Ethiopia Maintains its Centuries-Old Tradition of Producing Quality Coffee

My thanks to Jon Thorn's The Coffee Companion for providing much of the following information.

Today I thought it might be interesting to look at the country where coffee first got its start: the country of Ethiopia.

Some of the best coffee in the world still comes from this country, where it continues to grow wild in some regions. The very name of "coffee" owes its form to the Ethiopian region "Kaffa," where man's cultivation of the plant is thought to date back to the ninth century A.D.. Today, Ethiopia remains a significant producer of the beverage, and is responsible for one of the most unusual-tasting coffees in the world.

Around 12 million Ethiopians are in some way engaged in the coffee industry. Ethiopia remains Africa's major exporter of Arabican beans. Even for experts, it is not easy to describe Ethiopian coffee. For example, it lacks the acidity that Kenyan coffee possesses. But good Ethiopian coffee holds its own with some of the finest coffees found anywhere else on the planet. The best, washed arabica beans will almost always fetch premium prices elsewhere.

One particular variety of Ethiopian coffee to look for is "Harrar," the region where some of the finest Ethiopian beans are cultivated. Coffee from Harrar is divided into Shortberry and Longberry. According to The Coffee Companion, it is the Longberry bean that is most in demand. Longberry coffee is said to have a soft, winy, almost gamey flavour, and is lightly acidic.

Ethiopia is also different from other African countries in that much of the coffee grown there is consumed domestically. Coffee in Ethiopia is often drunk with an herb known as tenadam, which means "health of Adam." The green beans are first roasted over a fire, then pounded together with the herb, after which the drink is consumed using very small cups. The coffee is also often drunk along with a small pancake laden with generous quantities of chiles.