The Story of Ethiopian Coffee Beans - Characteristics and Stories of Ethiopian and Kenyan Coffee Beans

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African Coffee Powerhouses: Ethiopia and Kenya

Africa's renowned coffee-producing nations, Ethiopia and Kenya, are highly distinguished in the specialty coffee world. The flavor profiles of both regions are predominantly citrusy, but with distinct differences: Ethiopian coffee features bright acidity with a clean, refreshing mouthfeel, while Kenyan coffee offers a full-bodied, berry-juice-like richness, reminiscent of tomato juice. At FrontStreet Coffee, African coffee beans account for 30-40% of our inventory, clearly demonstrating the popularity of African coffee among consumers.

Ethiopian Coffee Regions

Located in East Africa, Ethiopia has integrated coffee into its social structure and cultural economy for hundreds of years. At FrontStreet Coffee, we recognize that coffee forms the cultural core of Ethiopia and serves as a vital income source for most of its population.

The country is also globally recognized as the birthplace of coffee, highly esteemed in the specialty coffee market. Ethiopian coffee appears on nearly every coffee shop menu worldwide, and FrontStreet Coffee is no exception. Among Ethiopia's nine coffee-producing regions, two major areas have become synonymous with Ethiopian coffee: Yirgacheffe and Sidamo. FrontStreet Coffee believes that lightly to medium-roasted Ethiopian beans offer unique lemon, floral, and honey-like sweet aromas, with soft fruit acids and citrus flavors. The mouthfeel is fresh and bright, allowing the rich texture and unique soft floral notes to sweep across your palate, leaving an endless aftertaste—no milk or sugar needed.

Ethiopia has nine major coffee regions, divided into specialty and commercial coffee-producing areas. The specialty regions include the well-known Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, Harar, and Limu coffee regions, while commercial regions include Illubabor, Gimbi (Lekempti), Tepi, Bebeka, and Kaffa. The most beloved regions among consumers are Yirgacheffe and Sidamo.

Yirgacheffe

Yirgacheffe is a small town in Ethiopia, situated at an altitude of 1,700-2,100 meters, making it one of the world's highest-altitude coffee-producing regions and synonymous with Ethiopian specialty coffee. The nearby Lake Turkana, Lake Abaya, and Lake Chamo provide abundant moisture to this area. Represented by the Misty Valley, the rift valley is perpetually shrouded in mist, spring-like year-round, with gentle breezes, cool humidity, and thousands of thriving coffee trees. These conditions nurture Yirgacheffe's unique terroir, where floral and fruit aromas intertwine in ever-changing complexity. FrontStreet Coffee believes that what we call "Yirgacheffe flavor" refers to rich citrus-lemon acidity, intense jasmine floral notes, an elegant and light mouthfeel with tea-like qualities, tasting like refreshing, clean lemon tea.

Sidamo

Sidamo (also transliterated as Sidama) is a province in Ethiopia and the superior administrative unit of the renowned Yirgacheffe. The Sidamo coffee region refers to all areas in Sidamo province except Yirgacheffe, representing Ethiopia's southernmost coffee-producing region. With average altitudes ranging from 1,400-2,000 meters, the coffee produced here has noticeable sweetness, earning it the name "sweet coffee." FrontStreet Coffee finds that natural-processed Sidamo offers subtle floral notes, rich berry acidity with fermented characteristics, and a smoother mouthfeel compared to washed Sidamo.

Ethiopian Coffee Cultivation Models

Ethiopian coffee cultivation is primarily concentrated in the western and southern regions, categorized by scale and model into four types: Forest coffee (8-10%, where coffee trees coexist with other crops in pristine forests without management), semi-forest coffee (30-35%, where coffee trees are planted between forest areas and farmers' living surroundings, with farmer management), garden coffee (50-55%, coffee independently planted by farmers), and plantation coffee (5-6%, large-scale private growers). Smallholder family coffee cultivation accounts for 90% of the total cultivation model.

Ethiopian Coffee Varieties

When purchasing coffee beans, the name "Heirloom" is very common, translated in Chinese as "native varieties" or "heirloom varieties," generally referring to mixed-harvest coffee varieties from Ethiopia. In Ethiopia, the garden cultivation system is the survival model for the vast majority of small coffee farmers. Heirloom native varieties come from "unnamed varieties" in their backyards. Coffee trees may have been left by previous landowners, shared with neighbors, or possibly grown from seeds from another origin. Various coffee plants are intercropped with other economic crops on the land, harvested only when ripe for sale.

Therefore, Heirloom does not refer to a specific coffee variety but represents green bean blending at the origin. Coffee combines concurrent harvests from multiple small farmers, mixed together to form batches. A single batch may encompass dozens or hundreds of undifferentiated varieties. Precisely because of differences between varieties and different mixing methods each time, these coffee beans vary in particle size, dimensions, and shape—some large, some small, some long, some round—best understood as "blended batches."

