Ethiopian Coffee·Major Commercial Bean Region: Jimma 06

Ethiopian Coffee · Major Commercial Bean Region — Djimah

Altitude: 1350 - 1850 meters

Coffee System: Forest/Semi-Forest System

Djimah is located in the southwestern highlands of Ethiopia (at the border of Kaffa and Illubabor provinces), at an altitude of 4400-6000 feet. It is Ethiopia's largest coffee-producing region, accounting for one-third of exports. Although washed premium Djimah lacks the citrus fragrance and floral notes of Yirgacheffe, its flavor profile is remarkably clean and transparent, similar to Central American specialty coffees. While it has been overshadowed by the rise of other producing regions in recent years, it is definitely worth exploring.

The Kaffa Forest is renowned for its original wild varieties, and Djimah serves as the coffee distribution center for this region. Farmers are accustomed to transporting coffee cherries harvested from the forest areas to Djimah, where hundreds and thousands of varieties are mixed together and sold as commercial beans. This practice results in the aromas of many delicious varieties being masked.

Commercial-grade premium Djimah is quite common in the Taiwan region. With good fortune, one can purchase high-quality, reasonably priced Djimah that exhibits the refreshing aroma of lemon peel, comparable to Sidamo. Overall, Djimah offers superior flavor compared to Brazilian commercial Santos beans, making it an excellent choice for medium to low-priced blend formulations.

However, in recent years, there has been a trend where approximately 10% to 20% of Djimah is used to compensate for flavor deficiencies in blended coffees. Consequently, its quality has gradually declined below its original standards, leading to polarized evaluations among coffee buyers.

Like Harrar, Djimah follows traditional sun-drying processing methods. Its flavor similarly carries some fermented complex notes, though slightly inferior to Harrar. Its body is medium, with a rugged and earthy character.

The above information has been compiled by FrontStreet Coffee. We hope this article helps everyone gain a deeper understanding of coffee.