Ethiopia, in eastern Africa, is not only one of the important birthplaces of human civilization but is also regarded as the homeland of coffee. The English word "coffee" is said to come from the Ethiopian place name "Kaffa." On this plateau, coffee grows widely in its original wild forms, and different regions present diverse flavors such as floral notes, fruity acidity, and vinous aromas due to differences in altitude and ecology. Local people have developed a unique drinking etiquette around coffee, from roasting and pounding to brewing in a clay pot, the whole process is full of ritual. Besides coffee, Ethiopia also boasts rich landscapes including the Rift Valley, waterfalls, rock caves, and ancient churches. This article will introduce you to the origins, flavor characteristics, and drinking customs of Ethiopian coffee, and provide practical information on visas, flights, accommodation, and currency.

Located in East Africa, Ethiopia means "land of people scorched by the sun" in ancient Greek. This land has a unique cultural tradition, magnificent natural scenery, a comfortable climate, and rich animal and plant resources, as well as many important historical sites. The warm and hospitable local people make Ethiopia one of Africa's major tourist destinations.

The name Coffee can be traced back to kaffa in Ethiopia.

You may not know that the "roots" of coffee are planted in Ethiopia. One theory holds that the English word coffee comes precisely from the Ethiopian place name "Kaffa." Legend has it that around 900 AD, a shepherd in the Kaffa region was grazing his flock in the mountains when he discovered the sheep eagerly nibbling on a kind of red berry; after eating them, they jumped about lively, reacting very unusually. The shepherd worried that the sheep had eaten something harmful and was on tenterhooks all night. Unexpectedly, the next day the flock was perfectly fine. This accident led him to start picking this wild fruit and boiling its juice to quench his thirst. He found the juice fragrant and rich, and after drinking it he felt exceptionally energized. So he began to cultivate this plant, and large-scale coffee cultivation gradually developed from this, and the name of coffee evolved from Kaffa. Thereafter, coffee spread from Ethiopia to the whole world.

Ethiopian coffee is as pure as a purebred horse.

Ethiopia grows coffee in different climatic zones, and therefore has more than 140 heirloom varieties, with fresh coffee produced year-round. Due to differences in altitude and regional ecological environments, the quality of Ethiopian coffee also varies. Harar coffee from the southeastern highlands is a typical Mocha coffee, with a rich aroma and heavy body; coffee produced in southwestern Wollega has a strong fruity flavor; Limu coffee combines vinous and spicy notes; Sidamo coffee has a mild taste, rich aroma, and a tart fruity flavor; Yirgacheffee coffee has floral notes. When tasting Yirgacheffee, the chocolate and acidity are even stronger, soaring like lemon, and it also contains a dizzying floral fragrance.

Interestingly, Ethiopians also print pictures of horses on coffee packaging to indicate the purity of the coffee. It is said that in the era when horses were the main means of transportation, Ethiopia had the world's best purebred Arabian horses, and Ethiopians were deeply proud of this. Today, they have bestowed this pride upon their country's coffee—"quality coffee should be as pure as a purebred horse." It is precisely because of adherence to this philosophy that the taste of coffee here remains so pure to this day.

Ethiopia's coffee drinking ceremony is famous far and wide.

In traditional Ethiopian households, there are two to three coffee drinking times a day, accompanied by various etiquettes or rituals. In the evening, the whole family sits on the floor around a small charcoal stove. The ground around the charcoal stove is covered with a layer of green grass specially cut or bought, a special grass used exclusively for the coffee ceremony. When the small charcoal stove is lit, a few pieces of smoking white charcoal are specially picked out and waved around every corner of the room, then placed by the stove to burn out or extinguish on their own. In this way, for a period of time, the entire room or courtyard is shrouded in smoke.

In the home, a teenage girl is usually responsible for preparing coffee for everyone. She first grabs a handful of pale green raw coffee beans, puts them in a small iron pan on the charcoal stove, scoops clean water, and rubs them clean with both hands. Then she uses a small wooden spatula to roast the coffee beans, and soon the beans begin to turn dark black and give off an enticing aroma. When the girl thinks the roasting is just right, she picks up the handle of the iron pan and shakes the lightly smoking coffee beans inside, bringing it to each person's nose for them to smell. After everyone nods in approval, she pours the roasted beans into a small mortar and, holding a large iron pestle nearly a meter long and as thick as a child's arm with both hands, pounds them. Soon, that handful of beans is pounded into powder.

The girl uses a small wooden spoon to scrape the powder out bit by bit into a clay pot with a narrow neck, bulging belly, and large handle, adds clean water, and places it on the small stove to boil. The water soon boils, and after boiling a moment longer, the fragrance is already overflowing. The girl sets several porcelain cups the size of wine cups on a small wooden box, then lifts the large handle of the coffee pot and fills each cup one by one, puts down the pot, and respectfully hands each cup to the seated people with both hands. This process generally lasts 30 minutes.

Friendly reminder:

Chinese people

drink at most three cups

However, everyone should be reminded that Ethiopian coffee is like the fine wine of Jingyang Ridge in Water Margin—it is absolutely "three bowls and you can't cross the ridge." That is to say, an ordinary Chinese person will definitely be full of energy after one cup, unable to sleep at midnight after two cups, and after three cups will have not the slightest bit of sleepiness that night and the entire next day. More than three cups? Then the consequences are unimaginable. The country's coffee is absolutely "green coffee," with no chemical fertilizers or pesticides used. As long as you're not afraid of insomnia, please enjoy it with peace of mind.

Main attractions in Ethiopia

Ethiopia's scenery and lakes are the main tourist attractions. Ethiopia's highlands have fascinating landscapes and wildlife. In the Great Rift Valley region of Africa, you can see a variety of endemic and common wild animals and birds, and there are many vehicles heading to this area. The spectacular waterfalls on the Blue Nile, the unique wildlife of the Simien Mountains, and the Sof Omar Caves in the southeast are some fascinating attractions. The rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, the ancient buildings of Yeha, the obelisks of Axum, the medieval castles of Gondar, and the monasteries of Lake Tana, Mount Damo, and Mount Libanos are the main tourist attractions.

Festival tips

Ethiopia still preserves the Roman Julian calendar, with a year divided into 13 months: the first twelve months have 30 days each; the thirteenth month has 5 days, or 6 days in a leap year. Starting in spring, there is the Ethiopian New Year (Tseday) on September 11. This is the beginning of the harvest season and also the time for gatherings and weddings. The country's liveliest festivals are the Ethiopian "New Year" (Enkutatash), Maskal (Finding of the True Cross), Ethiopian Christmas (Gena) (January 7), Ethiopian Epiphany (Timket), Ethiopian Easter (Faseka), Kulubi Gabriel, Gishen Mariam, and Axum Tsion.

Information station

Visa: Ethiopia is a destination country for outbound tourism for Chinese citizens, and Chinese citizens can enjoy the convenience of a visa on arrival in Ethiopia.

Flights: Ethiopian Airlines is the airline with the widest coverage of African routes. In 2003, Ethiopian Airlines became the first African airline to open a Guangzhou route, which is also the shortest route from Guangzhou to Africa. Except for Saturdays, Ethiopian Airlines has one flight every day of the remaining six days of the week from Guangzhou to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. In addition, there are 3 flights per week from Hong Kong.

Accommodation: When traveling in northern Ethiopia, there is no need to worry about accommodation and food, as hotels and guesthouses of various levels have emerged. However, due to climatic and geographical reasons, the southern region is still relatively inaccessible.

Currency: The local currency is the Ethiopian Birr, whose value is comparable to the Chinese yuan.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.