Analysis of Ethiopian Coffee Bean Variety Mixology_The Reasons Behind the Complex Taste and Flavor of Ethiopian Coffee Beans

Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style).

Why Ethiopian Coffee Beans Vary in Size

If you're particularly fond of African coffee beans, you've likely noticed that compared to Kenyan beans, Ethiopian beans are generally inconsistent in size and noticeably less uniform. Whether it's Yirgacheffe or Sidamo, whether washed or natural-processed, sometimes observing the same batch of coffee beans reveals significant differences in roasting color and particle size.

Why Are Ethiopian Coffee Beans Always of Different Sizes?

Those who frequently drink Ethiopian coffee have probably heard of the variety called "Heirloom." Most Ethiopian varieties are named this way, primarily because Ethiopia has so many varieties that it serves as a natural gene bank for Arabica. On one hand, there are numerous varieties, making identification and classification difficult. On the other hand, the Ethiopian government,出于保护考虑, is unwilling to disclose information about these varieties, so they are collectively referred to as "Heirloom" native varieties.

Understanding Ethiopian Coffee Bean Cultivation and Harvesting

Generally, coffee farmers might grow multiple varieties simultaneously or separate out superior varieties for sale. Ethiopia is particularly unique in this regard. In this country, most coffee grows in wild or semi-wild states in fields, backyards, or under forests. What farmers actually harvest is a large mix of many different natural varieties.

Wild coffee trees especially like to grow under forests. Trees that provide shade for coffee are called "Shade Trees"; this cultivation method is known as "Shade-grown Coffee." The advantages include reducing ecological impact, and diverse biodiversity helps suppress pests and diseases. In certain regions, local food crops like bananas are used to provide shade for coffee, serving dual purposes.

Ethiopia has nearly 2,000 recorded coffee varieties, including 1,927 native varieties and 128 introduced foreign varieties. So judging by appearance alone, Ethiopian coffee varieties are like a "grand view garden" - they have everything: long, short, thin, fat...

Coffee Bean Shape Varieties

Long-shaped beans: Found throughout all Ethiopian coffee-growing regions. Based on observed proportions, western Jimma, including Limmu and Kaffa, has more long-shaped varieties, while proportions are smaller in Sidamo or Yirgacheffe.

Small-seeded varieties: These have a more rounded appearance and very small beans, mostly between 14-15 mesh. This variety should be the most familiar to us, as we often see them in Sidamo and Yirgacheffe. I've also seen them in a Harrar sample and in green coffee beans sold locally in Jimma. Compared to other regions, Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, and surrounding Arsi and Guji areas have more cultivation of these small-seeded native varieties.

(In addition to the numerous coffee varieties, cultivation methods also affect the varietal mixing in Ethiopian coffee beans.)

Ethiopian Coffee Cultivation Methods

Ethiopian coffee cultivation is divided by scale and pattern:

Forest Coffee (8-10%): Coffee trees coexist with other crops in primary forests without any artificial management. Farmers regularly harvest coffee cherries.

Semi-Forest Coffee (30-35%): Coffee tree cultivation areas are located between forests and areas around farmers' living spaces. Coffee trees are the same natural varieties as in forest coffee, but farmers manage these areas and plant other economic 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.

Sidamo and Yirgacheffe coffee cultivation mostly follows the garden coffee model, where coffee farmers plant coffee trees near their living areas, harvest them themselves during the harvest season, and then send them to nearby water-based processing plants for unified processing (or unified acquisition by middlemen). Except for a few plantations with the capability to independently plant, harvest, and process green coffee beans, many different varieties from different regions and cultivation areas are processed together at processing plants, then sent to auction houses for official evaluation and grading.

This is why many Ethiopian coffee beans are named and distinguished by processing plants or cooperatives, and it's also one of the reasons why the same batch of coffee beans contains multiple coffee varieties. Even coffee beans produced by the same processing plant can show significant flavor differences between different batches.

Ethiopian Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

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

FrontStreet Coffee: A Guangzhou-based roastery with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find both famous and lesser-known beans. They also provide online 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