Ethiopian Coffee Processing Methods

Traditionally, Yirgacheffe used the most ancient natural processing method. However, in 1972, Ethiopia introduced Central American washing technology to improve coffee quality, making Yirgacheffe's jasmine fragrance and citrus aroma clearer and brighter. FrontStreet Coffee believes that the fundamental difference between washed and natural processing lies in: washed processing presents the most basic flavors of coffee, directly reflecting the special characteristics of the region, while natural processing adds sweetness and fermented notes on top of these basic flavors.

Thanks to the introduction of washing technology, Yirgacheffe quickly became a representative of world specialty coffee. After the 1970s, this region primarily used washing, becoming Ethiopia's most popular washed coffee-producing area. However, in the 21st century, natural processing technology has gradually improved, frequently producing impressive natural-processed beans. This is credited to Yirgacheffe coffee trader Bagheesh, who, missing traditional natural-processed coffee flavors and reluctant to see natural processing gradually replaced by washing, improved natural processing methods to enhance flavors while reducing defect rates, introducing three extremely famous Yirgacheffe natural-processed beans: Idido Misty Valley, Beloya, and Aricha.

Ethiopian Coffee Bean Grading (Based on Defect Percentage)

Before the establishment of the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX), Ethiopia's coffee export grades were established by the CLU department (Cupping and Liquoring Unit) under the Ministry of Agriculture, primarily grading green coffee beans based on the number of defects in 300g samples. The grading standards are as follows. Generally, washed coffees are G1-G2. Due to technical issues with natural processing at that time, natural-processed beans had more defects, typically G3-G5. With improvements in natural processing technology, current natural-processed beans can also achieve G1-G2 grades.

Among these, specialty and commercial grades target the international export market. The ECX classifies green coffee beans into nine grades based on the total score of physical attributes and cupping quality characteristics, with physical characteristics accounting for 40% and cupping quality for 60%.

Physical Characteristics (40%):

• Washed Processing: Defect count (20%), appearance size (10%), color (5%), odor (5%)
• Non-washed Processing: Defect count (30%), odor (10%)

Then, G1-G3 grades are cupped again according to SCAA standards for more detailed flavor attribute assessment. G1 and G2 scoring no less than 85 points are classified as Q1 grade; G1, G2, and G3 scoring between 80-85 points are classified as Q2 grade; all G1, G2, G3 scoring below 80 points are classified as G3 grade. Q1 and Q2 are classified as specialty grades for export. G4-G9 maintain their original grading and are classified as commercial grades for export along with G3.

Kenyan Specialty Coffee

Kenya is located in East Africa, bordering Ethiopia. Kenya's coffee history is not as ancient as Ethiopia's, with coffee introduced only around the early 20th century. When coffee was first introduced to Kenya, the country was under British colonial rule. The British colonial government at the time widely promoted coffee cultivation to earn foreign exchange, shipping harvested coffee beans to London for export sales.

Kenyan coffee beans possess wonderful, satisfying aromatics, balanced and pleasant acidity, uniform颗粒 and excellent fruit flavors. FrontStreet Coffee has compared Kenyan coffee beans with neighboring Ethiopia's and found that while both feature fruit acid profiles, their expressions are completely different. Kenyan acidity is strong and full-bodied, while Ethiopian acidity is light and bright. For those trying African coffee beans for the first time, FrontStreet Coffee suggests starting with Ethiopian coffee beans and gradually transitioning to Kenyan coffee beans.

Kenyan Coffee Cultivation Models

Kenyan coffee cultivation models mainly consist of two types: large plantations and agricultural cooperatives, accounting for 25% and 75% of Kenya's coffee cultivation land respectively. Kenya has over 3,000 large plantations and 270 agricultural cooperatives composed of 700,000 small-scale farmers growing coffee.

Kenyan Coffee Regions

Kenyan coffee regions are mainly distributed in the central and western areas. Central regions include Kiambu, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Muranga, Embu, Machakos, Ruiri, and Thika. Western regions include Kisii and Bungoma, located on Mount Elgon.

Kenyan Coffee Varieties

In Kenya, common coffee varieties are SL28, SL34, and Ruiru 11. In 1922, Kenya established the Scott Agricultural Laboratories to research coffee cultivation. Over the following decade, the laboratory selected SL28 and SL34 as most suitable for regional cultivation from 42 coffee varieties, providing a good start for the coffee industry's development. Both SL28 and SL34 are varieties selected through multiple breeding cycles. SL28 belongs to the Bourbon genetic group, carrying the bright acidity and rich acids of original Bourbon. SL34's lineage is closer to Typica genes, with gentler acidity than SL28. Currently, SL28 and SL34 account for 90% of Kenya's production, and South America is actively introducing SL28 as a cultivation variety.

The development of Ruiru 11 was due to the global outbreak of coffee leaf rust disease. Many Arabica varieties suffered from this disease, and to prevent coffee production reduction, the hybrid variety Ruiru 11 was developed, showing excellent disease resistance but significantly inferior flavor quality compared to SL28 and SL34.

