Ethiopia Coffee - More Than Just Java

If legend is to be believed, Ethiopia coffee was discovered by a goat - and an Ethiopian goat at that. According to folklore, it was discovered by Kaldi, a lowly Ethiopian goatherd who would play a major role in the worldwide spread of what is commonly touted as the most addictive, legal substance on earth - coffee.

Apparently, Kaldi noticed his herd of goats frequenting the same area of bushes each day, moving from one coffee shrub to another, grazing happily on the cherry-red berries wherein lay the magical Ethiopia coffee beans. Thinking the goats couldn't be far off, Kaldi chewed a few himself and was soon fighting for his spot in front of the shrubs.

The myth takes things one step further with the introduction of one more character who appears as a monk who spied Kaldi's feeding habits, plucked a few berries for his monk brothers but accidentally spilled his loot onto a fire and, in doing so, ultimately introduced coffee to the world.

Ethipia Coffee Origin

From humble beginnings in Africa coffee quickly cultivated east and west but it takes a certain climate to grow the best beans. Growing regions typically offer rich, porous soil, moderate sunshine and rain with a steady yearlong temperature of no less than 20 degrees celcius.

These delicate coffee trees will yield beans that have become an economic mainstay for dozens of countries and several million coffee farmers who say, quite rightly, that coffee holds the highest monetary value of all natural commodities, including oil.

Ethiopia is one of the top ten coffee producers in the world, reaping just over 3.8 million bags per year. The natural home of the Arabica tree, Ethiopia is Africa's top Arabica exporter and leads the continent in domestic consumption.

Just over 12-million Ethiopians make a living from coffee, whose name is said to be a derivation of 'Kaffa', the name of an Ethiopian province.

Though the fable is based on legend and lore, it is highly likely that Ethiopia was the birthplace of coffee as it is only in the Kaffa forests where coffee Arabica grew wild and plentiful.

A more realistic take on its introduction to the West is one where slaves, taken from the forests where they lived, habitually chewed the Ethiopia coffee berry, spreading it into the Harrar region through which the Muslim slave trade route passed.

Ethiopia coffee is available from some regions as dry-processed, from others as washed and from Sidamo as both.

The difference between dry-processed and washed is significant with washed Sidamo, Yirgacheffe and Limmu offering lighter body and a less earthy taste than dry-processed coffee beans.

Harrar, Ghimbi and Sidamo are the three main coffee producing regions in Ethiopia and each region offers a unique and fascinating take on the produce.

Harrar coffee beans are grown in the eastern region of the country. They are dry-processed and consist of 3 separate types of beans labelled as longberry (larger beans), shortberry (smaller beans) or Mocha (peaberry).

Harrar coffee beans are unique in the fact that they lead to a brew that is strong with a dry edge, rich aroma and a heavy body. Consumers have been known to report smelling blueberries or blackberries when drinking coffee made in this area and say it leaves a sharp, fruit like acidity on the palate.

To fully experience the Harrar blend, it should ideally be prepared as an espresso so consumers can fully enjoy the fine aromatic flavours that make it stand out from the others.

Ghimbi and Yirgacheffee blends fall into the washed coffee offerings with Ghimbi beans, grown in the western regions of Ethiopia, offering a more balanced but still relatively heavy coffee blend.

The Yirgachefee, or Sidamo, coffee bean is the most popular coffee grown in southern Ethiopia. It is a milder Ethiopia coffee bean offering with a fruitlike aroma that is lighter on the palate and leaves a pleasant coffee taste that lingers longer on the tongue.

The Ethiopia Coffee Ceremony

Just when you thought that it was only the Japanese who hold their beverage ceremonies in high regard, you learn something new about Africa.

Ethiopians also pay special homage to coffee with dedicated and specific coffee ceremonies that have been passed down for generations.

The ceremony of serving coffee can last for hours and it holds an incredibly high social value. It promotes interaction between the coffee drinkers, promoting in-depth communication and building an interest in spending time with one another.

The ceremony is usually conducted three times a day by one young Ethiopian woman, dressed in the traditional costume - a white dress with colored woven borders - who has been trained in, and has diligently practiced, these rituals since her childhood.

When her training is complete, she will be adept in pouring the thin stream of specially chosen coffee blend into tiny little cups from one foot away, without interruption.

The ceremony involves the actual roasting of the chosen beans, after being carefully and gently washed and cleaned, in a flat pan over a tiny charcoal stove, with the pungent aromas mingling with the heavy fog of burning incense. When the coffee beans are have turned from red to black in this process, they are ground and then stirred into a black clay coffee pot, called a 'jebena'.

With the next step, the coffee is sieved several times and then, eventually, served to family members who have been sitting nearby throughout the entire procedure, talking and laughing among themselves.

Ethiopia Coffee - Conclusion

Whether Ethiopia was truly the place coffee began or not should forever remain a mystery but one thing is a certainty - it is, and has always been, the source of some of the most aromatic, surprising and varied coffee beans on this earth.

The fact that something as simple as a coffee bean has played such an important role in cementing Ethiopian families and communities makes coffee more than just the pick me up perk it has become in Western society. It has built an entire foundation that this country continues to grow on.

5 Stars to an excellent choice - Ethiopia Coffee.