Arabica Coffee Origins: A Guide to Coffee Estates and Growing Regions

In the coffee we typically drink, the most common varieties we see are Arabica and Robusta. Arabica varieties appear more often as specialty coffees, while Robusta varieties are more commonly used in blends or espresso coffees.

Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee and also the homeland of the famous Arabica coffee beans. In Ethiopia, people continue to maintain the tradition of harvesting wild coffee beans to this day.

Ethiopia possesses the most diverse varieties on Earth. The main producing regions include Sidama, Yirgacheffe, Kochere, Harar, and Djimmah (there are slightly different English spellings for Ethiopian place names). Ethiopia is a rare place of origin, with countless native wild varieties yet to be discovered. Most coffee varieties in Central and South America were introduced from Ethiopia.

Arabica and Robusta Varieties

The Arabica variety, scientific name Coffea arabica, originates from the Abyssinian plateau of Ethiopia (now the Ethiopian plateau). Initially used mainly as medicine for consumption, the habit of roasting for drinking was developed in the 13th century. It entered Europe through the Arab region in the 16th century and subsequently became a beverage loved by people worldwide. It has low resistance to natural drought, frost damage, and pests, particularly being vulnerable to coffee's natural enemy - leaf rust disease. Main Arabica producing regions include South America, Central America, Africa (East African countries), and Asia (including parts of Yemen, India, and Papua New Guinea). Caffeine content is around 1.5%.

The Robusta variety, scientific name Coffea robusta Linden, is a leaf rust-resistant variety discovered in Congo, Africa, with stronger disease resistance than the Arabica variety. It is actually a mutant of the Congo species (scientific name Coffea canephora). The name Robusta has become commonly used by the public, treating it as the same species as Congo. This variety has a unique aroma (called "Robust flavor," which some consider a moldy smell) and bitterness, generally used in industrial coffee production such as instant coffee, canned coffee, liquid coffee, or used in small amounts in coffee blends. Caffeine content is around 3.2%.

Ethiopia's Coffee Growing Environment

Ethiopia's geographical environment is very suitable for coffee growth. Coffee is mainly grown on the southern highlands at altitudes between 1,100 and 2,300 meters. After thousands of years of evolution and adaptation, a unique coffee terroir has formed. Ethiopian coffee grown in natural wild environments is called "wilderness coffee," retaining the most primitive and natural flavors of coffee beans, with the most direct and complete expression of terroir. Ethiopia offers unique flavors distinct from others, providing customers worldwide with extensive taste choices.

In the southwestern highlands of Ethiopia, the forest coffee ecosystems of Kaffa, Sheka, Gera, Limu, and Yayu are considered the homeland of Arabica coffee. These forest ecosystems also host various medicinal plants, wildlife, and endangered species.

The full name is the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (formerly "Abyssinia"), a country located in northeastern Africa. Ethiopia is the country of origin for coffee, the homeland of coffee. Ethiopia possesses unique natural conditions suitable for growing all imaginable coffee varieties.

Ethiopian coffee beans, as highland crops, are mainly grown in areas at altitudes between 1,100-2,300 meters above sea level, roughly distributed in the southern regions of Ethiopia. Deep, well-drained, slightly acidic soils, red soils, and soft loam-rich lands are suitable for growing coffee beans because these soils are nutrient-rich and have sufficient humus supply. Rainfall is evenly distributed during the 7-month rainy season; during the plant growth cycle, fruit develops from flowering to fruiting, and crops grow 900-2,700mm annually, while temperatures fluctuate between 15°C to 24°C throughout the growth cycle. Most coffee production (95%) is done by smallholder farmers, with an average yield of 561kg per hectare.

Ethiopian Coffee Production and Quality

For centuries, smallholder farmers in Ethiopian coffee farms have been producing various high-quality types of coffee. The secret to producing quality coffee lies in the coffee farming culture developed through generations of repeated learning of the coffee growing process under suitable environmental conditions. This mainly includes farming methods using natural fertilizers, selecting the reddest and fully ripe fruits, and processing fruits in clean environments. The differences in Ethiopian coffee quality, natural characteristics, and varieties all stem from altitude, region, location, and even soil type differences.

The trace elements in each producing region affect coffee flavors differently. FrontStreet Coffee, to let everyone taste more of the different regional flavors from coffee's birthplace, has selected more than a dozen coffee beans from different regions of Ethiopia's producing country.

Sidama, Yirgacheffe, and Kochere are the main washed specialty bean producing regions. The most well-known Yirgacheffe is a small city located north of Sidama with an average altitude between 1,850 to 2,400 meters and annual average rainfall of 1,300mm. Due to its unique geographical environment and special flavors, it became independent from the Sidama producing region. Yirgacheffe is famous for its jasmine flower fragrance and citrus characteristics. Natural-processed Yirgacheffe has strawberry and creamy mouthfeel, while Harar/Sidama has stronger wild blueberry and berry flavors.

