In this article, you are going to learn more about why Ethiopian coffee beans are so interesting to learn about, and why the country is worth the visit for coffee enthusiasts around the world.
Ethiopia might not be as big as Brazil and Colombia when it comes to the production of the international supply of coffee beans, but they are well-known to be one of the best countries if you want to get coffee. Coffee enthusiasts from all over the world visit this place in order to get its own unique strain of coffee beans, and simply because the coffee beans here are also superb in terms of its growth and overall quality.
After all, Ethiopia is considered as the country where coffee itself was found, and has its deep historical roots on how it got discovered. Some may think that coffee was found in
Colombia, but the country learned about coffee back in the 18th century only. But in the case of Ethiopia, coffee was discovered way back in the 9th century. Ever since then, Ethiopia became home to a wide variety of coffee beans, where some gained international fame and even became a signature coffee bean of other countries as these countries refined their ways of cultivating it.
The Renowned History Of Coffee Beans
It is not actually official if it’s true or not, but even neighboring countries claim the legend that Ethiopia was the place where coffee was first found. Believe it or not, it’s not some trader or researcher who stumbled upon this amazing fruit, but a goat farmer! Back in the 9th century, a goat farmer accidentally discovered the cherries of the coffee bean plant when he saw his goats consume it. He noticed his goats got too energetic unlike before when they never consumed the coffee beans. afr
As a result, he got curious if it also gives the same energy-granting properties to humans. That’s why he took some and shared it to the local monks in this place. Of course, they never know how to brew the fruit yet, so they consumed it first and realized that it can really grant them energy in a safe way. Over time, the method of consuming coffee beans eventually became the popular way that we all know about: turning it into an energizing and aromatic drink. As time passed by, word spread out about the properties of coffee and eventually gained worldwide fame that we all know about today.
Personally, this story about the discovery of coffee is really intriguing because who would expect that it was a farmer who discovered the wonders of the coffee beans by accident. History surely has a lot of unusual happenings that eventually laid an impact to a lot of people even to this day, and coffee seems to be one of them if this story is true.
The Importance Of Coffee In Ethiopia
The importance of Ethiopian coffee beans is not just all about the history that it had, and not just their strains that has a fruity flavor into it. The coffee industry of Ethiopia supplies 3% of the world’s overall coffee production. It might not be as huge as what Brazil can offer, but Ethiopia is still one of the holders of the industry’s foundation. Also, the U.S. happens to be one of the top buyers of Ethiopian coffee beans which are considered as the best African coffee beans.
In terms of the geographical importance of coffee in the country, take note that there are more than 1,500 square miles worth of coffee farms scattered throughout the country that’s dedicated for the cultivation and production of coffee beans. Just note the fact that the mountains where the farms are located have an altitude of up to 2,000 meters above the sea level. This environment is enough to grow the finest quality coffee beans. But of course, this also means that some of their coffee bean strains are considered as a luxury item due to its superb quality.
Read more about Arabica Coffee Beans.
Types Of Ethiopian Coffee Beans
To get to know more about the strains that they grow here, take note of the following below:
- Longberry – These are large coffee beans that have a lot of body with a decent aroma and flavor. These are also called as Harrar coffee beans because of the region where it grows to.
- Mocha – Mocha is a well-known flavor around the world, and is often used in sweets because of its chocolate notes. The original Mocha coffee beans are highly-prized and can only be found in the Harrar region as well. Some also say that this the variant of the Harrar coffee bean that has a spicy note in it.
- Shortberry – The shortberry coffee beans are high-quality beans that has a very strong flavor that has a note of wine.
Ethiopia is a go-to if you are curious about the more exquisite, or even exotic, types of coffee to try out. This is worth marking on your map if you love to travel as a coffee enthusiast, or if you just want to travel and see the specialties that each country has in store for you.
Read about which countries product coffee beans.
