A study case on coffee (Coffea arabica): Limu Coffe - IRD

Step 7: Crossing programme. It deals with the development of productive and disease
resistant hybrids through: the crossing of the finally selected varieties (both national and
international selections), the selection of the best performing hybrid at a region, and the
multiplication and distribution of the improved hybrid variety.
1.5) Ethiopian cup profiles
Illustration 6: Localisation of
the nine Ethiopian coffees
and cup profiles
- Harar coffee: Sun dried processed only. Produced in the eastern highlands, it is exported
from Dire Dawa. It is one of the finest premium coffee, and the most famous natural
Ethiopian coffee.
- Yirgacheffe coffee: Washed only. This is the most famous washed Ethiopian coffee,
especially in the United States, with a soft, fragrant and flowery note very distinctive.
- Limu coffee: Washed only. It is renowned for its good cup, sweet, spicy/winey flavour and
balanced body and is therefore sought by many roasters, especially in Europe and United
States. It is one of the premium gourmet coffees worldwide.
- Sidamo coffee: Washed and sun dried processed.
- Gimbi/Lekempti coffee: Washed and sun dried processed. It is an important part of many
roasters’ blends but could be a gourmet single variety.
- Bebeka/Tepi coffee: Washed only. These coffees have less acidity, body and soft flavour
but assist roasters to achieve specific results in their blends.
- Jima coffee: Sun dried processed only. It is the best known Ethiopian coffee by the coffee
industry, and represents the bulk of Ethiopian coffee exports. But it covers a multitude of
south western coffees, as Limu unwashed processed coffee, as well as specialty coffees are
often simply exported as Jima coffee.
16