A Brief Introduction to Ethiopian Coffee History and Guji Coffee Flavor Profile

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FrontStreet Coffee - Ethiopian Coffee History and Sidamo Coffee Introduction

Regarding the origin story of coffee, it was referenced in earlier articles - that legendary figure, Kaldi, who was documented around 850 AD. This account aligns with the theory that coffee cultivation began around the 9th century. However, some believe that coffee was cultivated in Yemen as early as 575 AD, crediting the discovery of coffee to a hermit named Sheikh Omar from the Mocha region of Yemen.

However, there are many doubts about these legends. For instance, Kaldi's goats and some local monks claimed that coffee was discovered on the same day as both a stimulant and a beverage. But coffee beans had been chewed by goats for centuries before being made into a beverage, so it's highly probable that coffee beans were consumed as a stimulant at that time. The beans were easily ground, mixed with butter or animal fat to form a thick paste, then rolled into small balls and consumed during long journeys for energy.

This custom of chewing coffee beans was brought to Arabia by Sudanese people, who chewed coffee to help them endure the difficult journeys of Muslim trade routes. It is said that Sudanese slaves learned the custom of chewing coffee from the Galla tribe of Ethiopia.

To this day, people in these regions still use coffee powder as a cooking ingredient, adding a little butter to brewed coffee to make it more nutritious and enhance its flavor.

To strengthen the promotion of its unique coffee, the Ethiopian government trademarked three coffee-producing region names in 2004; Sidamo was one of them (the other two being Harrar and Yirgacheffe). Coffee from Sidamo is mostly processed through a combination of washed and natural methods, and is quite popular among coffee enthusiasts who prefer fruity and aromatic coffee.

Sidamo coffee flavors are extremely diverse due to different soil compositions, regional microclimates, and countless native coffee varieties, resulting in significant differences and characteristics in coffee produced by each town and region.

Main varieties include: Guji (Heirloom variety) and Chelelektu (Heirloom variety, 90+ special region)

Knowledge Bonus: Ethiopia's geographical environment is highly suitable for coffee growth. Coffee is mainly cultivated in the southern highlands at altitudes between 1,100 and 2,300 meters. Ethiopian coffee is harvested once a year, with red coffee cherries ripening for picking from September to December. The new season's coffee begins to be exported in November-December.

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