Coffee from Ethiopia
Ethiopia is coffee's genetic homeland — every arabica plant on earth descends from forests here, and its thousands of indigenous varieties are still catalogued simply as "heirloom".
Coffee grows in Ethiopia the way apples grow in an old orchard county: in garden plots, forest margins and smallholdings rather than plantations, at altitudes that routinely pass 2,000 metres. Most of what reaches specialty roasters comes from Yirgacheffe, Sidama, Guji and Limu, delivered cherry by cherry to a village washing station and sold under the station's name rather than a farm's.
The split that matters on the bag is the process. Washed Ethiopians are the reference point for floral, tea-like coffee — bergamot, jasmine, lemon, white peach, with an acidity that reads as brightness rather than sourness. Naturals from the same villages taste like a different crop entirely: blueberry, strawberry jam, ripe apricot, heavier in the cup.
"Heirloom" on a label is an honest admission that nobody has finished the botany. Ethiopia holds an estimated 6,000 to 10,000 distinct arabica populations, of which a few dozen — the JARC selections such as 74110 and 74112 — have been formally identified and distributed.
- Coffees in the catalogue
- 35
- Growing regions
- Guji, Limmu Kossa, Jimma, Gedeb, Yirgacheffe, Worka Sakaro, Shakisso Gigesa, Guji, Bench Maji, Agaro, Sidama, Harrar
- Varieties
- Heirloom, Ethiopian Heirloom, Wush Wush, Ethiopian Landraces, Kurume, Welicho
- Altitude
- 1,850 – 2,300 m
- Common notes
- jasmine, lemon, floral, blueberry and strawberry
- Price range
- $17.00 – $30.00
- Roasted by
- 33 roasters
35 Ethiopia coffees in the catalogue
- Ethiopia Dur Feres — Prodigal Coffee. blueberry, jam and sweet. $30.00 / 250 g.
- Ethiopia Natural — Big Shoulders Coffee. ripe strawberry, cherry, plum and dark chocolate. $26.00 / 340 g.
- Ethiopia Uraga Gogogu — Oddly Correct. pear, hibiscus and dried mango. $30.00 / 340 g.
- Ethiopia Yebesele Natural — Goshen Coffee Roasters. ripe berry, juicy and citrus zest. $22.00 / 340 g.
- Ethiopia Kurimi — Intelligentsia Coffee. lemon, bergamot and florals. $25.00 / 340 g.
- Ethiopia Worka Sakaro Natural — Pilcrow Coffee. stonefruit, clementine and rose water. $20.00 / 340 g.
- Ethiopia Guji Natural — Five Watt Coffee. strawberry, cocoa nib and jammy. $23.00 / 340 g.
- Ethiopia Guji — Ledger Coffee Roasters. fresh plum, caramel sugar and sweet floral. $20.00 / 284 g.
- Buku Sayisa — Sey Coffee. lemon, jasmine and white grape. $26.00 / 250 g.
- Wild Child — Thou Mayest Coffee Roasters. lemon, florals and light chocolate. $20.00 / 340 g.
- Ethiopia / Ardi — Repetition Coffee. raspberry, rooibos and ginger. $17.00 / 284 g.
- Ethiopia Worka Sakaro — Coma Coffee Roasters. semi-sweet chocolate, florals and cherry. $20.00 / 340 g.
- Ethiopia Wush Wush Natural — Dogwood Coffee Co. blueberry, tropical and syrupy. $25.00 / 340 g.
- Ethiopia Natural — The Roasterie. lemon, brown sugar and baking spice. $20.00 / 340 g.
- Ethiopia Yirgacheffe — UP Coffee Roasters. lemon, jasmine and honey. $22.00 / 340 g.
- Ethiopian Guji Washed — Revocup Coffee Roasters. floral, raspberry and lime. $18.00 / 340 g.
- Duromina — Counter Culture Coffee. sweet tea, apricot and honeysuckle. $27.00 / 340 g.
- Ethiopia Yirgacheffe — Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co. blackberry, milk chocolate, lemongrass and black tea. $21.50 / 340 g.
- Ethiopia Agaro Duromina — Kaldi's Coffee Roasting Company. honeydew melon, white peach, raisin and cola. $21.50 / 340 g.
- Ethiopia Habtamu Fikadu — Heart Coffee Roasters. strawberry, cocoa and tropical. $22.00 / 340 g.
- Mustefa Abakeno Washed — Black & White Coffee Roasters. floral, citrus and black tea. $24.00 / 340 g.
- Danche — Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters. jasmine, peach rings and honey. $24.00 / 340 g.
- Ethiopia — Fiddleheads Coffee Roasters. blueberry jam, caramel, strawberry and apricot. $20.90 / 340 g.
- Arbegona — La Cabra. blueberry, cacao and floral. $26.00 / 250 g.
- Ethiopia Bombe — Spyhouse Coffee Roasters. oolong tea, nectarine, lemon zest and delicate. $25.00 / 284 g.
- Bucktown Brew — Ipsento Coffee Roasters. fresh pear, lime, jasmine and caramel. $28.00 / 340 g.
- Ethiopia Hambela — Wesley Andrews. blueberry, rose and tropical. $24.00 / 340 g.
- Ethiopia Hirut Birhanu — Colectivo Coffee Roasters. green tea, nectarine and jasmine. $21.00 / 340 g.
- Ethiopia Banko Gotiti — Dogwood Coffee Co. jasmine, stone fruit and lemon. $25.00 / 340 g.
- Kilenso — Coava Coffee Roasters. key lime, lavender and custard. $23.00 / 340 g.
- Ethiopian Amaro Gayo — Revocup Coffee Roasters. mocha, tropical fruit, banana and chocolate. $20.00 / 340 g.
- Ethiopia | Suke Quto — Gaslight Coffee Roasters. passionfruit, white tea, apricot and jasmine. $24.00 / 340 g.
- Worka Chelbessa — George Howell Coffee. peach, cherry blossom, honey and jasmine. $26.00 / 340 g.
- Ethiopia Reko — Ruby Coffee Roasters. peach, lemon and florals. $21.50 / 340 g.
- Ethiopia Sidama — Backstory Coffee Roasters. bergamot, peach and black tea. $22.00 / 340 g.