Ethiopia is considered the birthplace of coffee - the Arabica Coffee plant. Today it is one of the largest coffee exporters in the world. The extraordinary fruity and floral flavors of the approximately 5,000 different subspecies (varieties) of Arabica make the hearts of coffee lovers beat faster.
Legend has it that an Ethiopian goatherd noticed unusually lively behavior in his goats after they had eaten cherries from a bush. The shepherd took the red cherries to a monastery and told the monks about his experience. The monks tasted the cherries themselves and found that they themselves became more focused and alert. Coffee cherries from wild coffee trees are said to have been processed as early as 800 AD.
Ethiopian coffees can be divided into three different categories according to their production method. Forest Coffees come from wild coffee bushes in the southwest of the country, they produce only a small amount of cherries. Garden Coffees are planted around the home and account for the majority of the country's coffee production. Plantation coffees come from large plantations where standardized methods are used.
Coffees from Ethiopia are very diverse - ranging from fruity lemony to floral flavors. While washed coffees impress with elegance and complexity, naturally processed coffees exhibit wild, fruity character traits.