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Ethiopian Coffee · Premium Coffee Regions Introduction - Harar 03

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Harar (Harrar) Premium Region Altitude 1600 - 2400 meters Garden coffee system Harar is located in the eastern highlands of Ethiopia (Harerge province), one of the highest altitude areas where coffee is cultivated by humans (some even claim it reaches 2000-2700 meters), overlooking the ports of Mocha and Aden in Yemen across the Gulf of Aden. A century ago, it still grew wild on the mountain slopes, where local farmers used camels to transport their harvest.

Ethiopian Coffee · Premium Region Introduction — Harar

Altitude: 1600 - 2400 meters

Garden coffee system

Harvest period: October to February of the following year

Harar is located in the eastern highlands of Ethiopia (Harerge province) and is one of the highest altitude areas where humans cultivate coffee (some even claim it reaches 2000-2700 meters). Across the Gulf of Aden, it overlooks the ports of Yemen's Mocha and Aden.

A century ago, it still grew wild on the mountain slopes. Local coffee farmers transported coffee beans to the port of Djibouti at the foot of the mountains using camels, donkeys, or horse-drawn carriages, braving the danger of being surrounded and swallowed alive by indigenous wolves. From there, the beans were shipped by boat to the port of Mocha in Yemen, and then exported to European countries.

Harar's coffee history is much older than Yirgacheffe's, and its soil, water, climate conditions, processing methods, and flavors differ from Yirgacheffe. Harar has a dry and cool climate, most suitable for natural processing methods. Its flavor characteristics are similar to Yemen Mocha across the gulf, which is why Harar is also called "Harar Mocha." The raw beans are mostly long-shaped, greenish-yellow or golden in color, distinctly different from the short, round beans of natural-processed Yirgacheffe. During roasting, a strong chocolate aroma emerges, with a wild taste, moderate acidity, and rich texture - very typical Mocha flavor.

High-quality Harar carries jasmine fragrance and a fermented wine-like aftertaste. In some ways, it's comparable to or even surpasses the Mattari from Yemen's Bani Matar region.

Today's Harar still uses traditional natural processing methods for its raw beans, typically exported through the nearby town of Dire Dawa. However, coffee is not grown within the city itself. What is referred to as Harar coffee is actually produced in the Harar Highlands of the greater Harar region. With an annual rainfall of only 1000 millimeters, all coffee is processed using the natural method. Its annual production is approximately 185,000 bags/60kg. The most common variety is predominantly long-bean, evolved from early Arabica cultivars. Specifications are mostly G5 or G4.

In terms of flavor, Harar coffee is famous for its distinctive "mixed aroma," representing a typical ancient flavor. It stands alongside Yirgacheffe as one of Ethiopia's coffee "twin stars."

If the defective beans in Harar can be carefully sorted out, it's easy to detect berry-like fruit notes with a pleasant fermented mixed aroma. However, due to various factors, the quality of Harar coffee has been unstable in recent years, and the grading system is not reliable. Therefore, when purchasing, be sure to cup test or sample taste.

The above information has been compiled by FrontStreet Coffee.

We hope this article helps everyone gain a deeper understanding of coffee.