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.
Citrusy-sweet, gently herbaceous. Meyer lemon, marjoram, black cherry, cedar, agave syrup in aroma and cup. Brightly sweet-tart, citrusy acidity; silky-smooth mouthfeel. Meyer lemon and cedar notes lead in the finish, with undertones of agave syrup.
Evaluated as espresso. Brightly sweet-tart, chocolaty. Pomegranate, dark chocolate, goji berry, almond butter, cedar in aroma and small cup. Plush, creamy mouthfeel; crisp, tartly chocolaty finish. In cappuccino format, dark berry notes take over from tart fruit while almond butter is amplified.
Price: NT $330/227 grams
Sweetly savory, nicely crisp. Pomegranate, freesia, pistachio, oak, agave syrup in aroma and cup. Tart-leaning structure with brisk acidity; crisp, creamy mouthfeel. Gently drying finish centered around notes of pistachio and oak.
Price: $23.25/12 ounces
Delicately fruity, crisply nut-toned. Mulberry, hazelnut, baking chocolate, orange zest, cedar in aroma and cup. Gently brisk acidity; lightly satiny mouthfeel. Mulberry and baking chocolate are supported by hazelnut in the quiet finish.
Fruit-driven, richly floral. Boysenberry, lilac, cocoa nib, honey, cedar in aroma and cup. Winy acidity; plush, syrupy mouthfeel. Fruity, floral finish with undertones of cocoa nib, cedar and honey.
Bright, richly sweet-tart. Bing cherry, pink grapefruit zest, magnolia, cocoa nib, maple syrup in aroma and cup. Juicy structure with high-toned acidity; crisp, silky mouthfeel. The lingering finish fulfills the promise of the cup, complex and satiating.
Price: NT $390/200 grams
Balanced, juicy, bright. Dried cherry, sassafras, honey, almond, freesia in aroma and cup. Briskly sweet acidity; plush, syrupy mouthfeel. Very long, deeply aromatic finish that carries over all the flavor notes from the cup.
Crisply sweet-tart, spice-toned. Cinnamon candy, lime zest, baking chocolate, walnut, brown sugar in aroma and cup. Briskly sweet acidity; crisp, velvety mouthfeel. Spice-toned finish with walnut undertones.
Impressively floral-toned, berry driven. Black raspberry, magnolia, marjoram, tangerine zest, amber in aroma and cup. Tart-leaning but balanced acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. Exceptionally floral finish supported by berry and tangerine notes.
Bright, juicy, balanced. Apricot, almond butter, star jasmine, bergamot, cedar in aroma and cup. Sparkling, vibrant acidity; plush, syrupy mouthfeel. Long, flavor-saturated finish that extends the promise of the cup.
Evaluated as espresso. Richly chocolaty, deeply sweet-savory. Black cherry, hop flowers, magnolia, date, hint of teriyaki in aroma and small cup. Creamy mouthfeel; floral finish with savory undertones. In cappuccino format, savory impulses are all but subsumed in sweet floral notes.
Gently aromatic, multi-layered. Candycap mushroom, rhododendron, lilac, cocoa nib, lychee in aroma and cup. Even-keeled, juicy acidity; very full, satiny-smooth mouthfeel. Umami finish akin to candycap mushroom with pleasing undertones of cocoa nib.
Price: NT $310/8 ounces
Delicately sweet-tart, subtly nuanced. Cocoa nib, raspberry jam, lemon balm, nougat, ginger blossom in aroma and cup. High-toned, balanced acidity; silky, viscous mouthfeel. Finish consolidates to cocoa-toned raspberry with hints of ginger blossom.
Price: NT $550/227 grams
Richly bittersweet. Candied walnut, black sage, sesame, palm sugar, dried persimmon in aroma and cup. Delicately rich, tart acidity; vibrant, silky mouthfeel. Nut-toned finish with undertones of black sage.
Cocoa-toned, sweetly fermenty. Orange zest, cocoa nib, grappa barrel, pink peppercorn, lilac in aroma and cup. Zesty, pert acidity; very full, velvety-smooth mouthfeel. Sweetly fermenty, grappa-barrel finish.
Price: NT $900/227 grams
Evaluated as espresso. Resonant, layered berry (blueberry, raspberry), vanilla-toned flowers, papaya, a hint of cinnamon jostle in aroma and in the cup, where aromatics are suspended in a layered structure of complex bitter, sweet, tart and savory tastes. Ken (94) liked this velvety, viscous espresso a bit better than co-taster John DiRuocco (93). The complexity consolidates a bit in three parts milk, where flavor settles in with quiet certainty around a pronounced chocolate.
Price: NT $650/230 grams
Evaluated as espresso. Ripe, berryish fruit hints at brandy in this lush yet tartly dry espresso that reveals its rounder chocolate side in the cup. Ken (93) decided to like its intensity and tart fruit sweetness. Co-cupper John DiRuocco went more decisively to the bright side at 94. Convincing in three parts milk: crisp chocolate with a juicy, fruit-toned finish.
Evaluated as espresso. Ken intensely admired this classic washed profile for its round brightness, plum-toned fruit, rose-toned flowers, and chocolaty and cedary balance, rating it 95. For co-taster John DiRuocco, the profile was pleasing but one-dimensional, though he rewarded the smooth mouthfeel, citrusy brightness and clean balance with a 92. Ken found the floral chocolate and cedary base particularly impressive in three parts milk.
Price: $29.00/12 ounces
Complex, richly sweet-tart. Pomegranate, pineapple kefir, cocoa nib, freesia, cedar in aroma and cup. Tart-leaning structure with bright, bright acidity; very full, satiny mouthfeel. Tangy finish with notes of cocoa nib and pineapple kefir.
Evaluated as espresso. Nuanced, multi-layered, high-toned. Bergamot, strawberry guava, cocoa nib, almond butter, freesia in aroma and small cup. Plush, syrupy mouthfeel; long, satiating finish. In three parts milk, notes of freesia and cocoa nib are amplified, with undertones of strawberry guava, almond and bergamot.
