If you’re a dedicated coffee lover, you probably already know how important it is to consider the source and origin of your coffee, in part to determine whether an arabica or a robusta blend may be more your style. At our NJ roasting facility, we sell coffee from around the world. But did you know that coffee has a rich history that traces back to Ethiopia? This month, we’re focusing on the birthplace of coffee, and are eager to share the history of coffee as well as our favorite blends straight from Ethiopia!

The Birth of Coffee
Ethiopia is well-known to be the mother land of the Arabica coffee—depending on whom you talk with, it may just be the birthplace of coffee of any sort. In fact, the word coffee came from the Ethiopian location Kaffa, the place where coffee was first discovered and exported. Historic evidence suggests that coffee has been part of society since about the 9 th century, expanding outward from Ethiopia to the rest of the world. Stories suggest that people first learned to enjoy coffee by following the actions of goats—a goatherd supposedly noticed that his goats were acting wild, skipping around, bleating loudly, and bouncing with energy after eating some bright red berries. When the goatherd himself tried these berries, he also noticed stimulation, prompting exploration of eating these delicious coffee berries. Today, Ethiopia remains in the top five coffee-producing nations in the world.

Our Featured Ethiopian Blends
At our coffee roasting shop in New Jersey, we have two featured Ethiopian blends, and consider them some of our finest! One is the Arabica Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, a bright, acidic, and clean coffee that is best with a light roast. Once brewed, the coffee is rich with floral notes, citrus characteristics, and toasted coconut. For a deeper, more chocolatey coffee with berry, fruit, and spice notes, our Arabica Ethiopia Sidamo from the Sidamo Province is the way to go! Also best with a light or medium roast, this coffee has a medium acid level and medium body, but rich, balanced flavor.

Want to try Ethiopian coffees today? You won’t be disappointed! Even better, when you buy green coffee beans online or have them freshly roasted by Lavanta Coffee Roasters, you can trust that the farmers will be paid fairly and your coffee of the highest quality. We work with Fair Trade, Direct Trade, and the Rainforest Alliance to ensure that you cup has the smallest and most sustainable footprint possible. Many of our products are available in bulk, or even in K-cups!