Ethiopian Coffee: Ethiopia the home of coffee

Mon, May 4th 2009, 12:23

Ethiopia is the home of coffee … it is in the mountains of Ethiopia’s Kaffa province where Arabica coffee trees grow wild in lush highland forests. Today, Ethiopia is still the major producer of coffee in Africa.


Ethiopia's nomadic Galla tribe have appreciated the coffee beans for aeons ... they ground up the beans and mixed them with animal fat, rolling them into balls to be used as a travel snack. The coffee beans provide energy and alertness for long journeys.

Ethiopia is also the largest drinker of coffee in Africa. Of the 200,000 tons of coffee produced in Ethiopia each year, half of this is used for domestic consumption. (98% of the country's coffee production is still grown in the traditional way, produced by small farmers entirely by hand, from planting to picking.)

Ethiopian's take their coffee drinking seriously ... coffee is prepared in a beautiful and elaborate ceremony. The women roast the green beans in a special pot over open coals, then grind the beans and brew the coffee in a jebena - a traditional coffee pot made of clay. This ceremony is a multi-sensory delight. You get to appreciate the aroma of roasting and brewing coffee before drinking the finished product in small delicate cups.

Ethiopian coffee is high quality coffee reminiscent of the famous Mocha coffee of the Yemen peninsula which probably shares the same genetic origin. There are three main coffee types grown in Ethiopia:

Harrar - grown in the eastern regions. The best harrar coffee is favoured for espresso blends because of its superb aromas.
Thimbi - grown in the west. Has a heavier, longer lasting body.
Yirgacheffee - grown in the south, a more mild yet aromatic coffee. Some of this coffee is called Sidamo, named after the district where it grows.

Ethiopia Coffee Map

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