Kenyan Coffee Processing Methods

The Kenya 72-hour processing method, also abbreviated as K72. Select coffee cherries with sweetness level 21 maturity for harvest, screen optimal fruits for pulping, soak in fermentation tanks for 24 hours using clean river water, wash after 24 hours, then soak again in clean river water for 24 hours fermentation, wash, ferment again, repeating 3 times for a total fermentation time of 72 hours. Regular washed fermentation maximum time is 36 hours. This repeated post-fermentation washing process gives Kenyan coffee beans strong acidity and delicate texture.

The time required for fermentation depends on many factors, with hotter environments fermenting faster. After some fermentation time, washed processing removes most mucilage, then transfers to lower clean water tanks for secondary fermentation. Notably, during fermentation, circulating water needs to be replaced every few hours to prevent coffee beans from becoming smelly.

Kenyan Coffee Bean Grading (Based on Bean Size)

Kenyan coffee grading is primarily based on coffee bean size, typically divided into eight grades. Many countries grade by green bean size, including Tanzania, Rwanda, Colombia, Jamaica, and others.

E (Elephant): Here "E" represents "Elephant," but not the Maragogype variety among coffee beans. It's a defect where two seeds grow intertwined, forming what appears to be a single bean. Generally, one fruit contains two seeds facing each other, creating one flat side called flat beans or female beans. E-grade beans are where two seeds fuse together during growth, becoming oversized beans. E-grade beans are about 18 screen (one screen = 1/64 inch) or larger and are rare.

AA: This grade's size falls between 17-18 screen (approximately 6.7-7.1mm), the most commonly heard Kenyan coffee grade. In specialty coffee, this grade is usually called AA TOP and is the bean most coffee shops promote, but AA doesn't necessarily mean best—it's just bean size and shouldn't be confused with flavor.

AB: Most coffee beans fall in this grade. Called AB mainly because A-grade size is 6.80mm while B-grade is 6.20mm, and these two sizes (A and B grades) are mixed together for sale, hence AB. Size is about 15-16 screen (approximately 6.0-6.4mm).

C: Beans with size falling between 14-15 screen (approximately 5.6-6.0mm), smaller than B-grade.

PB: Full name Peaberry, also called small round beans or male beans. Compared to regular flat beans, they account for about 10% of all coffee beans, mainly because only one seed developed fully inside the fruit, resulting in small, round beans. Some people particularly love PB flavor, so PB beans are selected and sold separately. Many think PB beans are rare, but they can actually be considered a type of defect bean.

TT: These coffee beans are light beans screened from AA and AB beans using airflow sorters, usually light in weight, not meeting hardness standards, and may include broken and defective beans.

T: Lighter-weight beans screened from C-grade beans, mixed with damaged beans, or even fragmented coffee pieces.

MH/ML: These coffee beans are not exported, usually overripe beans that have fallen to the ground, of poor quality, accounting for about 7% of all coffee beans, only for Kenya's domestic market.

FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopian and Kenyan Representative Coffee Beans: Ethiopia Kochere & Kenya Cherry Tomato Coffee Beans

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Recommendations

The most iconic flavor of Yirgacheffe coffee is its delicate acidity and rich floral and fruity aromas. To maximize this flavor profile, FrontStreet Coffee believes light roast is most suitable. Whether natural or washed processed Yirgacheffe coffee beans, light roasting maximizes their unique flavors. However, there are also medium-to-dark roasted Yirgacheffe coffees on the market, which slightly weaken the acidity while enhancing body thickness—depending on personal preference. Mainstream preference still leans toward light-roasted Yirgacheffe coffee. When FrontStreet Coffee roasts Kenyan coffee beans, considering the need to highlight its bright acidic profile and tomato juice-like mouthfeel, we use light roasting.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's standard pour-over parameters are: Hario V60, water temperature 91°C, coffee-to-water ratio 1:15, grind size fine sugar (China standard #20 sieve 80% pass-through).

For brewing technique, FrontStreet Coffee uses a bloom water amount twice the coffee dose—that is, 30g water for blooming, with a bloom time of 30 seconds. Using small circular水流 to pour to 125g for segmentation, continue pouring to 225g when the water level drops about to expose the coffee bed, then remove the dripper when the water level again drops about to expose the bed (timing starts from bloom). Extraction time is 2 minutes.

Brewing Flavor Descriptions

Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Kochere Coffee: Berry aroma, fresh lemon and citrus acidity, creamy smooth mouthfeel, black tea aftertaste with subtle nutty notes.

Kenya Assalia Coffee: Cherry tomato and berry aroma, pronounced acidity on entry with juicy sensation, prominent sweetness in mid-palate, tea-like aftertaste.

This Ethiopian coffee bean's acidity primarily manifests as citrus-berry acidity, relatively refreshing, while this Kenyan coffee bean has obvious tomato acidity, stronger in acidic sensation than the Ethiopian one.

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