Coffee

Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee. The coffee plant, known as Arabica, first grew in the Ethiopian region called Kaffa. Ethiopians call coffee ?bun? or ?buni.?

Ethiopian coffee is available from various regions today, some of it comes dry-processed, some comes washed. The differences between the dry-processed varieties and the washed varieties are significant. In brief, the washed version exhibits the characteristics of a lighter-body and less earthy notes in the flavor and aroma. The dry-processed varieties are wilder, more earthy, and fuller-bodied coffees.

Ethiopian variety

Coffees from Ethiopian are typically characterized as having some of the most unique flavors in the world. They are very fascinating and complex coffee beans, grown in coffee’s most natural environment. Also, coffee originating from different Ethiopian regions vary greatly.

It is widely believed that the coffees grown in lower regions or middle regions are the better coffees. Ethiopia also has a large variety of organically grown coffees and these are probably some of the best certified organic coffee beans in the world.

The three main regions of coffee production in Ethiopia are: the Harrar region, the Ghimbi region and the Sidamo or Yirgacheffe region.

Dry-processed Ethiopian beans

The coffee beans grown in the Harrar region are grown on small coffee producing farms on the eastern area of Ethiopia. Harrar coffee is dry-processed. These coffees have very specific labels, for example, the larger beans are the longberry beans, the smaller are called shortberry, and there is also the Mocha bean.

Ethiopian coffee is known for its strong and dry character. It has a druity acidity, much like wine. And best of all, a rich and pungent aroma with a heavy body. If you focus on a good brew, you will no doubt taste the blueberry or blackberry aromatic overtones. Coincidently, Harrar coffee beans are often used for espresso, because the pungent aromatic are much desired in the espresso’s crema or froth.

Washed coffees

The washed coffees that are produced in Ethiopia come from the Ghimbi and Yirgacheffe regions in the west of the country. These Ghimbi beans tend to have a more balanced flavor with a heavier body and a taste that seems to last much longer than the dry-processed variety.

On the other hand, it seems that the Yirgacheffee bean, with is grown in the southern part of Ethiopia, is especially favored amongst Westerners. That’s probably because it is a milder coffee, exhibits fruity overtones, and is brilliantly aromatic. This coffee is often referred to as Sidamo, which is the region from which it originates.

Brewing the perfect cup

As with all coffees, the raw product is just as important as the process of brewing. You’ll know you’ve brewed the perfect cup of Ethiopia coffee if you’ve chosen the bean to your liking and the level of roast is to your taste. But when it comes to the perfect cup of Ethiopian, it is not just about taste, but smell also. Close your eyes and focus on the smell. You will be transported to place of origin, to Ethiopia, where coffee was born.

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Author: Samantha Evans
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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There was a time when I thought all coffee was basically the same. Sure, you could add milk to it and get what people today call cafe latte, or make it strong and then it was espresso, or just use instant. In fact, instant was what I drank for many years. To me, that was coffee. I did keep some ground coffee for an old percolator I had, just in case guests might want it. Looking back, I truly did not know what I was missing. It wasn’t until a dear friend of mine rejected my stale, generic coffee. I thought he was a bit of a snob, but it made me think. I looked into coffee and it became an exploration and journey that opened up a whole new world for me, the world of delicious, delightful coffee. I learned to differentiate between types and blends and processing of coffee, of roasting and preparation, and of gourmet flavored coffee beans that can add so much to the enjoyment of this most wondrous of beverages.

Once I realized that instant coffee really wasn’t the real thing, no matter what the TV commercials said, I experimented with different ways of brewing coffee. I tried different types of automatic and semi-automatic coffeemakers. I fell in love with the simple elegance of the French press with its simple plunger system but also experimented with a variety of other systems. I initially bought coffee that was already ground, for no other reason than that I had unpleasant childhood memories of mom making me grind coffee beans in an old hand-powered mill. I hated it. However, I found that I was quite particular in the way I liked to have my coffee ground. It had to be just right, not too coarse and not too fine.

I also began to appreciate the many different types of gourmet coffee beans from all over the world. A lot of people still think that coffee is coffee, and it’s either black or with milk or cream, I think coffee is really more like wine-no two types and roasts are the same. After you’ve sampled imported coffee beans from various countries and regions, you begin to appreciate the subtle and not so subtle differences. Likewise, there’s a huge difference between light roasts and dark roasts. Did you know, for example, that lighter roasts actually have more caffeine, and that the way coffee is stored also makes a difference?

These days, coffee has become a hobby and passion for me. I love exploring various flavors. Yes, you can get toasted cinnamon pecan flavored coffee beans, or white chocolate, or raspberry almond, or pralines and cream. Or all sorts of Italian espresso. Or special private blends from specialty coffee places on the web. The Kona blend gourmet beans I get from my favorite place are out of this world. And when I feel adventurous I may sample coffees from Jamaica, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia or Costa Rica. Some of the Central and South American coffee growing countries offer delicious shade grown and organic coffee beans, and I also keep some decaffeinated blends for when I feel like having a cup at night before I go to bed.

Amazingly, gourmet flavored coffee beans aren’t even that expensive. The better supermarkets in my area actually often charge more per pound than the online gourmet discount coffee bean places, without having nearly the same selection and quality.

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web. Learn more about Gourmet Coffee Beans

Author: Chris Robertson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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