What Is Ethiopian Coffee?

Ever wondered where coffee actually comes from? It started in Ethiopia. Over 6,000 unnamed Arabica varieties still grow wild in the country's southwestern highlands, where coffee is a deep part of daily life and culture.

Grab a cup and join us as we explore Ethiopia's coffee history, the Sidama growing region, our partnership with local farmer cooperatives, how the beans are processed, and how to brew them best at home.

Ethiopia: The Birthplace of Coffee

The original coffee plant that’s most widely grown around the world, Coffea arabica, is native primarily in southwestern Ethiopia, which is also where our favorite morning beverage was born.

Legend has it that an Ethiopian goat herder named Kaldi discovered coffee many centuries ago when he saw his goats dancing wildly after eating the cherries of the coffee tree. Kaldi took the beans (seeds) to a monastery where the monks tossed them in the fire, saying they were the work of the devil. But the delicious aroma of beans roasting in the fire captivated them, and they used the roasted beans to create the coffee we know today.

More likely, however, historians speculate that the coffee cherries were consumed first as a food source, and later the beans were mixed with animal fat to combat fatigue on long journeys in the hot sun.

Coffee eventually became a beverage and spread from Ethiopia to Yemen and the wider Islamic world before finally reaching Europe via the Ottoman Empire trade routes.

Today, coffee is the national beverage of Ethiopia and a rich part of the culture there. It’s considered a way to connect with the community and is used in traditional coffee ceremonies at social events, symbolizing respect and friendship.

Where Is Ethiopian Coffee Grown?

Ethiopia is unique in the world for having an estimated 6,000 or more, often unnamed, heirloom varieties grown in its fertile highlands with a very long history of cultivation.

Coffee trees in Ethiopia are still grown mostly in the regions where they are native to, in the southwestern part of the country in the forested mountains and highlands. Popular coffee-growing regions include Sidama, Oromia, Yirgacheffe, Guji, and Harrar, where the nutrient-rich volcanic soils are slightly acidic and well-suited to coffee cultivation, and the high altitudes bring the right amount of rain in an otherwise dry region.

Our Partnership With the Sidama Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union

At Dean’s Beans, all of our Ethiopian coffees come from the Sidama Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union, representing about 80,000 smallholder farmers who grow and process coffees using methods deeply rooted in tradition.

Our certified organic, Fair Trade, shade-grown Ethiopian coffees are grown in some of the highest coffee-growing altitudes in the world. The combination of elevation, soils, and climate produces dense, flavorful beans that our farmer partners then process using the traditional sun-dried or fully washed methods. The result is rich, delicious cups with flavor notes of berries, stone fruit, citrus, and florals.

Every Ethiopian coffee we source is certified organic, Fair Trade, and shade-grown. Those practices are part of a larger commitment that has guided Dean's Beans from the beginning: building long term relationships with coffee growing communities and using specialty coffee as a vehicle for positive change.

That commitment shows up in our People-Centered Development program. Instead of deciding what a community needs, we listen to our farmer partners and support projects they identify, direct and manage themselves. This keeps the decisions in the hands of the people they actually affect.

In Sidama, that partnership has taken many forms over the years. We’ve supported reforestation work and nurseries growing coffee seedlings and native hardwoods, and built a long-standing relationship with Grounds for Health to expand access to cervical cancer prevention and treatment in coffee-growing communities.

A 2023 visit with farmers, nursery leaders, and communities in Telamo and Boa Bedegelo, helped identify additional priorities. That input led to support for local schools, including infrastructure, desks, computers, books and teacher salaries. 

What Does Ethiopian Coffee Taste Like?

Ethiopian coffees are famous around the world for their vibrant, expressive, and complex flavor profiles. However, the flavor in your cup depends heavily on the variety, region, elevation, soil, and processing methods. You may taste hints of blueberry, florals, citrus, stone fruits, and subtle chocolate, with pleasant acidity in a light to medium tea-like body. 

How Is Ethiopian Coffee Processed?

