Characteristics of Ethiopian coffee

Where does Arabica grow?

Arabica grows mainly, like other coffee trees, in an equatorial climate, at an altitude of 600 to 2500 meters above sea level, at a temperature of 15 to 24 degrees.

The coffee tree blooms and bears fruit all year round, for 50 years, especially the first 15 years. Moreover, the number of harvests directly depends on the climate, for example in the mountains, where it is drier and cooler to harvest one crop, and in warm and humid valleys, up to 4 times a year. Typically, within a year, one Arabica coffee tree produces 5 kg. berries, from which about 1 kg is obtained. ready grains. Just think about how much work this is.

How to prepare an ethiopia coffee style drink

Regardless of the type of bean chosen, Ethiopian coffee is prepared using a certain technology:

1. The owners of the house must first light fragrant herbs. Thanks to such actions, they drive away evil spirits from guests.
2. The beans are washed thoroughly and then fried over coals for five minutes.
3. After roasting, the beans are shown to guests. Those should appreciate their rich aroma.
4. The coffee beans are ground. A mortar is used for this purpose.
5. The resulting powder is placed in a jab.
6. Water is poured into the vessel.
7. The drink is prepared for a quarter of an hour.
8. When brewing, incense is added to the coals. Thanks to this, it is possible to create a special atmosphere.
9. When the coffee is ready, it is filtered and poured into small cups without handles.

Ethiopia is one of the main exporters of coffee products. A third of the world's total grain volume comes from this country. Many varieties of beans are grown in the state, each of which has excellent taste and aromatic characteristics. That is why a drink based on them is loved by many coffee lovers and even true gourmets.

Arabica bean shape

Russian people like to buy “with their eyes” and when they see a large coffee bean, they believe that they need to choose it, it is the most delicious. This life hack is not always correct; when choosing olives, yes, but not for coffee. For example, we roast more than 15 types of Arabica from different parts of the planet, and they are all different in shape and size: Ethiopia Yirgacheffe is quite small, Nicaragua Maragogipe is huge, and Brazil Santos is something in between. And all these are Arabica, and they are united by an oblong-oval shape. A little later, speaking about varieties of Arabica, we will understand why this happened in nature. By the way, our full range of Arabica beans can be found in the corresponding section.

Ethiopian coffee varieties

Coffee from Ethiopia is diverse. Arabica coffee, which has excellent taste, is grown here. Among the most popular varieties are:

• Yirgachif. Coffee beans belong to the group of elite varieties. The drink based on them has chocolate notes. There is a pleasant citrus aftertaste. The aroma deserves special attention. It is unobtrusive, light, floral and fruity;
• Sidamo . Its taste is appreciated by true gourmets. It contains shades of chocolate and unobtrusive sourness. The aftertaste is caramel-creamy, long-lasting. The variety is famous for its aroma. It has distinct notes of tropical fruits, vanilla and bergamot;
• Harrar. The Ethiopia Harar variety is considered semi-wild. The grains look unpresentable. The beans are uneven and small. At the same time, excellent taste qualities are noted. The drink is characterized by mild sourness, hints of nuts and citrus.

Yirgachif

Harrar

Sidamo
There are a number of less popular, but also in demand varieties. Among them:

• Jimma . Characterized by a rich taste with a pleasant wine tint;
• Ethiopia Geisha. It is distinguished by the presence of unobtrusive sourness and pleasant shades of chocolate;
• Limu. The drink based on it has a spicy aroma and is rich with a clearly noticeable sourness;
• Lekampiti . The acidity of this variety is moderate. The taste has fruity tones;
• Tepi and Bebeka . Acidity is minimal. The taste is incredibly bright and deep.

How Arabica is used and what it does in coffee

We can say that Arabica is the most important type of coffee on the planet, since its share in world production is about 70%. The uses of Arabica are different, below we will look at three main areas, and also talk about the purposes for which it is used:

1. In espresso blends. If robusta is added to mixtures to increase the density, bitterness and strength of the drink, then arabica gives the blend acidity and a variety of unique aromas due to the higher content of essential oils.
2. In single-origin coffees. This is for those who like to taste coffee in its “pure form”, from a specific country, region, plantation, where it grew.
3. For instant and flavored coffee. In both cases, they almost always take the cheapest coffee.

How do they drink coffee in Ethiopia?

In Ethiopia, there is a cult of coffee; here it is customary to open any more or less significant event with a “coffee ceremony”, which lasts 2-3 hours, sometimes the event is repeated several times a day. The coffee ceremony is a family ritual in which even children take part.

Drinking coffee together helps to establish friendly connections with other people, strengthen business relationships, and discuss important decisions in any area. An invitation to such a ceremony is a sign of deep respect and sincere friendship.

The grains for the ceremony are fried in a frying pan, ground manually with a pestle in a mortar and brewed over an open fire in a cezve resembling a teapot. The finished drink is drunk without milk, but with a lot of sugar. The grounds remaining in the cezve are sometimes brewed a second or even a third time: this coffee is not too strong, but no less tasty.

