Where Does Coffee Originally Come From?

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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. 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 home to by far the largest wild Arabica populations (smaller ones exist in South Sudan and Kenya). Ethiopian coffees such as Yirgacheffe and Sidamo are known for their fruity, floral aromas — a flavour profile no other origin offers so distinctly. At our café on Sophienstraße 27 in Berlin-Lichtenberg, Ethiopia is part of our house blend Dark & Twisty, together with Brazil, Colombia and Peru. If you want to get to know the floral, fruity side of Ethiopia on its own, look for a washed coffee from Yirgacheffe or Sidamo when buying beans. Feel free to drop by for a coffee — Green Wall Coffee, Sophienstraße 27 in Berlin-Lichtenberg, Mon–Fri 8am–5pm and Sat 10am–5pm.

Where Does Coffee Originally Come From?

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