Ethiopia: The Motherland of Arabica Coffee

ETHIOPIA, THE MOTHERLAND OF ARABICA COFFEE! There are more different and unique flavor profiles by far to be found in Ethiopia than in any other coffee producing country. This is tanks to the incredible geographical, genotypic, and cultural variety within this ancient country.

Ethiopia is a large country in the eastern horn of Africa. It is about three times the size of California, by land area, or approximately the same size as France, Germany, and the United Kingdom combined. It is also the second most populous country in Africa, with an estimated population of 120 million people. As one would expect with such a large country, Ethiopia is home to a huge variety of geographical sub regions, from dry sandy deserts in the extreme east to lush tropical jungle in the far southwest. However, one of the defining characteristics of the country is its high elevation; most of Ethiopia consists of mountain ranges, plateaus, and high valleys between these mountains. If you look at the physical map of Africa, you can largely pick out the borders of Ethiopia just by tracing the outline of the highest eastern mountain ranges of the continent. Ethiopia is also home to over 80 different languages and unique cultures. It is the only major country in Africa ever to be colonized by Europeans. Ethiopia’s proud history makes it stand out as unique among African nations.

The famous Great Rift Valley cuts right through the heart of Ethiopia and indeed many of the world’s famous coffees grow right along the valley and mountainsides that make up this feature.

There is a great deal more to explore about Ethiopian culture, it has some on the most interesting beautiful local cuisine, music, and dance for instance. But as our purpose let us mention just one more special characteristic: as the motherland of Coffee, it is home to the world’s oldest coffee drinking culture.

Ethiopians have been drinking coffee longer and more consistently than any other people on the planet. There are various legends about how coffee cultivation came about, but what we know for certain is that coffee drinking goes back at least 500 years, and most likely much longer. Coffee drinking is a deep part of Ethiopian culture, and a big part of the identity of the people there. From modern roasters and coffee houses in the capital of Addis Ababa, to the simplest pan roasted coffee ceremony in a small rural hamlet, Ethiopians of all classes and ethnicities enjoy coffee. As a result a very large portion of national production ends upon the local market. Unlike the situation in many commercially productive countries, it is often possible to get a cup of top quality coffee on the local market in Ethiopia. This gives the people who grow, buy, and sell coffee wonderful insight in to what makes for a delicious cup.

Coffee Characteristics

The most important thing to remember about Ethiopian coffee is that Ethiopia in the Motherland of all Arabica coffee. In a certain sense, all Arabica coffee is Ethiopian, whether it is grown in Latin America or Indonesia or on a hillside in Sidama. When coffee was taken to other countries, people had to find ways to adapt it to the local climate. You find that Arabica coffee grows best worldwide in places that have climates similar to that of Ethiopia: mountainous, tropical, with moderate wet and dry seasons.

Generally, in Ethiopia, no such adaptation is necessary! The coffee has been growing there literally thousands of years, in the forests of southeastern Ethiopia. It is already perfectly adapted to the climate. This is the immense advantage that Ethiopia has over all other coffee producing countries. As the “Origin of all Origins”, Ethiopia has another unique feature: hundreds of heirloom varietals grow nowhere else in the world, and a great many of them have not even been classified. In many places often in Sidama and Harar, for example many smallholder farms pool their coffees at a small local milling station, each contributing his own special coffee. The result is a complex mélange of unique flavors, the truest expression of local terroir to be found anywhere on the planet. The rich complexity in a cup of Yirgacheffee, for example is largely a product of this special combination that occurs nowhere else in the world.

It is difficult to make generalizations about the flavor of Ethiopian coffee, for all the reasons stated above. Furthermore, each coffee growing region is home to unique flavors. If one had to make a broad generalizations about Ethiopian coffees tend to be grown at middle high to very high altitudes. The result is generally a hard bean type, with intense flavors and aromatics. Fruit flavors are common in all regions, though the specific fruit character varies from region to region. Berry aromatics are relatively common, as well as citrus and chocolate. Ethiopian coffee can be full bodied or light in body, but in either case the mouth feel of top quality Ethiopian coffee is generally smooth and pleasing. Ethiopia grows and exports only ARABICA coffee, not ROBUSTA.