Top 5 Best Ethiopian Coffee Beans for Coffee Lovers
Ethiopian coffee stands out with its unique fruity notes and floral hints. You might catch a whiff of blueberries or indulge in a chocolate aftertaste. Either way, it’s going to be unlike any coffee you ever tasted!
So, it’s important that you start with authentic Ethiopian coffee. We’ll talk about five different coffees of Ethiopian origin today. They’re sourced directly from Yirgacheffe, Sidama, and Goma Woreda.
It takes one sip to get hooked to Ethiopian coffee. And what do you know- there might be a full-on Ethiopian coffee ceremony at your place every day!
The best Ethiopian coffee isn’t the same for every person, which is why we mentioned roasts and flavor profiles with each coffee pack below. Keep reading!
5 Best Ethiopian Coffee Reviews
After searching high and low, we’ve finally come up with five freshly sourced and organic Ethiopian coffees, and this is what we think about them!
IMAGE | PRODUCTS NAME | CHECK PRICE |
 | Organic Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Medium Roast | |
 | Volcanica Ethiopian Coffee, Whole Bean | |
 | Marley One Love Ethiopian Medium Roast Coffee | |
 | Cooper's Light Roast Ethiopian Coffee | |
 | Wild Organic Sidamo Medium Roast |
01. Organic Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Medium Roast
If you want a taste of original Ethiopian coffee, Fresh Roasted Coffee has ten flavors for you to try! We liked their medium roast Yirgacheffe coffee a lot. Its fruity flavor leaves a refreshing aftertaste in your mouth.
Organic Ethiopian Yirgacheffe by Fresh Roasted Coffee is the best yirgacheffe coffee for us. And we have plenty of reasons to show for it. Among all the Yirgacheffe coffees we researched, this organic coffee is the most flavorful.
Its fruity characters are made up of sweet tangerine, lime, and lemon tea. You can enjoy this coffee bean in several different ways- the first one being the traditional Ethiopian pour-over!
As French press lovers with a mood for espresso every now and then, we liked everything about its rich flavor profile. We found its packaging to be quite nice.
But what we liked, even more, is that you get a recipe for every type of brew- be it espresso, french press, cold brew, or a simple pour-over. They’re all written at the back, and we personally found them very helpful.
Did you know that coffee grown in high elevations packs the most compelling flavors? In that case, you’ll like the fact that these beans are collected from 1,650-2,500 meters above mean sea level! This whole bean coffee is now available from 12 ounces to 2lbs. packs. Give it a go!
02. Volcanica Ethiopian Coffee, Whole Bean
Nothing gets you through a rough day like a hot cup of joe. When it’s from Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia, you know you’re in for the finest coffee in the world! If you’re a fan of whole beans, Volcania will be a good fit for you!
We recommend the Volcanica Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee for three reasons. First, it’s roasted, packed, and sealed immediately. So, the taste is remarkable and fresh compared to any other coffee. Right now, it’s available in ground coffee and whole bean variations.
Go for whole beans if you like to try a different brew every day. Besides, the best thing about these Ethiopian coffee beans is you can grind them down to coarse, medium, or fine ground. We like to have that versatility in our coffee ourselves.
As for its taste profile, you get an earthy body with flavorsome notes of lemon, blackberry, and blueberry. Coffee connoisseurs would sometimes relate this fruity flavor to Ethiopian Sidamo coffee. But the floral textures in this single-origin Ethiopian coffee are an easy giveaway.
Moving forward, this organic coffee goes well with raw honey. It also makes the most delectable cold brew. The brand is fair trade certified; the beans are also sustainably sourced from crazy high altitudes! Overall, Volcania is as good as Ethiopian coffee can get!
03. Marley One Love Ethiopian Medium Roast Coffee
We love a cup of Marley medium-roast coffee any time of the day. It has a full-bodied Ethiopian coffee taste. And the best part? This is a pack of 24 pods that fits any Keurig K-Cup brewer perfectly!
We personally love Arabica coffee for its acidic yet floral flavors. Marley, on the other hand, tastes more balanced and fruitier. It’s going to be a breath of fresh air to your taste buds like it had been to many of our friends. The exotic berry notes coupled with the soft hint of cocoa sure taste incredible!
Especially if you’re new to Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee and the acidity feels way too overpowering, Marley One Love should definitely win you over. Marley Buffalo Soldier is on the medium-to-dark side, but for the decaf lovers out there, Marley Simmer Down is the way to go.
Marley is inspired by Bob Marley’s love for nature, and it works with native coffee farmers from Ethiopian coffee regions on a broad scale. Marley, it’s the only brand in the coffee industry to offer five different roasts from Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee.
Honestly, it’s one of the reasons why we wanted to test Marley out. So far, we’re not disappointed. If your coffee-drinking habit is as bad as ours, you’ll instantly love these coffee pods. They should fit your Keurig coffee maker without any trouble.
04. Cooper’s Light Roast Ethiopian Coffee
Cooper’s is a brand you can turn to for the top Ethiopian coffees. If you ask us, we’re going to go with their light roast coffee for its palatable taste.
First of all, the beans are freshly roasted from handpicked coffee plants. They also have experienced roastmasters who take care of every detail. No wonder you get that real honey and floral nectar flavor from this light roast.
Cooper’s source their beans from farms in Goma Woreda. The place is six thousand and five hundred feet high from sea level. And you know how it is with these coffee beans. The higher the altitude, the better!
