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Why does Ethiopian coffee have fruit flavor? Introduction to Yejia Xuefei's washed coffee beans

Published: 2026-08-25 Author:

Last Updated: 2026/08/25, Ethiopian coffee has always been famous for its rich aroma of flowers and fruits and lively and bright fruit acid, which is different from the traditional mellow flavor of coffee. Therefore, many people are the first choice when entering fine coffee. So why does Ethiopian coffee have fruit flavor? First of all, the flavor and quality of coffee come from its

Ethiopian coffee has always been famous for its rich flower and fruit aroma and lively and bright fruit acidity, which is different from the traditional coffee, so many people choose the first choice for boutique coffee. so why does Ethiopian coffee have fruit flavor?

First of all, the flavor and quality of coffee come from the origin of coffee, including its climatic factors, planting environment and so on. Ethiopia, as the birthplace of Arabica coffee, has a superior geographical environment. The country is located in East Africa, which runs through the East African Rift Valley and brings many mountains, volcanoes, lakes, plateaus and woodlands to the country.

The coffee producing area is basically located in the southwest of the country, although Ethiopia is near the equator and is located in the tropics, the country is generally high. Coffee is mainly planted between 1100 meters and 2350 meters above sea level, with a large temperature difference between day and night, which can slow down the growth rate of coffee fruit. develop more flavor, and the higher the altitude of coffee growth, the smaller the density of coffee beans and the higher the hardness. Coupled with the microclimate formed by the country's changing landscape, the country's coffee has developed citrus and berry-like fruit flavors and aromas.

Also because of its dry climate, Ethiopia usually uses the methods of sun and water washing. Sun treatment is to dry the coffee fruit directly, this process will last for 3-4 weeks, during which the whole coffee fruit will participate in the fermentation process, so the coffee beans will absorb the sugar from the pulp and pectin layer, making the coffee flavor sweeter. In addition, coffee itself is a kind of fruit, so it has fruit flavor tonality, and its drying process will also absorb the fruit flavor of pulp.

At first, Ethiopia adopted the ancient method of tanning, and later introduced the method of washing in 1972. Because a large amount of water is used in the washing process, which can reduce the defect rate of coffee and make the flavor cleaner, so many local people will use water washing treatment.

Washing is to peel the coffee fruit, then stir and soak in the fermentation tank for 12-48 hours, separate the pectin layer, then rinse the coffee beans with clean water, and finally dry them. Therefore, in the drying time, only the coffee beans themselves participate in the fermentation, the fermentation lacks pulp, and uses a lot of water, so the cleanliness is higher, so the flavor becomes more sour.

In addition, the Ethiopian coffee planting model is mainly divided into courtyard planting, manor planting and forest planting, of which the most common is courtyard planting, where farmers plant coffee trees in their own backyard and farmland, each with a small planting area. In the harvest season, farmers hand it over to nearby treatment stations or cooperatives for treatment and export after harvest.

In addition, in the forest planting mode, coffee trees grow in the forest, and only when they mature, farmers will go into the forest to collect coffee fruits and export them after treatment. Due to the wide variety of coffee grown in Ethiopia, with more than 10,000 coffee varieties, but most of them are not identified and subdivided, it is difficult to identify coffee farmers, so it will be labeled "Heirloom" locally, which is called original species or family heirloom in Chinese. As a result, Ethiopian coffee beans have different shapes and uneven sizes.

Due to the characteristics and sizes of Ethiopian coffee, shallow roasting is used in roasting to avoid scorching small coffee beans. Therefore, the use of light baking will make Ethiopian coffee beans more floral and sour.

For example, the Ethiopian Yega Xuefei coffee beans in Qianjie Coffee are washed and roasted in a shallow way, which can show the aroma of jasmine, citrus and berry fruit flavor, lemon-like acidity and a clean and refreshing taste.

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