Ethiopia

Both of this month’s coffees come from Ethiopia, one of the most intriguing coffee countries we work in. The rich culture and history of the Ethiopian people lead to a complex mosaic of impressions across the country, where travelling is a true privilege. 

Ethiopia is the second most populous country in Africa, and the world’s most populous landlocked country, leading to a wide and varied tapestry of ancient rural cultures which have been maintained due to Ethiopia’s status as one of the only countries in Africa which was never officially colonised

While the capital Addis Ababa is generally safe, civil unrest between Ethiopia’s many ethnic groups has become a factor, especially since 2018, including the war in Tigray between 2020 and 2022. This has also affected coffee regions, for example delaying last year’s harvest in Guji due to ongoing unrest. 

However, through all of this, Ethiopia continues to produce excellent coffee, a testament to the resilient and hard-working rural population. Coffee is Ethiopia’s largest export, producing nearly half a million tonnes each year, and bringing in more than a third of Ethiopia’s total foreign income.

Ethiopia is fairly unique compared to other coffee producing countries, in part due to its lack of colonial past and associated resource extraction, in that more than half of the coffee produced here is consumed in the country. Ethiopia’s proud and rich history with coffee is clear to see all over the country, where coffee consumption is an event celebrated with the famous coffee ceremony.

This month’s coffees are shaped by both the unique conditions and the long-standing culture of coffee prodcution here, where a myriad of heirloom varietals grow in biodiverse systems to produce complex and delicious cups.

Coffee in Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, coffee still grows semi-wild, and in some cases completely wild. Apart from some regions of neighbouring South Sudan, Ethiopia is the only country in which coffee is found growing in this way, due to its status as the genetic birthplace of arabica coffee. This means in many regions, small producers still harvest cherries from wild coffee trees growing in high altitude humid forests, especially around Ethiopia’s famous Great Rift Valley.

Forest coffee makes up a great deal of Ethiopia’s yearly output, so this is a hugely important method of production, and part of what makes Ethiopian coffee so unique. Deforestation is threatening many of coffee’s iconic homes in Ethiopia, leading to dwindling yields and loss of biodiversity; significant price fluctuations over the past decade have led many farmers to replace coffee with timber in the form of fast growing and reliable eucalyptus, an incredibly demanding crop in terms of both water and nutrient usage.

Throughout the endemic Ethiopian systems, a much higher level of biodiversity is maintained than in modern coffee production in much of the rest of the world. This is partly due to the forest system, and partly down to the genetic diversity of the coffee plants themselves. There are thousands of ‘heirloom’ varieties growing in Ethiopia; all descended from wild cross pollination between species derived from the original Arabica trees. This biodiversity leads to hardier coffee plants, which don’t need to be artificially fertilised. 

This means that 95% of coffee production in Ethiopia is organic, although most small farmers and mills can’t afford to pay for certification, so can’t label their coffee as such. The absence of monoculture in the Ethiopian coffee lands also means plants are much less susceptible to the decimating effects of diseases such as leaf rust that have ripped through other producing countries. Maintaining these systems is important, both within the context of the coffee industry, and for wider biodiversity and sustainability. 

Buku & Kebina

Buku is grown in Guji, with soft violet florals and ripe plum in the cup, while Kebina has softer stewed stone fruit character, lifted by ripe cherry.

Buku

This lot is composed of cherries collected from the village of Buku in Guji, and processed at the Addisu washing station just outside of town. Guji lies in the southern Ethiopian highlands, in the same Rift Valley as the Yirgacheffe and Sidamo coffee growing regions. Buku is one of Guji’s many small coffee growing villages, lying in the Hambela sub-region at an altitude of over 2200 masl. Even by Ethiopian standards, this is a rural area, with many producers transporting their ripe cherries across long distances by donkey or mule, using dirt roads to reach the washing station. Farmers here intercrop their coffee with both food crops and shade trees, especially with false banana, used throughout the coffee regions of Ethiopia. The plant’s symbiotic relationship with coffee trees, and the porridge-like dish that can be made from its starchy fruit, lead to its popularity across rural Ethiopia. 

The quiet rural lifestyle is striking here. Many have only ever worked with coffee, together with and at the mercy of nature. This close relationship and observation, alongside favourable conditions and soil, leads to excellent quality, without the use of external inputs such as pesticides and fertilisers.

This lot is processed using a careful washed process. The very high altitude means very cool conditions, especially overnight, leading to long fermentations and a soft and complex flavour profile. Here, we find soft violet florals backed up by plum, ripe lemon and black tea in the cup. 

Coffee nr. 1

Kebina

This natural lot was processed at the Adnan station, just outside the village of Kebina in Sidamo. This is a rather small station by Ethiopian standards, accepting cherry from only around 700 smallholder farmers. In the past, several high altitude regions in Sidamo had a bad reputation for coffee quality, as trees grown above 1900 masl would often die due to very low temperatures. Now due to climate change, these lands have become viable, and the large day night swings in temperature lead to slow maturing and nutrient rich cherries, at altitudes up to 2300 masl. 

Ensuring quality of incoming cherry is a major factor in the quality of the final cup. For this lot, staff at the Adnan station selected cherry from only a few closely partnered farmers, at over 90% ‘perfect ripeness’. These cherries are then floated, removing dirt, foreign material and any low density cherries. They are then dried slowly on raised beds for up to 30 days. Coffee is covered with shade nets during the hours of strongest sun, slowing drying for evenness and a cleaner cup profile. Here, we find a heavy sweetness lifted by aromatic stewed stone fruit and ripe cherry.

Coffee nr.2

Rituals: Ethiopia

It’s a privilege to travel in Ethiopia. Each trip is an attempt to understand the ever-changing facets of Ethiopia’s coffee chain, but also to uncover the history, culture and people that have formed the complexity and beauty of modern Ethiopia. We’re excited to present these two examples of Ethiopian coffees this month, and hope you enjoy both.