Ethiopia is the widely recognized home of Arabica coffee. Unlike many other countries that carefully partition their coffee plantations, Ethiopia is the only country where even wild coffee trees account for the active harvests. But one thing in common about premium gourmet coffee, their beans are all hand picked and not machine harvested.
The downside to Ethiopian coffee is that due to wild coffee trees accounting for parts of their harvests, their products have some rough sediments that may slip into each cup especially when a percolator or French Press is used. Ethiopian coffee is best served using a filtered, drip coffee maker.
Aside from tracing their origins to the Arabica, many of today's premium coffees owe their rich and unique taste to geography and nature. Here are three of the world's finest which trace their roots to Arabica:
The Ethiopian Harrar coffee. This type of coffee is grown in the eastern part of Ethiopia. Being an arid area, coffee from this region are traditionally dry. Its fruit is allowed to dry on the bean then milled to remove the fruit and husk. Due to this drying process of allowing air to circulate around the coffee, a fruit flavor is retained. In fact, some coffee reviewers have described Ethiopian Harrar as remarkable and complex with a hint of wine simply because of this sweet, fruity flavor that borders on blueberry interacting with the aroma.
Hawaiian Kona coffee. Another one of the world's top coffee types grown in the Kona coast of Hawaii. This Hawaiian offspring of Arabica found its way into the Kona coast by way of Brazil when a missionary first planted it in the region in the early 19th century.
The Kona region is not as hot and dry as Ethiopia but rather tropical. Days are sunny with some rainy afternoons. What probably contributes most to the Kona bean's distinctness is the rich volcanic soil on which it grows. Like Ethiopian Harrar, Kona coffee is sometimes identified by a flavor that hints of wine which is probably due to the same fruity property it shares with its African cousin.
Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee.This coffee type is grown in mountainous areas that reach 5,500 feet and these are known as the Blue Mountains. The climate is similar to the Kona region, cool in the day but with much more rain. Because of its height, it is not uncommon to see mist and cloud covering much of the Blue Mountains. The locals say that it is the interaction of the mist with the coffee plants that give their coffee a bluish-green hue. Unlike Kona though, the Blue Mountains are not volcanic but its soil is made rich by its sheer altitude.
Coffee beans were not indigenous to Jamaica. It was in 1728 that its governor brought the first Arabica beans into the islands from Martinique. And almost 300 years later, Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is one of the world's finest and rather hard to find at times.
As you can see, the Arabica bean has travelled the world and is already rooted in many parts. The images of Ethiopia are sometimes sad, with pictures of babies being held by their mothers all reduced to only skin and bones as a result of crushing poverty. But to those who are fortunate to find work picking the coffee berries, they have become a source of blessing for all coffee enthusiasts.
You may own the top of the line coffee maker, you may drink from the shiniest of cups, but were it not for the sweat and labor of these Ethiopian farmers, there would be none of the best coffees that money can buy.
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