We like coffee beans that are roasted in small batches. Why? The roast is more even this way; the coffee doesn’t feel burned, dry or over-extracted.
And at least you know they hadn’t been sitting on the shelf for ages, right? The flavors are fresh; they’re bold and rich. It’s all the more reason to like Cooper’s single-origin coffee!
From the moment you take the first sip, you’ll know how clean it feels on your tongue. The taste is delightfully balanced and not at all bitter. Just brew it cold, and you would taste bright-fruited notes of lemon tart and honey.
05. Wild Organic Sidamo Medium Roast
Among all the Ethiopian coffee types, Sidamo coffee is more famous for its acidic citrus notes. Guess what? Wild perfectly captures that in their Organic Sidamo roasts!
Wild maintains the highest level of purity in their Ethiopian beans. They source the beans directly from the farmers and roast them in Austin, USA.
Like Cooper’s, Wild also runs their coffee production in small batches. However, if you enjoy a complex flavor profile, do start with Wild’s coffee!
First of all, Wild collects each Ethiopian bean from 7,000 ft high farms. The cold weather packs more flavors in the beans. Moreover, their organic farming methods make sure that you taste the Ethiopian flavor profile from every sip.
It’s very common for garden coffees to lose their fruity textures after getting washed. This is something we experienced with most of the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee beans that didn’t make it to our list. Wild Coffee’s medium roast was an easy pick for us. Its notes are brilliantly bright and clean.
What to Consider Before Buying Ethiopian Coffees
Ethiopia is one of the biggest coffee-producing countries in the world. The rich Ethiopian coffee culture goes back to 850 AD. As a coffee lover, you might feel inclined to try Ethiopian coffee brands. Here are a few things to keep in mind!
Flavors & Notes
All Ethiopian coffee types have different flavor profiles. For example, the coffee grown in Yirgacheffe has distinct floral and fruity notes. It’s full to medium-bodied with ample acidity. Sidamo is the second most popular one among Ethiopian coffee regions.
Yirgacheffe Vs. Sidamo
Sidamo coffee tends to be on the citrusy side. Yirgacheffe coffees share strong floral, fruity, and dark chocolate notes. What’s common in both types of Ethiopian coffee is a blueberry, lemon, and winy aftertaste.
However, which flavors you can actually taste will depend on your grind, extraction process, and final brew.
Light Roast
Coffee lovers say that the top Ethiopian coffee beans are the medium-roasted ones. First, they have a winy aftertaste with lots of floral notes. They’re the right amount acidic and fruity for the finest coffees. You can still name the flavors because they’re neat.
Medium Roast
Medium-dark tastes complex, while dark-roast is bittersweet all the way. Unless you have a special affinity towards either, the medium is the safest choice. At least for Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, considering how naturally acidic coffee beans are from those regions.
You might get a natural mocha flavor from dark roast coffee. If that’s something you enjoy, go for it!
Elevation
When you see how elevated Ethiopian coffee regions are on the package, don’t mistake them for free geography lessons. The thing is- the best coffee is sourced from altitudes as high as four thousand feet from sea level. It’s because the cold climate directly affects the coffee plant and the quality of coffee beans.
Brands like Volcanica, Wild, and Cooper’s source their beans from extremely high altitudes.
Production
Coffee beans are super sensitive to outside factors, and the way manufacturers handle them affects their quality. We prefer sun-dried or bed-dried beans to mechanically dried ones.
You also need your Ethiopian beans to arrive in small batches. Look for brands that have Specialty Coffee Association, SCA-trained roast masters on board.
Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffees are also available in pods other than the usual whole bean and ground coffee versions.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What’s special about Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee beans?
Ethiopia shares some geographical advantages, such as a coffee-friendly climate and accessible high-altitude areas.
Yirgacheffe is an Ethiopian region, and Yirgacheffe beans have a unique flavor profile. It’s mostly blueberry, blackberry, lemon, and wine. Dark-roast beans have a dark chocolate aftertaste, and the light roasts brim with neat fruity flavors.
- Which brand has authentic Ethiopian coffee beans?
We can name a few like Fresh Roasted Coffee, Cooper’s, Wild, and Volcanica. If you like your coffee medium dark and Ethiopian at the same time, try the wet-processed organic whole beans by Volcanica.
Cooper’s grow their coffee beans in Goma Woreda- a 6,500′-high Ethiopian region. It’s also a Fair-Trade certified brand, so you know it’s authentic.
- What does Sidama coffee taste like?
Compared to Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, Sidama coffee has a citrusy, floral character and sometimes the sweetness of raisins. It’s low on acidity and tastes bright as well.
Yirgacheffe beans are aromatic, floral, and much more acidic. They go well with cardamom and honey.
Conclusion
We can say with some certainty that today’s selections will find a way to your heart! They’re organic, full-bodied, and rich in flavors.
But, if we are to pick a favorite, we’ll choose the Yirgacheffe roast by Fresh Roasted Coffee. It’s a single-origin coffee sourced from the Gedeo Zone in Ethiopia.
We’re in love with its lingering notes of citrus and the fruity aftertaste. It’s as acidic as Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffees should be and is hands-down the best Ethiopian coffee for us.
Volcanica wins the second spot with its luxurious blueberry notes and earthy body. We also like the Marley coffee pods for our Keurig.
![Best Espresso Machine with Grinder [Top Picks Reviews & Ultimate Buying Guide]](https://coffeenatic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/best-espresso-machine-with-grinder.jpg)
