of 30 kilograms of coffee beans daily. After approximately two weeks of drying process, the dried coffee beans can be sold to intermediaries for resale and export!

Biodiversity Conservation and Coffee

In the forests of Ethiopia's southern Kaffa region, up to 5,000 wild coffee bean varieties have been discovered. In 2011, the area was selected by UNESCO as the Kafa Biosphere Reserve coffee ecological protection zone, becoming one of thirty-four global biodiversity conservation areas. However, as early as 2006, Nabu, a German non-profit organization specializing in nature and biodiversity research, had already established a branch in Bonga to assist local farmers in protecting forest coffee areas, preventing the destruction of precious native coffee forests due to over-cultivation and deforestation. Today, Nabu remains the most important communication bridge for coffee farmers, frequently encouraging them to exchange experiences and techniques through interactive activities. They also educate farmers on operating "semi-forest" coffee tree cultivation methods - growing coffee trees on the periphery of primary forests with regular care and harvesting. This approach ensures yield while preserving the natural ecosystem.

Climate Challenges and Eco-Tourism

According to Nabu's director, challenges faced by Ethiopian coffee farmers also include climate change. Facing increasingly extreme weather leads to poor harvests, directly affecting farmers' livelihoods. Therefore, in recent years, Nabu has been dedicated to promoting eco-tourism to seek more economic support for farmers. Tourists can participate in forest hiking tours led by guides to explore deep into the jungle and learn more about wild coffee beans. While searching for wild coffee trees in the local primary forest, I discovered that my understanding of this fruit had deepened.

The Traditional Coffee Ceremony

During this trip, besides touring coffee plantations, learning about coffee development history, and tasting authentic coffee, I also had the opportunity to participate in the traditional Coffee Ceremony. This popular local social activity involves residents inviting friends to their homes for coffee. The hostess is responsible for brewing, first laying a green mat made of grass on the floor, placing a small tea table on top, and setting cups and a coffee pot on the table. Beside the table sits a clay water kettle called a Jebena for boiling water. Coffee beans are then freshly roasted in an iron pan over an open flame - reportedly roasted to a very dark coffee color is considered standard. The beans are then ground by hand into powder, poured into the Jebena for brewing, and finally served with popcorn as the rich, black coffee called Buna is poured into round cups for tasting. Traditionally, they brew three consecutive cups of coffee to entertain relatives and friends, engaging in pleasant conversation throughout the process.

Tasting Local Buna Coffee

During my time in Jimma and Bonga, I tasted Buna several times in restaurants and hotels. I found that Ethiopian coffee I usually drink in Hong Kong tastes relatively mild, yet Buna has a strong bitter-sweet flavor, completely different. However, I gradually came to understand that for local people, coffee is merely a social beverage, and its taste is less important than the significance of friendship and connection.

Ethiopian Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's freshly roasted single-origin Ethiopian coffee beans - such as Yirgacheffe and Sidamo coffee - offer excellent guarantees in both brand and quality, suitable for brewing with various equipment. More importantly, they offer exceptional value for money. A half-pound (227g) bag costs only around 70-90 yuan. Calculating based on 200ml per cup with a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, one bag can produce 15 cups of specialty coffee, with each cup costing only 5-6 yuan. Compared to cafe prices that often reach dozens of yuan per cup, this represents extremely high value.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small storefront but diverse bean varieties, where you can find both famous and lesser-known beans. They also provide online store services. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473