What are the characteristics of Yega Shefi coffee in Ethiopia and how to grade raw beans in the country

African coffee plays an important role in the global coffee market, thanks to the rich natural resources of the African continent, which is mainly composed of plateaus, with an average elevation of 750 meters, and many volcanoes, rivers and lakes. In addition, Africa straddles the equator, mainly tropical, with an annual average temperature of more than 20 ℃. The right climate and rich resources have led to the development of agriculture in Africa, and many countries are famous for exporting coffee, including Ethiopia, which is the largest producer of Arabica coffee in Africa. Ethiopia is also recognized as the birthplace of coffee.

In addition to being the birthplace of coffee, there are countless native varieties of coffee. According to statistics, there are 10000 to 15000 varieties of coffee in Ethiopia today, but most of them have not yet been formally identified. Moreover, the country has a very suitable environment for coffee growth, the country is located in the northeast of Africa, mainly mountains and plateaus, most of which belong to the Ethiopian plateau, in addition, the East African Rift Valley runs through the whole territory, and there are many volcanoes on both sides of the rift valley.

Although the country is located in the tropics, the climate is mainly tropical steppe climate and subtropical forest climate, but because of the high altitude and mild temperature, the annual average temperature is 16 ℃, with a large temperature difference between day and night, which is roughly divided into dry season and rainy season. Having volcanic ash gives fertile soil, high-altitude mountains and a suitable climate are very suitable for growing crops such as coffee.

At present, Ethiopia is divided into 12 states, 2 autonomous administrative regions and 10 coffee producing areas, among which many world-famous coffee producing areas, such as Sidamo, Jima, Haller, Guji and Yirgacheffe, etc., among which Guji and Yegashafi originally belonged to Sidamo, but became an independent coffee producing area because of their unique flavor.

In terms of administrative division, Yega Xuefei is a small town in the south-central part of the country, which was originally a southern nation state and was established as an independent state by referendum in 2019. The area is located in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, with complex and diverse topography, many mountains and volcanoes, close to Lake Abaya, rich in water resources, coffee planting slopes of 1750-2200 meters above sea level, fertile land with plenty of sunlight, which is very suitable for coffee growth.

But the Yejashefi coffee producing area is not only in the small town of Yegashefi, but also in the town of Wenago, about 26 kilometers north of the town, and in the sub-producing areas of Kochere in the town of Cochel and Gedeb in the town of Godibe to the south of the town.

At present, coffee is mainly grown by small farmers in Ethiopia, and there are too many varieties of coffee, so it is difficult to distinguish between large and small beans, so coffee is graded according to the defect rate in Ethiopia. According to the regulations of the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX), coffee is mainly divided into boutique Speciality (with few defects and high flavor quality), commercial Commerical (slightly inferior to boutique) and domestic coffee Local / Domestic (coffee beans that are defective, out of season or poorly stored). Those who export to the international market are boutique and commercial.

In addition, all coffee will be divided into two categories: sun drying and washing, and will be graded according to the defect rate of 300g samples and the basic quality of cup testing. after that, G1-G3 will be tested again according to the SCAA (American Fine Coffee Association) standard. G1 and G2 with no less than 85 points are rated as Q1, G1 G2.G3 is rated 02 from 80 to 85, and G3 is rated as G3 from 80 to 80.

Q1 and Q2 are classified as high-quality Specialty Grade exports. G4-G9 keeps the original sub-level unchanged and is classified as commodity grade CommercialGrade export together with G3.

In the Qianjie coffee rations bean series, also includes Ethiopia this well-known producing area Yega Xuefei coffee beans, using the original species (Heirloom), the use of washing treatment, floral flavor, citrus, berry flavor, lemon-like acidity, refreshing taste. Qianjie Coffee believes that Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee and the largest exporter of coffee in Africa. Coffee beans in Africa are characterized by obvious citric acid, which is different from the mellow flavor of traditional coffee, and is the first choice for many people to turn to high-quality coffee. and very able to show the regional flavor of the African region.

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