Ethiopian coffees are mostly processed using two methods: natural and washed.  

Natural (Sun-Dried) Process

The natural or sun-dried process is the traditional method used in Ethiopia for centuries, and it’s ideal for areas with scarce water supplies.

Here the coffee cherries are manually sorted and placed on drying racks. Farmers check them and turn them occasionally as they dry in the sun. After 2-4 weeks, the dried, raisin-like husk (the fruit and parchment layer) is removed.

The natural method tends to produce sweet, vibrant coffees with delicious fruit-forward notes.  

Washed (Fully Washed) Process

In some regions (including where our Ethiopian Oromia is grown), the cherries are processed using the fully washed method. This is where the cherries are submerged in water and mechanically depulped.

The coffee beans, still in their parchment layer, are then fermented in water for 1-3 days to remove the rest of the pulp. The beans are then dried for 1-2 weeks in the sun before mechanically removing the dried parchment layer.

Fully washed Ethiopian coffees are known for their uniform color, fresh and vibrant flavors, and light, citrusy, complex flavor profiles.  

Ethiopian Coffee Brewing Tips

Because Ethiopian Arabica beans are grown at very high altitudes, they are denser and smaller than beans from other coffee-growing regions, which means they extract a bit differently than other coffees.

Regardless of how you brew, we recommend grinding freshly roasted whole beans to maximize both aroma and flavor. Then, start with the recommended amount of ground coffee for your brew method and volume, preferably weighing instead of scooping for better consistency.

Once you’ve tried it, adjust your coffee-to-water ratio until you find the balance you’re seeking. Also, be sure to filter your water first if your tap water has any strong, unpleasant taste of things like iron, chlorine, or sulfur.

As for brew methods, you can use any method for any roast, but certain methods are better at highlighting different roast levels.

For light-roasted coffees like our certified organic, Fair Trade Ethiopian Boa Bedegelo, a hotter water temp (between 205°F and 212°F) can help with better flavor extraction. The preferred brewing method for light roasts is typically a pour-over using a paper filter, as the process removes some of the natural oils and lets the flavors of the origin shine through.

If you have a medium roast, like our certified organic, Fair Trade Moka Java blend made with Ethiopian and Sumatran beans, try the AeroPress. The combination of pressure and immersion highlights a rich, sweet mouthfeel while letting the more roast-forward flavor characteristics shine through.

If you enjoy the roast-forward flavors and heavier body of a dark roast, try our certified organic, Fair Trade, Ethiopian Oromia and brew it using a French Press. The immersion brewing extracts the deeply roasted and fruity notes very well, while the lack of a paper filter keeps the natural oils intact for a richer, creamier mouthfeel. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is So Special About Ethiopian Coffee?

Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee, where the Arabica trees are native and where people started drinking it as a beverage well over a thousand years ago. Today, there are over 6,000 unique heirloom varieties grown in Ethiopia, often using traditional growing and natural processing methods. 

Is Ethiopian coffee Arabica?

Yes, almost all coffee grown in Ethiopia is Arabica. This is partly because the southwestern highlands are so suitable for Arabica coffee production but also because Coffea arabica is native to Ethiopia and South Sudan, and virtually all Arabica grown around the world today traces its ancestry to this region.  

Explore the Birthplace of Coffee With Organic, Fair Trade Beans From Sidama

Ethiopia is the birthplace of our favorite morning brew, and the Sidama region, where our certified organic, Fair Trade Ethiopian coffee beans are grown, is world-renowned for cultivating exceptional coffees. With high elevations and rich organic soils, the heirloom coffees grown by our farmer partners produce rich cups with delicious flavor notes of blueberries, stone fruit, florals, and citrus.

Whether you enjoy fruit-forward flavors of light roasts like our certified organic, Fair Trade Ethiopian Boa Bedegelo or the rich roast-forward but still fruity flavors of our dark-roasted, certified organic, Fair Trade Ethiopian Oromia, we invite you to explore our Ethiopian coffees and experience the journey firsthand in your morning cup.