Ethiopia

Over the years, the demand for coffee seems to have meteorically spiraled making it as the second widely traded consumer commodity in the world, playing second to oil. With such a lucrative market, many coffee houses and manufacturers have practically left no stones unturned in the quest for premium grade quality coffee beans. So if you pay attention closely on the labels and packaging of the expensive coffee on the grocery shelves and coffee counters, it’s no longer surprising if you encounter different exotic countries of origin such as Ethiopia, Guatemala, Kenya, and Jamaica.

A lot of passionate coffee cuppers may not know it but Ethiopia is actually considered to be the original home of coffee plantations, particularly the Arabica coffee. While no one can truly account for the exact discovery of this popular beverage, it was believed that the cultivation and the usage was estimated to start as early as the 9th century. However, interestingly enough, a monk proclaimed the berries to a work of the devil and hurled them into the fire. Within a few minutes the heavenly whiff of the roasting beans filled the monastery, that prompted the monks to investigate. The beans were immediate raked from the fire and were placed on an ewer and hot water in order to preserve it. That very evening, the monks sat up to drink the rich and aromatic brew. They later found out that the drink actually helped them stay awake, so they consume it everyday to perform their nocturnal devotions.

With the centuries of experience in coffee production to back them up, Ethiopian coffee is highly regarded to be among the finest sources of premium quality coffee beans in the world. In fact, a lot of elite coffee houses and even the coffee bigwig Starbucks have an exclusive line of pricey gourmet Ethiopian coffees such as Harar, Sidamo and Yirgacheffe. However, the sad thing amount the coffee industry in Ethiopia is the fact that although the farmers can bask in the pride of producing one of the best coffee beans in the world, they practically get next to nothing and the mercenary coffee manufacturers are reaping all the lucrative profits. This is the main reason why although coffee is the primary crop of the country, workers are not paid decently, so the citizens still wallow in sad poverty.

Just recently a highly esteemed US-based charity organization, Oxfam American turned the heat of these coffee houses, particularly Starbucks and urged the management to give the grossly shortchanged coffee farmers their due. A massive newspaper campaign was launched pressure the company to infuse $ 88 million to Ethiopia’s coffee production industry. Just last year, the organization have actually raised some $ 79 million with just allocating 3 US cents from every Starbucks coffee sold into the funds for farmers.


If you are one of those coffee die hard fans, you probably what to know what’s all this great fuss about Ethiopian coffee, then maybe its time you sample one of the country’s pride, the Ethiopian Lekempti coffee beans, which are reportedly in the same league with Kona coffee from Hawaii and the Australian Skybury. Lekempti has a full-bodied mocha drink with a touch of wild and spicy taste that makes it a perfect after- lunch drink. In fact lot of coffee snobs have such high regard with this particular variety of coffee from Ethiopia.

So now that you have a brief overview on the country origin and Ethiopian coffee information, you will hopefully have a better appreciation with every cup of coffee you drink. You might just be well on your way of becoming a coffee connoisseur yourself!