There are various coffee farms that are found in Ethiopia and these are scattered in the different parts of the country and a simple coffee trip to any of the regions will give you an insight on how the locals grow the coffee, pick it from the farms, the sorting and washing process and the brewing. You will be shown the different hurdles that these people go through before you get that perfectly brewed coffee. A visit to the farms is also another way to and sight see the different parts of Ethiopia and learn more about the people living in the country.
The coffee in Ethiopia is said to have been discovered by a farmer who had gone out to rear his animals. One of his cattle went missing and when it came back it had a weird character to it whereby it could not sleep for long and kept awake throughout and that was how he was forced to go and check in order to find out what had caused the change in behavior. He discovered that the black beans had been the cause of everything and that is how the coffee beans were discovered. It is a tale that is always told when tourists visit the different areas in the country where the coffee is grown. Another story states that a monk left his monastery and he came back with some strange fruits that were tasted by other monks and these also kept them awake and they were filled with more energy than before and the fruit was later discovered to be coffee beans.
The Kafa Biosphere Reserve
The Kafa region located in the western part of the country is well known for the Arabic coffee that is grown in the area. The reserve is where the famous Arabica coffee originated from before spreading out to the rest of the country and to the rest of the world. The reserve is also filled with a lot of trees of different species and it is one of the top destinations for all those that love botany. The south western part of the reserve is where the coffee can be found and besides the many coffee trees that you will find in the area, you will also be able to visit the local people and get to experience the many festivals that they carry out especially coffee festivals.
The locals say that the coffee first grew on its own and later on more techniques were introduced to increase the volume of the coffee that is produced in the reserve. The locals are known to host coffee festivals where locally brewed coffee is taken while listening to the different stories around a fire and you also get to learn how to pick, sort and brew the coffee while enjoying the view that is provided by the landscapes in the area and the animals that can be seen roaming around the forests. After enjoying the day at the different accommodation facilities where you can have your rest.
A trip to the Harar city
The Harar city is located in the Eastern part of the country and it is famous for being one of the biggest holy cities in the world where many of the occupants are Moslems and its rare Harar coffee. The coffee in the Harar city dates back to the 16th century and it was a stopover place for the Arabs who always traded the coffee to the different parts of the world. When you get to Harar, you will be able to take part in the coffee picking from the gardens, drying it before it is processed and transported to the different countries. You also get to get a taste of the coffee that is served at any time of the day that you want it as there are many café where you can get the coffee from and while tasting the coffee, you also get to watch and interact with the locals as they carry out their daily activities and what better way to get to know how fresh coffee tastes other than by visiting the Hara coffee farms. There are also many things that you can do besides visiting the coffee farms that are found in the Harar city and these include trekking through the stone walled city, visiting the markets, exploring with the locals and visiting the religious places that include mosques and a few churches that are found in the area and also visit the nearby villages. After visiting the coffee farms in the Harar city, you can also join other tourists in feeding the hyenas in the evening.
A coffee trip to the Yirgacheffe
The Yirgacheffe is another region in Ethiopia that is best known for her coffee supply both within and outside the country. It is located in the highlands of the country and with the numerous coffee farms that are found in the region, it is worth the visit. The taste of the coffee that is produced from the Yirgacheffe is believed to be the best and most believe it is through the way it is processed. When the beans have been sorted, they are soaked and fermented for three days before being put out for brewing. There are accommodation facilities that can be found near the Yirgacheffe coffee farms that you can easily access after visiting the farms and these come in different ranges and all you need to do is get one that fits into your budget.
A trip to the Tepi and Babeka coffee farms
The Tepi and Babeka coffee farms are known to be the largest in Ethiopia and they have numerous coffee farms that make up the coffee estate. These two estates provide tourist with enough knowledge about coffee and the whole process of production straight from the gardens to the brewing machines. They are located in the highlands and are surrounded by the montane vegetation which also acts as a habitat for wild life especially for the birds and as you walk through the coffee plantations, you will be amazed with the number of birds that are found in the area.
The Tepi farm which is the second largest coffee farm in Ethiopia belonged to the government but in the recent years it was privatized and therefore accessing it might be a bit hard until you get access from the owners of the coffee estate.
The Babeka coffee plantation which is the oldest and largest coffee estate in the whole country covers a space of over 93 square kilometers and as its neighbor the Tepi farm, it is very hard to get a tour here unless when you have a letter that announces your arrival from the coffee plantation enterprise. This is the only way you will be allowed you will enter into the farm and due to its large size you will need a car that can drive though the farm. After securing your permission letter, the manager at the farm will be able to give you a trip around the coffee plantations while explaining whatever you do not understand.
The Lake Tana basin coffee farm
The Lake Tana basin also has a coffee farm although it is not much visited as some people say it is only the wild coffee that grows here. And when you visit the area you will get to see different batches of coffee lying around the many church ruins that are found around Lake Tana. After visiting the coffee in the Lake Tana ruins, you can visit the monasteries that represent the history of Ethiopia both cultural and political in the country.
A coffee trip to the Jimma coffee farm
The Jimma coffee farm is considered to be the largest modern coffee farm in the country and it is also where the story of the herder who first discovered coffee in Ethiopia originated from. It is a perfect place for all those that do not know how to brew their coffee can come so that learn more about the coffee plantations and beans. Most of the coffee trees that are planted in Jimma are planted under a shade so that the seeds are not affected by the weather that is experienced in these highlands and they use modern farming techniques here in order to increase production.
Besides visiting the many coffee farms that are in Ethiopia, you can also visit the coffee museum that has been opened in the Bonga region near the Kafa coffee reserve. The museum gives you an insight on how far the coffee farms have come up, the way they are managed and different wall hangings of the different coffee beans that have been planted in the different farms. There are different tour guides that are willing to take tourist out irrelevant of the time of the day although if you want to go at night or in the evening, it will cost more than it does during the day.
