The Ethiopian coffee trail

Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee — the Arabica plant grows wild in its forests, and the drink is woven into daily life more deeply here than almost anywhere. For anyone who loves coffee, the growing highlands of the south are a genuine pilgrimage.

The great growing regions

• Yirgacheffe — small-scale, washed coffees prized for their bright, floral, citrus character; among the most celebrated in the world.
• Sidama — the highlands around Hawassa, producing elegant washed and natural coffees.
• Harar in the east — classic natural (dry-processed) coffees with a heavy, wine-and-berry fruitiness.
• Guji, Limu and Jimma — further names worth looking out for on a bag of beans.

The coffee ceremony

Wherever you go, you will be offered the traditional coffee ceremony: green beans roasted over coals, ground by hand, and brewed in a clay jebena, served in three rounds amid incense and conversation. Accepting an invitation is one of the warmest experiences in Ethiopia — never rush it.

Visiting the growing areas

During the harvest, roughly October to December, you can visit washing stations and cooperatives to see cherries pulped, fermented, washed and dried on raised beds. Arrange visits through a local guide or a cooperative, and buy directly where you can.

Base yourself in Yirgacheffe among the coffee gardens, or in lakeside Hawassa at the heart of Sidama — see places to stay in both.