How is Ethiopian Coffee Flavor Profile? Introduction to Single-Origin Coffee Varieties

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Introduction to Ethiopian Coffee and Single-Origin Varieties

Ethiopia's geographical environment is highly suitable for coffee cultivation. Coffee is primarily grown in the southern highlands at elevations ranging from 1,100 to 2,300 meters. Major coffee-producing regions include Harar, Limu, Djimma, Sidamo, Kaffa, Yergacheffe, and Wellega. These regions feature well-drained, slightly acidic, and loose red soil.

In Ethiopia, both washed and natural processing methods are common. In natural processing, farmers spread coffee cherries on flat surfaces to dry in the sun. This process typically takes two to six weeks, with coffee beans being spread and turned regularly to ensure even drying, after which the seeds are separated from the cherries. Typical washed Ethiopian coffee exudes elegant flavors with delicate floral and citrus notes, a smooth mouthfeel, and distinct regional characteristics. Natural processed coffee exhibits rounder, richer fruit flavors... Compared to washed coffee, high-quality natural coffee not only maintains fresh lemon acidity and floral notes but also adds sweetness and body.

Single-Origin Coffee Varieties

Arabica is the representative variety originating from Ethiopia and is also produced in South Africa, African countries, and Asian nations, accounting for 70-75% of global coffee production. Arabica has weaker resistance to pests and diseases, making highland regions more suitable for cultivation, particularly Arabica coffee beans grown above 1,500 meters elevation, which offer the best quality. Such meticulously produced high-quality coffee, with balanced flavor, mouthfeel, and aroma, can be certified as premium coffee beans, primarily used for single-origin or specialty coffee.

Typica

Typica is the original variety of all Arabica cultivars. It is said that Typica originated from southern Sudan, gradually flourished in Ethiopia, and was eventually cultivated in Yemen around the 7th century for commercial production. Typica was brought to the East Indies by the Dutch and was also the first coffee variety to reach the West Indies—Gabriel de Clieu planted it on the French island of Martinique in 1720.

Typica's mature fruits are red. This variety has relatively low yields and extremely poor disease resistance, but its excellent cupping quality has made it popular worldwide.

Bourbon

Bourbon is the result of a genetic mutation of the original Typica variety on Réunion Island and is the paternal or even grandfatherly variety of many popular Latin American coffee cultivars—including Caturra, Catuai, Pacas, and Mundo Novo.

Bourbon remains widely popular in Latin America today and has also crossed oceans to Africa, taking root in Rwanda and Burundi. Bourbon's mature fruits are mostly red, though there are also yellow or orange varieties. Bourbon yields 20-30% more than Typica; although its flavor is slightly sweeter and sometimes better balanced, these two coffee varieties are generally very similar.

Catimor

Catimor is a hybrid of Caturra and Timor—don't confuse it with Caturra and Catuai. This highly disease-resistant plant has the ability to resist coffee leaf rust, so it was widely planted in Latin American countries in the 1980s. Unfortunately, because the Timor variety (also known as Arabusta) is a natural hybrid of Typica Arabica and Robusta, although the latter can impart disease resistance, the delicate flavor of the Arabica variety is lost.

Catuai

Brazil developed Catuai in the 1950s; it's a hybrid of Caturra and Mundo Novo, with strong disease resistance and high yields. Similar to Caturra, Catuai's mature fruits are naturally divided into red and yellow varieties (I personally prefer the former). Catuai is known for its rich acidity and is a common variety in most Central American countries.

Caturra

In the 1930s, people discovered a genetic mutation of Bourbon near the city of Caturra in Brazil, which was subsequently named Caturra. Caturra has high yields, and its compact plant form facilitates harvesting, but if grown in lower altitude environments, this characteristic becomes its own worst enemy—the coffee becomes quite light, so the weight of the fruit itself can kill the plant. If cultivated at high altitudes (above 1,200 meters), both the quality and yield of Caturra coffee are more guaranteed. Caturra is a common variety in the Central American coffee belt.

Geisha

Geisha, with slightly elongated fruits and leaves, is a genetic mutation of Typica, said to originate from the small town of Geisha in southwestern Ethiopia. In the 1930s, Geisha seeds were transported to Tanzania, and in the 1950s, they traveled to Costa Rica. These two countries are the only significant growing regions for Geisha outside of Panama—although Panama is Geisha's best ambassador.

In Panama's high-altitude growing regions, Geisha has proven to the world with its tropical flavors, citrus and tea characteristics that it is an undisputed coffee variety (Note: Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is known as the king of coffee). Everyone loves good coffee, and I sincerely hope Geisha can reach other countries.

Pacamara

Pacamara was developed by El Salvador in the late 1950s; it's a hybrid of Pacas and Maragogipe and is now highly sought after. Similar to Maragogipe, although it's large—typically twice the size of standard Bourbon coffee beans—its yield is average. Pacamara's quality is widely acclaimed, with clean acidity and refreshing floral notes, showing greater advantage when grown at higher altitudes.

SL-28

The "SL" in SL-28 stands for Scott Laboratories, a technology company hired by the Kenyan government from the 1930s to identify the most suitable local coffee varieties for large-scale cultivation. SL-28 has become a benchmark variety in several Kenyan growing regions, partly due to its intense blackcurrant flavor. SL-28 is suitable for cultivation in high-altitude areas.

SL-34

SL-34 is slightly inferior in quality to its sister SL-28 (but this doesn't mean it's of poor quality), but it also has prominent acidity and berry flavors. Compared to SL-28, SL-34 performs better in lower altitude areas (although its number is larger), and if grown at high altitudes, it has better resistance to heavy rain, so people mostly choose high-altitude cultivation methods. However, both SL-28 and SL-34 are highly susceptible to coffee leaf rust.

Knowledge Bonus: Arabica coffee plants produce fruits with more subtle flavors, their varieties are widely distributed and clearly defined, and the coffee they produce has distinctive appearance and style.

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