Ethiopian Coffee · Commercial Bulk Coffee Regions: Teppi/Bebeka 08

Ethiopian Coffee · Major Commercial Bean Growing Regions: Tepi / Bebeka

Altitude: 500 - 1,900 meters

Garden / Forest / Semi-forest coffee systems

The two regions lie quite close together, with Tepi located north of Bebeka. Both host enterprise-managed coffee plantations that have been promoting garden systems in recent years to raise farmers' incomes, with a combined annual production of about 3,000 tons. Both regions also grow wild coffee with relatively low yields. Their flavor profiles differ significantly from Harrar and Yirgacheffe — low fruit acidity is their most distinctive characteristic. These coffees work well as blend components and are available in both natural and washed processing.

The above information has been compiled by FrontStreet Coffee.

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

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Ethiopia has eight main coffee-growing regions: Nekempte (Lekempti) Gimbi, Limu, Illubabor, Djimma, Harrar, Teppi/Bebeka, Sidamo, and Yirgacheffe — and Tepi/Bebeka, covered here, is one of the commercial workhorses among them. If low-acid bulk lots like these are the everyday workhorse, then Yirgacheffe is Ethiopia's crown jewel: a small town in southern Sidamo at roughly 1,700-2,100 meters, whose white jasmine florals and lemon-citrus acidity made the name a byword for the country's specialty coffee.

For a taste of that crown-jewel profile, FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe house lot offers white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a tea-like finish at an approachable price — the classic first step into Ethiopian specialty coffee, brewed best on a V60 at 90-91°C with a 1:15 ratio in three stages.