Yirgacheffe Coffee Producing Region

Yirgacheffe coffee producing region is a famous specialty coffee producing region in Ethiopia, mainly using washed processing. Coffee here has rich floral and citrus flavors. FrontStreet Coffee's daily coffee bean selection chooses washed-processed Yirgacheffe as the representative of Ethiopian coffee producing regions. Its refreshing, bright lemon acidity and citrus aftertaste leave everyone with endless aftertaste - you'll fall in love with it after drinking it.

Yirgacheffe is a small town in Ethiopia with altitudes between 1,700 to 2,100 meters. It can be called synonymous with Ethiopian specialty coffee. This area has been wetland since ancient times. In the old language, "yirga" means "settle down" and "cheffe" means "wetland," therefore Yirgacheffe means "settle down in this wetland." Initially, Yirgacheffe was a sub-producing region of Ethiopia's Sidamo province, located northwest of Sidamo, and one of Ethiopia's highest altitude coffee producing regions. Because the production methods and flavors here are too outstanding, Ethiopian coffee farmers competed to be proud of their coffee having Yirgacheffe flavor, so it became independent from the Sidama producing region to become Africa's most renowned producing region.

Hambella Coffee Producing Region

As a specialty coffee producing region, Sidama has both washed and natural processing methods. Among FrontStreet Coffee's selections, the most representative is the natural-processed Coffee Flower Queen 5.0. Flower Queen 5.0 has floral, tropical fruit, berry, and citrus sweetness, with rich mouthfeel. Therefore, this coffee bean is very popular at FrontStreet Coffee. Hambella was originally a sub-region of Guji, which was under Sidama. It is administered by Oromiyaa, Ethiopia's southernmost administrative state. To the west, it faces the Yirgacheffe producing region's Kochere across mountains at a distance of 3,200m, to the east it borders Shakiso, to the south it connects to Uraga, and to the north it connects to Kercha.

Currently, there are about 20 processing plants in Hambella, distributed in different villages and estates of the sub-region, with varying sizes. In 2017, a coffee bean from the Hambella producing region won the Ethiopian TOH natural-processed category championship. From then on, Hambella rose to prominence. That year's championship bean was renamed "Flower Queen" when introduced to China. Subsequent Flower Queen series coffees are all produced in Hambella.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Parameters for Ethiopian Coffee

Considering that Yirgacheffe coffee should present acidity as the main flavor direction, FrontStreet Coffee uses medium-light roasting. The washed Yirgacheffe Gudina cooperative coffee beans use light roasting to retain more bright acidity and white floral notes, while the natural-processed Yirgacheffe red cherry coffee beans use medium-light roasting to present rich berry sweetness and acidity.

Because Yirgacheffe uses light roasting, the coffee beans are harder and require 91°C high-temperature water to extract the floral and fruit flavors from the coffee. FrontStreet Coffee recommends medium-fine grind size (80% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve). Too coarse a grind cannot extract the body substances, making the brewed coffee appear thin. Too fine a grind easily leads to over-extraction at high water temperatures, making the brewed coffee prone to bitterness.

FrontStreet Coffee's specific brewing parameters are: V60 dripper, water temperature 91°C, water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, coffee amount 15g, medium-fine grind size (80% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve).

FrontStreet Coffee's segmented extraction technique: First use 30g of water to fully moisten the coffee bed into a "hamburger" shape for a 30s bloom; the second water injection at timer 1'00" injects water to 125g, then stop and wait for the water level to drop to 2/3 of the coffee bed before the third injection; the third injection at timer 1'40" injects water to 225g, waiting for the coffee liquid to completely drip through with a total extraction time of 1'59". The total brewing time is 2'00". After coffee extraction is complete, gently shake the cup and wait for the coffee liquid to be fully uniform before tasting.

FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe Gudina coffee flavor: At high temperature, it has berries, cream, honey, citrus, juice-like mouthfeel, with bright acidity. When the temperature slightly cools, it shows berries, cream, smoothness, and citrus.

FrontStreet Coffee's natural Sidamo Flower Queen 5.0 coffee flavor: Light fermented wine aroma, with heavier caramel, much richer and complex mouthfeel, honey sweetness, cocoa notes with slight spices, thick body and persistent aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Suggestions

To brew a good cup of coffee, you still need to pay attention to the freshness of the coffee beans. FrontStreet Coffee has always believed that coffee bean freshness has a great relationship with coffee flavor, so FrontStreet Coffee ships coffee beans roasted within 5 days. FrontStreet Coffee's roasting philosophy is "freshly roasted good coffee," ensuring every customer who places an order receives the freshest coffee when it arrives. The coffee degassing period is about 4-7 days, so when customers receive it, it's at the peak flavor.

For friends who need ground coffee, FrontStreet Coffee kindly reminds: if coffee beans are ground in advance, there's no need for further degassing, because during transportation, the pressure from carbon dioxide in the package can also make the coffee flavor mellow, so you can brew a cup immediately after receiving the coffee powder. However, coffee powder needs to be brewed promptly, because coffee powder oxidizes quickly after contact with air, meaning the coffee flavor will dissipate relatively quickly, and the coffee flavor won't be as good. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee suggests buying whole beans and grinding fresh before brewing to better taste the coffee's flavor.

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style).

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee's private WeChat account: qjcoffeex

Important Notice :

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