Ethiopian coffee plantation flavor taste introduction Ethiopian coffee characteristics

35% of coffee is courtyard coffee. In this coffee garden, the planting is three-dimensional distribution. Coffee sits in the lower layers, in the shade of other crops, to get the right environment to grow. Fertilizer is mainly deciduous, withered grass and animal manure.

5% of coffee is plantation coffee. This is a modern way of growing coffee. Coffee is grown as a forest, but new varieties are used and spaced apart from other shade trees.

Due to different processing methods, coffee can be divided into washed coffee and sun-dried coffee.

Washed coffee accounts for 35 per cent of exports. Good quality washed coffee is processed from freshly picked fully ripe fruit, carefully picked and closely monitored by professionals. After picking clean coffee beans on the day of picking to pulp, then fermentation, washing, drying, peeling. The humidity of the processed coffee beans is kept at about 12%.

Sun-cured coffee accounts for 65 per cent of exports. Picked primarily at home, red beans are dried on concrete floors or high tables to a humidity of about 11.5%, then peeled and washed.

Coffee classification and quality control system

In Ethiopia, coffee classification and quality control systems are divided into producer, regional and national levels. All coffees are inspected by local inspection agencies before they leave the country of origin, and then re-inspected at coffee inspection and grading centres in Addis and Diredova to determine their quality grade. Grading coffee before auction and sale 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 origin, color, etc. meet 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. The inspection items include color, cleanliness, origin, taste and characteristics of coffee beans. Export classification is indicated by simple numbers, with the best washed coffee being grade 5 and the best sun-cured coffee being grade 4. After classification, the origin can be exported. Usually exports are paid by letter of credit, which can reduce the risk of collection by exporters and give quality assurance to importers.

By law, all coffee must be sold through auctions held in Addis Ababa and Diredava. During the coffee harvest season, such auctions are even held twice a day.

Coffee outlet

Coffee is Ethiopia's most important export cash crop and the main source of foreign exchange earnings. Ethiopia's coffee exports account for about 3% of the world market share, making it the eighth largest coffee exporter in the world. Coffee exports increased steadily from 58,000 tons in 1990-1991 to 110,000 tons in 1995 - 1996 and remained at that level for the next few years. Export volume exceeded 110,000 tons in 2001 - 2002 and reached 127,000 tons in 2002 - 2003. The decade-long decline in coffee prices on the international market has seriously affected Ethiopia's foreign exchange earnings. Coffee exports accounted for more than half of Ethiopia's foreign exchange earnings before coffee prices dropped sharply, but now they account for only about 35 percent. However, coffee prices began to recover in 2002, rising from 41 cents per pound in September 2001 to 52 cents per pound in 2002 and 59.7 cents per pound in 2003, according to the International Coffee Organization. The average price in March 2004 was 60.8 cents per pound, a 50 per cent increase from September 2001. This is great news for Ethiopia.