Ethiopian coffee is not blended with varieties from other countries, so as not to spoil the taste and aroma of the drink.

Coffee and culture

Coffee has penetrated so deeply into Ethiopian culture that it is reflected in the language. For example, one of the popular sayings is translated as “coffee is our bread,” and an idiom meaning socialization, communication with friends, literally sounds like “drink coffee.”

If someone complains that they have “no one to have coffee with,” it means that the person does not have close friends whom they can trust. If someone’s name becomes “the subject of discussion over coffee,” it means that the person should take better care of his reputation, as he gives rise to rumors.

Varieties (varieties) of Arabica

First of all, it is worth understanding how a variety of Arabica can appear. Basically there are two ways:

1. Natural. This is either a natural crossing, which is how Arabica appeared, or a natural mutation, which is how bourbon and maragogip appeared, which we will talk about later.
2. Artificial. If with the natural method everything is clear, nature does its job, then with the artificial one it is man who takes part. Its goal is “on the surface”: to develop a new variety of coffee tree that will be productive, susceptible to parasites and, most importantly, produce delicious coffee. This method is called selection.

It is also very important to understand that the genetic base of coffee is quite poor, since long ago, only one variety of Arabica, Typica, went on a trip around the world. And today, the bulk of world Arabica production relies on about 25 varieties, mostly derived from evolutions of that same type. Now, we will talk about the most famous representatives of Arabica:

• Bourbon is the first noticed natural mutation of Typica, which was discovered on the island of Reunion, the then name was Bourbon, hence the nickname. Basically, the historical logic behind the name of coffee largely depended on the location in which the coffee tree with the new mutation was discovered.
• Caturra - this mutation was discovered in Brazil in the mid-20th century. The new tree turned out to be more productive than typica and bourbon, and also lower, which made it easier to pick berries. Soon, Caturra spread throughout the American continent, pushing Typica and Bourbon into the mix.
• Maragogyp – This coffee is very popular, especially in stores. It is called “elephant grain” and is bought with “the eyes”. It appeared in the Brazilian state of Bahia, near the city of Maragohipi

There are about 120 other varieties of coffee: Liberica, Geisha, Rume Sudan, Timor, Moka, Catuai, Blue Mountain, Sln 32 and others. If you are interested in “dig” deeper, then the article “Types and varieties of coffee | What are they and how many of them exist” will help with this. See you soon.

Ethiopian coffee: Arabica forever

Let’s not repeat for the hundredth time the well-known pastoral story about a shepherd and his goats, who gave local residents the bright idea of ​​using the fruits of the coffee tree. The history of this drink is replete with other, no less interesting and dramatic stories. Ethiopia, or, as it was previously called, Abyssinia, is considered the most ancient country on our planet. It has seen periods of decline and prosperity, but every part of its history is inextricably linked with coffee. It was used by harsh Abyssinian warriors as a stimulant during long marches. Merchants prepared small balls from grains mixed with oil that supported strength. Before people learned to husk, grind and brew coffee beans, coffee berries were used to prepare a low-alcohol drink.

Coffee beans traveled with slaves, spreading throughout the country. Today's Ethiopia is also filled with coffee, literally and figuratively. About half of the collected grains are exported, the rest are consumed domestically. In Ethiopia, a real cult of coffee has formed, which is drunk three times a day. At the same time, the matter is not limited to one cup. For example, a guest drinks at least three servings of a drink at a time. Anything less is considered simply disrespectful to the owners of the house and to the coffee itself, which is called “our bread” here. And this is not just a metaphor. About a quarter of the country's total population is involved in the collection and processing of this crop.

Annual coffee production ranges from 200 to 240 thousand tons. The country provides about 30% of the world's Arabica production.

There is only one type of coffee tree growing in Ethiopia. In the overwhelming majority, this is precisely the historical, one might say, original variety that laid the foundation for the entire world coffee history - Coffee Arabica.

Historians call Ethiopia the cradle of modern civilization. This country rightfully deserves the title of the cradle of coffee.

Despite the fact that the hot and arid, typically African climate of the Ethiopian plains strongly impedes farming, natural coffee plantations thrive in the highlands of the country. An abundance of sun, comfortable temperature, a good combination of humidity and the absence of sudden weather changes are the best way to promote the growth of coffee trees.

Surprisingly, most of the coffee harvested in Ethiopia is wild Arabica. Yes exactly. The country even has a special name for such beans – forest coffee. No one grows them; nature itself takes care of everything. Peasants only collect and process coffee berries.

Where natural plantations grow too densely, interfering with each other, they are thinned out, sometimes by planting cultivated seedlings next to wild trees. The resulting varieties are called semi-forest.

About 40% of the harvest comes from man-made plantations cultivated by human hands. Most of them are quite small garden plots, where one family works. Only about 5% of the coffee harvest comes from industrial coffee plantations.

Most of the coffee beans harvested in Ethiopia are dry-processed, as has been done for hundreds and hundreds of years before. Although the most expensive, one might say elite, varieties are now subject to wet processing.