What Coffee Regions Are in Ethiopia? The Story of Ethiopian Coffee Beans

The Origin of Coffee

Ethiopia, located in East Africa, is home to as many as 5,000 varieties of wild coffee beans discovered in the Kaffa region forests alone. It is widely believed that Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee—local residents discovered that after cattle and sheep ate plants with red fruits, they became excited, incredibly strong, and even seemingly mad. The local people began to pick these fruits to try, gradually discovering that they too became more energetic. Thus, they began to harvest them and deliberately cultivate them. Because they came from Kaffa, the world gradually named it Coffee.

Ethiopia is currently the largest coffee-producing country in Africa, but only 60% of its coffee beans are used for export. The remaining 40% are used in various forms of ceremonies. For example, at weddings, people create mixtures of coffee beans and coffee pulp, coffee and honey, and various herbs to make medicines believed to ward off bad luck. This demonstrates how deeply coffee is integrated into the daily lives of local people.

Ethiopian Coffee Culture

For Ethiopians, coffee is both a belief and a culture. Among the many ceremonies, the most important is the coffee drinking ceremony—the entire process of roasting coffee beans, grinding coffee powder, brewing coffee, and drinking coffee is known as the "Coffee Ceremony."

This ceremony is somewhat similar to the Japanese tea ceremony, containing a spiritual consciousness within it. The purpose of the ceremony is to reach conclusions, which can be used for marriage proposals or to resolve family conflicts. The entire coffee ceremony is quite lengthy, averaging about 1.5 hours. The ceremony begins with roasting coffee beans, after which properly dressed women place the roasted coffee beans in a pot, allowing everyone to smell the aroma of the coffee beans, then slowly brew the coffee.

The first cup of coffee is called Abol, which is the most important and also the most difficult to drink. When resolving conflicts, one party must bravely drink this cup and express their views. The second cup is called Tona, made by adding water and brewing again, with a taste that remains strong. If one party accepts the other's viewpoint, they will finish drinking it; if the other party doesn't drink it, there won't be a third cup. The third cup is called Baraka, which symbolizes joy when matters are resolved and the conclusion is satisfactory, and often the younger generation is also invited to drink this cup.

Whether in wealthy households or poor farming families, coffee ceremonies are conducted. Someone once joked that the more than 80 ethnic groups in Ethiopia are able to coexist harmoniously, thanks to coffee. While this is a joke, given the importance they place on coffee, it's not without reason.

Ethiopian Coffee Growing Regions

The main Ethiopian coffee growing regions are Sidamo, Harrar, and Yirgacheffe. Sidamo and Harrar are provinces and administrative divisions. Sidamo is located in southern Ethiopia, adjacent to Kenya, while Harrar is in eastern Ethiopia, bordering Somalia. Although Yirgacheffe is a small area within the larger Sidamo region, due to factors such as soil composition and water content, the coffee produced there is considered the best in Ethiopia.

In the West, Ethiopian coffee is generally marketed and sold under the names Yirgacheffe, Sidamo, and Harrar. In the specialty coffee field, there are five other small regional coffees: Limmu, Djimmah, Lekempti, Bebeka, and Wolega. The most commonly seen are still Ethiopian Sidamo or Harrar coffee.

Harrar Coffee is produced in the eastern highlands of Ethiopia. The beans are medium-sized, greenish-yellow, with medium acidity and full body, featuring typical mocha flavor. It is one of the most famous coffees in the world.

Wollega (Nekempte) Coffee comes from western Ethiopia. The beans are medium to large in size and are famous for their rich fruity flavors. They have a greenish, brownish color, with good acidity and body. They can be used for blending or as single-origin coffee.

Limu Coffee is famous for its aromatic and wine-like spicy and Winnie flavor, and is very popular in Europe and America. It has good acidity and body, and washed Limu coffee is also a favorite in the specialty coffee world. The beans are medium-sized, greenish-blue, and mostly round.

Sidama Coffee beans are medium-sized and greenish-gray. Sidamo washed coffee is characterized by balanced taste and flavor, earning it the reputation of being "sweet coffee." It has delicate acidity and good body, comes from southern Ethiopia, and can be used for blending or as premium single-origin coffee.

Yirgacheffe Coffee has strong floral flavor characteristics.

Washed Yirgacheffe is one of the world's best high-altitude coffees, with soft acidity and rich body. Top and Bebeka coffees have low acidity but high body, making them indispensable members in blended coffees.

How to Drink Ethiopian Coffee?

As coffee begins to crack during roasting, the hostess might add cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves to the mixture. Restaurants (particularly Western ones) can use electric grinders to speed up the grinding process. Although coffee is usually unfiltered, some hostesses can filter it through a fine mesh sieve to remove grounds. In rural areas, coffee can be salted instead of sugared. In some regions of Ethiopia, butter or honey can be added during brewing. Coffee can be served with snacks such as roasted barley, peanuts, popcorn, or coffee cherries.

FrontStreet Coffee Suggested Brewing Parameters:

V60/90°C/1:15/Time: two minutes

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