Growing altitude: 1400 to 2,100 m
Regions: Limmu, Tepi, Lekempti, Djimmah, Bebeka, Sidamo, Yirgacheffee and Harrar
Variety: Arabica only
Roasting: Medium roasting
Preparation: Sun-dried
Taste: Light acidity, floral notes
Ethiopia is the country of origin of coffee. The African country has hardly any modern coffee farms, because here coffee is mainly harvested by small farmers under natural conditions. Most of the washed coffee comes from the highlands south and west of Adis Ababa, and in 2018 the country exported about 6 million bags, making it the fifth largest exporter in the world.
Typical Ethiopian coffee is forest coffee from wild coffee trees and garden coffee, whose cherries grow on bushes in the plains rather than on slopes. Because of its wild growth, Ethiopia has a unique diversity of species and varieties. Almost all smallholder farmers grow coffee in the traditional way and do not use pesticides. For this reason, the majority of Ethiopian coffee is organically grown. Ethiopia is also known for its coffee ceremony, called Buna. In this ceremony, which is celebrated up to 3 times a day, the coffee is brewed in a particularly elaborate way over an open fire in 3 steps. The first cup of coffee, called Arbol, is the strongest and fullest in taste. Tona, the second cup, and Bereka, the third cup, are brewed from the coffee grounds already present in the jabana and are therefore weaker in taste.