What is Ethiopian "Flower Champion" Coffee Bean?

Ethiopia, universally recognized as the birthplace of coffee, boasts a long history of coffee cultivation and stands as Africa's largest coffee producer. The coffee produced in this region is beloved by many coffee enthusiasts for its rich fruity flavors and floral aromas.

At FrontStreet Coffee, we offer several varieties of Ethiopian coffee beans, among which the most renowned is the Flower Queen coffee bean. Currently, we have reached Flower Queen 8.0, meaning this is the eighth year of this exceptional coffee. But what makes this coffee bean so famous?

The Origin Story of Flower Queen

This coffee bean gained fame in 2017 when Ethiopia was hosting the Taste of Harvest (TOH) competition, organized by the African Fine Coffee Association (AFCA). DW Coffee Company participated in this event with a natural processed coffee bean from their Buku Abel processing plant (then named "Hambella"). This coffee impressed the judges with its intense berry aroma and creamy texture, winning the championship in the natural processed category that year.

According to traceability information from that time, this coffee bean originated from the renowned Guji zone in Ethiopia, specifically from the Hambella sub-zone, where it was processed at the Buku Abel processing plant. Hence, it was initially named after its sub-zone of origin.

How "Flower Queen" Got Its Name

The reason this coffee bean came to be called "Flower Queen" stems from the same year when a Beijing-based green coffee trader recognized its potential, named it "Flower Queen" (implying "the best among all flowers"), and introduced it to the domestic market. Additionally, this "Flower Queen" was selected by a competitor for the World Brewers Cup (China region). Although it only achieved second place, it defeated many competitors using Geisha coffee beans, gained public recognition, and offered excellent value for money, leading to its instant fame.

Expansion and Evolution

After "Flower Queen" coffee became famous, DW Company expanded production to meet market demand by establishing five additional coffee processing stations in Dimtu town, the core area of Hambella. They also began sourcing coffee beans from nearby villages for "Flower Queen" production. It is reported that at this time, DW Company's annual production of "Flower Queen" coffee beans had reached tens of millions of tons.

However, coffee is an agricultural product, and its quality is influenced by various factors including annual climate conditions, rainfall, fertilization, and even subtle differences in processing such as temperature, humidity, and sun-drying conditions. Therefore, starting from 2018, even though DW Company cultivated and harvested coffee beans in the same region and processed them at the same plant, there were certain flavor differences compared to the championship-winning "Flower Queen" coffee beans from 2017.

Flower Queen 8.0: The Latest Evolution

To distinguish each batch from the original version, domestic green coffee traders began naming each subsequent batch as "Flower Queen X.0." The 2018 batch was called "Flower Queen 2.0," the 2019 batch became "Flower Queen 3.0," and this year's 2024 batch is "Flower Queen 8.0." This year's FrontStreet Coffee Flower Queen 8.0 offers tropical fruit flavors of dried mango, citrus, and jackfruit after brewing. It presents a full juice-like body, smooth mouthfeel, black tea-like aftertaste, and rich layered complexity.

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