Ethiopia Coffee
Courtesy of Kenneth Davids, 21st Century Coffee: A Guide
For many, the word Ethiopia provokes visions of deserts, droughts and famines. Yet the lush, green hills of southern and southwestern Ethiopiaare more likely to strike visitors who actually go there as paradisal. And, although Ethiopia remains among the world’s poorest countries per capita, for the coffee aficionado it is perhaps the richest place on earth, the source of some of the world’s most varied and distinctive coffees. Ethiopia typically generates about 4% of the world’s coffee, but all is Arabica and much of it is impressive to extraordinary.
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Southern and Western Ethiopia
The producing regions of southern and southwestern Ethiopia in particular stand apart from the world’s other fine coffee origins. Witness:
- The forests of southwestern Ethiopia are the original botanical home of Coffea arabica, and they continue to harbor most of the unexplored genetic diversity still existing in the species.
- Much Ethiopia coffee is produced from indigenous Ethiopian varieties of Arabica; these native landrace varieties display symphonic complexities in aroma and flavor that, at their most distinctive, can make even other distinctive varieties of the world — like SL28 and Bourbon — seem a bit limited in sensory range. The only currently cultivated competitor to the finest native Ethiopian varieties in respect to cup and complexity is Geisha or Gesha, which is an Ethiopia variety (a particularly brilliant one) brought to the New World.
- Export-quality Ethiopia coffees from the south and west are almost always free of significant processing or drying taints. Fruit removal for the wet-processed coffees of these regions is performed using classic ferment-and-wash techniques carried out at well-managed, centralized wet mills or washing stations. Dry or natural-process coffees intended for the specialty market are most likely prepared with analogous care.
- Almost all Ethiopia coffee is grown by small-holding farmers, most of whom very likely have never used chemical inputs. Not only is this reassuring to consumers, but it also makes a transition to formal organic certification relatively easy, accounting for the widespread availability of superb organic-certified Ethiopias.
- Ethiopians deeply care about coffee and understand it. Its lore is woven into their culture. They do not produce great coffee and then go home to drink tea, as Kenyans do, or instant coffee, as sadly occurs in many of the coffee world’s other coffee-growing regions. The Ethiopians themselves consume close to half of their country’s production, most of it roasted fresh.
- Unfortunately for the many cash-poor villages of small-holding Ethiopia farmers, but fortunately for coffee lovers elsewhere in the world, most fine Ethiopia coffees are amazing bargains. A really distinguished coffee from the Yirgacheffe region is luminous, extraordinary, as great and distinctive as any in the world, yet it is likely to sell for routine, everyday specialty coffee prices.
The Harrar Exception
Note that these glowing affirmations apply mainly to the coffees of southern and western Ethiopia (traded through the capital Addis Ababa, including the most famous market names Yirgacheffe and Sidama/Sidamo) and not necessarily to the coffees of eastern Ethiopia, which are traded through the city of DireDawa and are sold under the market name Harrar (also Harar, Harer or Harari). Harrars more resemble the coffees of Yemen than the coffees of southern and western Ethiopia; they are produced from indigenous tree varieties naturalized to the rather arid growing conditions of the Harrar region and are almost always processed by the dried-in-the-fruit or natural method.
Unlike the relatively dynamic coffee industries of south and west Ethiopia, Harrar has languished over the past two decades with little innovation or improvement in quality. Many Harrar coffee farmers now prefer to grow khat, a tree whose fresh leaves are chewed as a stimulant, and which offers them year-round income rather than seasonal income, as does coffee.
At this writing, one only occasionally sees Harrar coffees in the North American specialty market, although they may be a bit more common in northern Europe. Hopefully Harrar will find the leadership and partners it needs to bring it back into specialty coffee as the great and honored origin it was 40 years ago.
Ethiopia Growing Regions
The coffee-name geography of Ethiopia is changing. Overlaid on the traditional regional names— particularly Yirgacheffe and Sidama (or Sidamo), both celebrated names in recent coffee history — are more lately established names for regions, zones and districts aimed at reflecting and honoring various Ethiopian traditional or tribal identities. These newer names form the backbone in the complex ECX grading system. On bags and websites, you may find the old, generalized regional naming or the newer, more ethnically correct terminology, or both. Or the main descriptor simply may consist of the name of one of the many well-known cooperatives or wet mills.
Ethiopia Coffee Ratings and Reviews
The Ethiopia coffees reviewed below are listed in reverse chronological order by review date. Only reviews published in the past five years are displayed. Click here to view older reviews of coffees from Ethiopia. Older reviews may no longer accurately reflect current versions of the same coffee.
High-toned, delicate, richly sweet. Apricot, cocoa nib, plum blossom, cedar, honey in aroma and cup. Sweet-toned structure with bright, juicy acidity; full, syrupy-smooth mouthfeel. Cocoa-toned apricot and plum blossom lead the resonant, lingering finish.
Price: $19.00/12 ounces
Evaluated as espresso. Richly fruit-centered, deeply aromatic. Raspberry, dark chocolate, sandalwood, narcissus, lemon verbena in aroma and small cup. Plush, viscous mouthfeel; fruit- and floral-toned finish. In three parts milk, spice-toned sweet florals preside, with support from rich chocolate notes.
Delicately sweet, subtly tart, elegant. Apricot, almond, cocoa nib, key lime, caramel in aroma and cup. Sweet-tart structure with bright, juicy acidity; very full, syrup mouthfeel. Resonant, cocoa-toned finish.
