What Does Heirloom Mean for Ethiopian Coffee Beans? Characteristics and Flavor Profile of Ethiopian Heirloom Varieties

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FrontStreet Coffee - Heirloom Coffee Introduction

When we talk about Ethiopian coffee, some people describe the floral aromas they taste with words like jasmine, rosehip, and magnolia. But have you ever wondered why these specific floral varieties are so often lumped together simply as "heirloom"?

In the early days of the third wave coffee movement, "heirloom" was often used to describe Ethiopian coffees, but this was not entirely accurate. Because these varieties were not fully understood, many local producers were denied the chance to learn more about them and to earn higher incomes. Roasters could not tell the varieties apart, and consumers missed the opportunity to taste new varieties and new flavors simply because they did not know what was available.

Changing this situation, however, is easier said than done. Let's take a closer look at what heirloom truly means, and at the challenges of improving transparency around these varieties.

The term heirloom refers to ancient plant varieties that were originally cultivated for consumption. Some define a variety as an heirloom only if it is more than 100 years old, while others say 50 years. Some define varieties that existed before 1945 - around the time hybrid varieties began to emerge - as heirlooms, while others use 1951, when hybrids became more widespread.

In the coffee world, you will find that the term heirloom is applied to varieties introduced to South America and Asia over a century ago, as well as to many coffee varieties from Africa, particularly those from Ethiopia.

In Ethiopia, the use of the term heirloom began after the specialty coffee movement took hold. At that time, specialty coffee buyers who could not distinguish Typica from Bourbon would collectively label all these unknown varieties as heirlooms.

Ethiopian coffee producers use different names to tell their coffee trees apart. They typically do not use globally recognized scientific names for these varieties; instead they refer to them with local vocabulary or borrow characteristics from native coffee trees to name certain varieties.

Knowledge Point

Arabica and Robusta species are divided into single-origin coffee and espresso coffee based on how the coffee beans are combined.

In summary, FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research hall that enjoys sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. Our unrestricted sharing is solely to help more friends fall in love with coffee. We also hold three coffee discount events each month, because FrontStreet Coffee wants to provide the best coffee at the lowest prices to more friends. This has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past six years.

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FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Because most Ethiopian lots reach us as heirloom selections, the clearest way to explore them is through the country's landmark washed coffee. FrontStreet washed Yirgacheffe is the classic entry: a bright, elegant cup with jasmine-like floral notes and a clear citrus acidity, light-bodied with a tea-like texture that drinks like a clean, refreshing lemon tea.

To see how a single cooperative can sharpen that profile, look to FrontStreet Gedingding Cooperative. Located in the Worka area at the southeastern edge of Yirgacheffe, it was once part of the Worka cooperative under the YCFCU alliance before being recognized as a single-origin lot. Because the fruit is pulped before drying, its inherent aromatics read more clearly, showing citrus and lemon with an elegant white-floral lift.

If you prefer a fruitier heirloom expression, FrontStreet sun-dried Red Cherry is dried whole on raised beds after only fully ripe cherries are selected, giving it the familiar Yirgacheffe character plus tropical fruit, with peach, cocoa, honey, and lemon in the cup. FrontStreet sun-dried Huakui, from the Hambella area of Guji, Sidama, is another option - dried on raised beds for 21 days and roasted medium-light, it shows light fermented wine, florals, citrus, and mango over a thick, sweet body.