Coffee originates from the highlands of Ethiopia, specifically the Kaffa region. From there, it spread via Yemen into the Arab world and on to Europe from the 15th century onward.

Where Does Coffee Originally Come From?

Coffee originates from the highlands of Ethiopia, specifically the Kaffa region. From there, it spread via Yemen into the Arab world and on to Europe from the 15th century onward.

Why that matters

The Ethiopian highlands, at 1,500–2,200 metres elevation, provide the conditions under which Arabica grows wild: moderate temperatures between 15 and 24 °C, sufficient rainfall, and shade from the forest canopy. To this day, this region harbours the greatest genetic diversity of Coffea arabica — thousands of wild-growing varieties that exist nowhere else on Earth.

From the 15th century onward, coffee was cultivated in Yemen and consumed as a beverage. Sufi monks drank it to stay awake during nightly prayers. From Yemeni port cities — especially Mocha (al-Mukhā) on the Red Sea — coffee reached the Arab world and eventually Europe.

Via Venice, coffee arrived on the European continent around 1600. The first coffeehouses opened in the mid-17th century in Venice, Oxford, and London. In Germany, it took longer: Berlin’s first coffeehouse appeared around 1721. The colonisation of South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia then spread coffee cultivation around the globe — along the so-called coffee belt between the 23rd parallel north and south.

Ethiopia remains one of the most important coffee exporters and the only country where Arabica grows wild. Ethiopian coffees such as Yirgacheffe and Sidamo are known for their fruity, floral aromas — a flavour profile no other origin offers so distinctly.

At Green Wall Coffee

At our café on Sophienstraße 27 in Berlin-Lichtenberg, we almost always have an Ethiopian coffee on the menu — as filter or espresso. When guests ask “Where does coffee actually come from?”, I like to answer with a cup of Yirgacheffe: one sip, and the floral-fruity aromas tell the story better than any explanation. If you want to taste the cradle of coffee, start here.

Related Questions

• Who discovered coffee? (The Legend of Kaldi)
• When was coffee first drunk in Europe?
• What does Single Origin mean?

More depth on this topic in the article How to Make Perfect Espresso. Or stop by at Sophienstraße 27 — Mon–Fri 8am–5pm, Sat 10am–5pm.