Traveling in Ethiopia won't be everyone's cup of Chai: there's not much tourist infrastructure here, and checking your email rivals carrier pigeon for speed. But the landscape is splendid, the people are welcoming, the sense of history is tangible and you won't have to worry about crowds of tourists. (Lonely Planet)
 The Country
- Ethiopia has a population of approximately 70 million
- Agriculture accounts for 50% of the GDP
- The currency is the birr
- The official languages are Amharic and English
- A landlocked country of over 1 million square kilometers
- Ethiopia’s neighbours are Sudan to the West, Eritrea to the North, Somalia to the East, and Kenya to the West
- The country ranges in altitude from 125 meters above sea level to 4620 meters above sea level
- Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa
- Ethiopia follows the Coptic calendar, which runs 8 years behind the internationally used Gregorian calendar
The Coffee
- About a quarter of the Ethiopian population is involved in coffee related activities
- Situated on a high plateau means Ethiopia’s climate is ideal for coffee production
- Coffee is shipped from Djibouti or Eritrea
- Ethiopians are proud of the national heritage of coffee
- Ethiopians consume 1.8 million bags (1 bag = 60kg) of coffee each year of their total production of 4.3 million bags
- Small-holder producers make up 90% to 95% of Ethiopia’s coffee producers
- Coffee quality is carefully monitored; all coffee must go through the Coffee Liquoring Unit (CLU) to be graded before it can be sold and exported
- Harrar coffee goes through the CLU in Dire Dawa while the rest of the nation’s coffee goes through the CLU in Addis Ababa
- Coffee trees are of the Typica varietal
Sidamo
- Sidamo is approximately 6 hours / 340 km south of Addis Ababa
- Altitude – 1550 to 2200 meters above sea level
- Harvest – October to January
- 6º 59’ 56.40” N 38º 30’ 00.61” E
Harrar
- Harrar is approximately 7 hours / 500 km west of Addis Ababa
- All Harrar coffee is unwashed and sun-dried and has excellent cup consistency
- Altitude – 1510 to 2120 meters above sea level
- Harvest – October to February
- 9º 33’ 51.90” N 41º 45’ 05.69” E
Limu
- Limu is approximately 8 hours / 400 km east of Addis Ababa
- Altitude – 1400 to 2100 meters above sea level
- Harvest – November to January
- 7º 42’ 20.85” N 36º 47’ 32.60” E
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