Origins of Coffee

Coffee grown worldwide can trace its heritage back centuries to the ancient coffee forests on the Ethiopian plateau. There, legend says the goat herder Kaldi first discovered the potential of these beloved beans. This is just one of the legends that surround the mysterious origins of coffee, but despite those legends we have one intangible testimony to the importance of Ethiopia and that is the myriads of varieties that exist, the unique tastes exhibited and the amazing forests that create them. Is the name "Coffee" born also in the forests of "Kaffa"?

Whilst this debate could seam endless and also there is no supporting evidence for any of the arguments, in Moplaco we believe that most probably the name originates from the Arabic "Kahwa". Any visitor visiting Kaffa hundreds of years back, and seeing the local people eating the super energy balls created by butter and roasted coffee beans, would of course wonder what is this that they are eating or even drinking. I am sure the answer would not have been "Kaffa" but "Buna" or some sort of related word. Hence if they would take any word with them back to their country of origin would not have been "Kaffa" but "Buna". Hence coffee around the world would have been known as "Buna" or "Buni" etc. but not "Coffee" or "Cohi" or "Kahwa" as it is know till today. But this is our explanation and we have no tangible evidence to support this. Coffee grows in more than 70 countries around the world between the belts of Capricorn and Cancer. It even started to grow in exotic places such as Okinawa in Japan, and the North of Australia in conditions not said to be optimum for coffee, but as climate changes new areas could become conducive. Every region exhibits unique cup qualities and character, and every country is proud for the coffee it can produce. In Ethiopia more than 2.5M farmers depend on coffee growing and millions more are directly or indirectly involved in the trade, process, export, farming, and roasting of coffee. It permeates every part of the society, with the first wake up call, all the way to the late evening dance houses. IT brings people together, it allows families to gather and decisions to be taken on important issues. Coffee is a social element in Ethiopia so deeply engraved to the culture, a fact that can only stem from Coffee now grows all around Ethiopia, from the Addis Abeba Plateau downwards all the way to Omo Valley. It also grows engulfed in mystery in the lake Tanna in the North of Ethiopia. Ethiopian Coffee has found its way all around the world, from Panama, to Sudan, and Rwanda from the GEISHA variety now world known, to the Harar- Rwandan variety that was planted in DRC and further moved to Rwanda. People are seeking it, for its aromatic character that can not be replicated.

Processing Methods of Coffee

What is Coffee Processing? It is simply the way, that the seed is removed from the coffee cherry. Like any other fruit, coffee cherries consist of layers. These include: outer skin, pulp, pectin layer, parchment, and silverskin – the last layer surrounding two beans locked inside. The goal of processing is to get rid of these layers and get to the essence of the product, and then to dry the bean to the optimal level. However, many desirable, interesting flavors come from the fruit, juice or pulp, and not from the seed itself. And we want them to get into the bean! That is why processing is such a crucial and demanding task.

The ‘old’ and traditional methods of coffee processing Processing techniques can be grouped into four categories: Wet Processing (Washed), Dry Processing (Natural, Sun Dried), Pulped Natural Processing, and Semi-Washed Processing. However nowadays experimentation in coffee has taken the coffee world by storm, and many new and innovative methods have been explored and are being explored for the attributes that they can confer.

The processing method chosen, is mostly dependent on the habits developed in each country, the weather patterns that may favor one processing method over another, and also the type of coffee that may develop a better profile using a specific method. It will also depend on the environmental laws applicable in each country. For Example in Costa Rica, Honey processed coffee is the norm (Pulped Natural) and they have developed elaborate names and types of coffee such as Black Honey, Yellow Honey, White Honey coffees.

Ethiopia was mostly known for the Commercial Naturally Dried coffees, but since 1930s fully washed coffees slowly developed in specific regions. Ethiopia has abundant water, hence choosing the fully washed process seemed like a proper way forward but given the change of climate, maybe new methods and new rules have to be developed.