Coffee Origin Spotlight: Ethiopia
As I am sitting down enjoying a cup of Ethiopian coffee, it causes me to pause and take time to think about all that Ethiopia has done for the world of coffee.
Ethiopia is considered the birthplace of Arabica coffee. There are many varietals and several main growing regions that create this amazing coffee origin.
The story goes that a 9th-century goat herder named Kaldi first discovered coffee – or actually, his goats discovered coffee. He noticed the goats getting excited, almost as if they were dancing after eating the red cherries from a shrub / tree. Kaldi started to eat the cherries and found they helped him stay awake. From there we could say the rest is history. Coffee plays a major part of the Ethiopian culture. It’s even celebrated in a ritualistic type of ceremony, where the raw coffee is roasted, ground, and brewed. This ceremony is normally performed with close friends or family. It is a great honor if you ever get invited to one of these traditional coffee ceremonies.
Coffee from Ethiopia is very wonderful with some distinct flavor attributes. These attributes are enhanced by the process that is used after the cherries are harvested. There is a natural process and washed process. The regions that the coffee is grown in, along with the way it’s processed, contribute to the unique flavor profiles. As an example, drinking a natural processed Harrar will cause you to believe you are enjoying a blueberry pie. If you sit down to enjoy a cup of natural processed Sidamo, you will find that you are enjoying a cup that tastes of dark red fruits, kind of a fruit bomb in a cup. On the other side of Ethiopian coffees, you will find a washed process Yirgacheffe. This coffee will have light and delicate sweet floral flavors, much like a honeysuckle. These are the three most common regions and processes. There are other regions as well, each with their own differences in how they are processed that will treat your taste buds.
Here at Cameron’s, one of our coffee blends that uses Ethiopian beans is our Organic Roastmaster’s Blend. Pick some up to taste for yourself the sweet floral notes that come from this coffee.