Sweetly floral and berry-driven, balanced. Narcissus, blueberry, honey, nutmeg, milk chocolate in aroma and cup. Sweet-tart structure with round, gentle acidity; plush, syrupy-smooth mouthfeel. Finish leads with notes of blueberry and narcissus in the short, consolidating to milk chocolate in the long.
Delicate, richly aromatic, distinctively high-toned. Bergamot, jasmine, Meyer lemon zest, cocoa nib, praline in aroma and cup. Sweetly tart, floral structure with juicy, balanced acidity; silky, buoyant mouthfeel. Long, juicy, satisfying finish.
Evaluated as espresso. High-toned, richly aromatic, juicy and bright. Bing cherry, dark chocolate, fresh-cut cedar, narcissus-like flowers, marjoram in aroma and small cup. Very full, syrupy mouthfeel; resonant, flavor-saturated finish. Concentrated and balanced in three parts milk: floral, tartly fruit-forward, very chocolaty.
Price: $21.50/12 ounces
Subtly complex, nuanced, high-toned. Mulberry, cocoa nib, tangerine zest, thyme, agave syrup in aroma and cup. Sweet-tart structure with bright, juicy acidity; plush, viscous mouthfeel. The resonant, flavor-saturated finish carries forward all the flavor notes from the cup.
Price: NT $340/8 ounces
Subtly and sweetly rich, deeply savory. Boysenberry, cocoa nib, fine musk, honeysuckle, oak in aroma and cup. Sweet-savory structure with juicy acidity; crisp, syrupy mouthfeel. The finish resonates with layers of perfumy florals.
Very sweet, fruit-toned. Date, rum barrel, narcissus, dark chocolate, marjoram in aroma and cup. Sweet-tart structure with bright, juicy acidity; plush, syrupy-smooth mouthfeel. Long, complex, harmonious finish.
Price: NT $375/8 ounces
Richly aromatic, sweetly tart, deeply savory. Lilac, dark chocolate, lemon drop, pink grapefruit zest, shiitake mushroom in aroma and cup. Harmonious sweet-tart-savory structure; lyrical, syrupy-smooth mouthfeel. The flavor-saturated finish leads with citrus notes (lemon drop, pink grapefruit zest) in the short, rounding to deep chocolate and sweet mushroom notes in the long.
Fruit-forward, deep-toned. Blueberry jam, dark chocolate, magnolia, lemon verbena, maple syrup in aroma and cup. Sweet structure with pert acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. The berry-driven finish is supported by suggestions of dark chocolate and lemon verbena.
Bright, richly floral. Jasmine, cocoa nib, tangerine zest, almond nougat, cedar in aroma and cup. Sweet-tart structure with bright, juicy acidity; full, satiny mouthfeel. The satisfying finish leads with notes of jasmine and tangerine in the short, rounding to almond nougat and cocoa nib in the long.
Richly sweet-savory, spice- and floral-toned. Dried apricot, tangerine zest, narcissus-like flowers, brown sugar, a hint of thyme in aroma and cup. In structure, sweetly tart and juicy with a savory depth; syrupy-smooth mouthfeel. Spicy florals carry the quietly flavor-saturated finish.
High-toned, crisply sweet-tart. Plum, cocoa nib, maple syrup, lilac, cedar in aroma and cup. Sweetly tart structure with bright, juicy acidity; satiny mouthfeel. Resonant, flavor-saturated finish: plum and lilac in the short with cedar resurfacing in the long.
Price: $18.95/12 ounces
Sweetly fruit-toned, crisply tart. Raspberry, honeysuckle, almond, lemon zest, caramel in aroma and cup. Sweet-tart structure with juicy acidity; full, syrupy-smooth mouthfeel. The finish consolidates to raspberry and caramel notes.
Complex, sweet-savory. Tamarind, cocoa nib, marzipan, freesia-like flowers, thyme in aroma and cup. Savory-leaning structure with gentle acidity; very full, syrupy-smooth mouthfeel. A crisp finish leads with notes of freesia and tamarind, supported by cocoa nib and thyme.
Sweetly caramelly and briskly cocoa-toned. Dark caramel, baking chocolate, fresh-cut fir, raisin, hints of pear and carnation in aroma and cup. Crisply bittersweet in structure, with backgrounded acidity. Smooth but lean mouthfeel. Dry chocolate and raisin dominate in a sweet but gently bitter-leaning finish.
High-toned, floral. Star jasmine, apricot, lemon verbena, maple syrup, marjoram in aroma and cup. Crisply sweet with vibrant, delicate acidity; silky-smooth mouthfeel. Flavor-saturated short finish with notes of star jasmine and lemon verbena, supported by a hint of marjoram, extending into the long.
Price: NT $300/8 ounces
Winy and fruit-toned. Wine barrel, cherry pie, sandalwood, agave syrup, gardenia in aroma and cup. Sweetly tart with citrusy acidity; plush, syrupy mouthfeel. The finish is crisp, tannic, and fruity-floral.
Price: $19.95/4 ounces
Complex, bright, citrusy. Meyer lemon zest, cocoa nib, dried hibiscus flowers, marjoram, red plum in aroma and cup. Sweetly tart with crisp but juicy acidity; lightly viscous, satiny mouthfeel. Layered finish with citrus and cocoa at the center.
