Ethiopia is widely regarded as the birthplace of coffee and its cultivation. For hundreds of years, Ethiopia has provided some of the world’s best reviewed single origin premium coffee beans. Ethiopian coffees are best known for their complexity with a pungent, winey quality and a distinct wildness in their acidity. Coffee grown worldwide can trace its heritage back centuries to the ancient coffee forests on the Ethiopian plateau. There, legend says the goat herder Kaldi first discovered the potential of these beloved beans.
Many coffee experts consider Ethiopia their favorite coffee country because of its unique flavor. Ethiopia offers a wide range of flavors that can’t be found anywhere else in the world of coffee. A brief historical detour can help explain why Ethiopian coffee has a distinct taste. Arabica has its origins in Ethiopia and is believed to be the first species of coffee to be cultivated. Today, more than 90% of arabica coffee’s genetic material can be found in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia boasts between six and ten thousand coffee varieties. In fact, there are so many coffee types that the vast majority is yet to be classified. Most coffee is simply labeled as Ethiopian heirloom, an umbrella term to describe all Ethiopian coffee variants. The most widely grown coffee type in Ethiopia is mild, aromatic arabica coffee which accounts for about 70% of the world’s coffee production.
Ethiopian Regions Known for Their Coffee include Yigarcheffe. Ethiopian coffee is famous for its exquisite, single-origin coffee beans and for being the birthplace of this brew. The country’s social structure is so intertwined with coffee. Coffee drinking is referred to by the widespread expression "buna tetu," which means "drinking coffee."
Ethiopia is widely considered the birthplace of coffee. Legends trace coffee’s discovery to the southwestern Ethiopian province of Kaffa, where coffee trees grow wild. The original name for coffee, Kaffa, also comes from this region.
Ethiopian coffee grows in the southern mountainous regions with deep, fertile volcanic soils at high altitudes up to 8,858 feet. This high elevation leads to much higher quality and more complex coffee flavor compared to lower elevations. Ethiopia’s diverse coffee-producing regions create markedly different flavor profiles across regions, micro-regions, and even individual farms.
With many indigenous Arabica varieties and unique processing methods, Ethiopian coffee has an unmatched flavor profile. Ethiopia currently exports about 50% of its total coffee production, with almost 50% consumed locally. Ethiopians are among the world’s biggest coffee drinkers. Roughly 5 million smallholder farmers produce over 95% of Ethiopia’s coffee, with about 10% growing wild in forests.
Ethiopia is widely considered the birthplace of coffee. Legends trace coffee’s discovery to the southwestern Ethiopian province of Kaffa, where coffee trees grow wild. The original name for coffee, Kaffa, also comes from this region.
Coffee was originally native only to a relatively small region in Africa and spread to become the global phenomenon it is today from trade between early travelers. Ethiopia’s diverse coffee-producing regions create markedly different flavor profiles across regions, micro-regions, and even individual farms. With many indigenous Arabica varieties and unique processing methods, Ethiopian coffee has an unmatched flavor profile.
Ethiopia currently exports about 50% of its total coffee production, with almost 50% consumed locally. Ethiopians are among the world’s biggest coffee drinkers. Roughly 5 million smallholder farmers produce over 95% of Ethiopia’s coffee, with about 10% growing wild in forests.
If you’ve never tried Ethiopian coffee, we cannot recommend coffee from the Yirgacheffe region highly enough. It is fruity, complex, brightly acidic, and an excellent example of what Ethiopian coffee is all about.