Ethiopian coffee introduces the world's best Arabian coffee shepherds found

Ethiopia is one of the major producers of Arabica coffee in Africa, producing the best Arabian coffee in the world. It is said that coffee was first discovered by shepherds in Essekafa, and the name of coffee evolved from Kafa, so Essex is still the hometown of coffee.

Production and processing of coffee

Ethiopia's geographical environment is very suitable for coffee growth. Coffee is mainly grown in the southern highlands between 1100 and 2300 meters above sea level. The main coffee producing areas are Harar, Limu, Djimma, Sidamo, Kaffa, Yergacheffe and Wellega. The soil in these areas is well drained, slightly acidic and red loose.

Ethiopian coffee is harvested once a year. The beautiful white coffee flowers bloom from March to April, and then the fruit begins to grow. From September to December, the red coffee fruit is ripe for picking. The new season of coffee begins to be exported from November to December.

At present, about 25% of the Ethiopian population directly or indirectly depends on coffee production for a living. The majority of farmers use traditional planting methods. Artificial care of coffee trees, the use of organic fertilizers, do not use harmful pesticides and herbicides, etc. Therefore, most of the coffee produced by Ethiopia is organic coffee.

Due to different planting methods, coffee can be divided into three types: forest-semi-forest coffee (Forest or semi-forest coffee), courtyard coffee (Garden coffee) and plantation coffee (Plantation coffee).

60% of the coffee belongs to forest-semi-forest coffee. In such a wild coffee forest, pesticides are not used at all, but biological methods are used to control pests.

35% of the coffee is courtyard coffee. In this kind of coffee garden, the planting is three-dimensional. Coffee is located in the lower layer and gets a suitable growth environment in the shade of other crops. Fertilizers are mainly fallen leaves, withered grass and animal manure.

5% of the coffee belongs to plantation coffee. This is a modern way of growing. Coffee is also grown in a forest, but new varieties are used and planted in rows with other shade trees.

Due to different processing methods, coffee can be divided into washed coffee (Washed coffee) and sun-cured coffee (Sun-dried coffee).

Washed coffee accounts for 35% of exports. Good quality washed coffee is processed with freshly picked fully ripe fruit, picked carefully and closely monitored by professionals. The picked clean coffee beans are pulped on the day of picking, then fermented, washed, dried and peeled. The humidity of processed coffee beans is kept at about 12%.

Sun-cured coffee accounts for 65% of exports. Mainly picked by families, red coffee beans are placed on cement floors or on high tables to dry to about 11.5% humidity, then peeled and cleaned.

Grading and quality control system of coffee

In Ethiopia, the grading and quality control system of coffee is divided into three levels: producer, regional and national. All coffee is inspected by local inspection agencies before leaving the country of origin, and then re-tested at the coffee inspection and grading centers in Addis and Diredawa to determine its quality grade. Coffee is graded before auction and sale and is important for all groups involved in production, acquisition, export and consumption. Before export, coffee must also be sent to a national quality control agency for inspection to confirm that the origin and color meet the export standards to ensure the reputation of Ethiopian coffee.

At present, Ethiopia's coffee grading and quality control system mainly has two indicators: visual inspection and cup evaluation, including the color, cleanliness, origin, taste and characteristics of coffee beans. The export rating is marked by simple numbers, with the best washed coffee at level 5 and the best sun-cured coffee at level 4. After grading, mark the place of origin and then export. Exports are usually paid by letter of credit, which can not only reduce the risk of foreign exchange collection for exporters, but also give quality assurance to importers.

According to the law, all coffee is sold through an auction held by Addis and DiRedawa. During the coffee harvest, such auctions are even held twice a day.