埃塞俄比亞被認為是咖啡發源地(亦有人認為也門/蘇丹才是)，只有Arabica品種，該國生產的可算是世界上最傑出及引人注目的咖啡豆。我們不能忽視咖啡對埃塞俄比亞的重要性：估計有1500萬人民受僱於咖啡行業，埃塞俄比亞極度依賴咖啡作為主要收入來源，它佔全部出口收入近70％。

埃塞俄比亞的咖啡傳統上用的是日曬，但水洗亦變得越來越普遍。現在有至少50％的咖啡都是經過水洗，這處理方法更能突顯該國知名的咖啡花香味。

埃塞俄比亞的咖啡豆中，在Sidamo地區的耶加雪夫(Yirgacheffe)出產的咖啡可算是世界上最好的，而其中水洗咖啡的評價為最高。由於品質出色，它被獨立細分出自己的微產區，而該區域更被埃塞俄比亞政府註冊成為商標。而知名的耶加雪夫咖啡豆就是在這片海拔2000米或以上，既陡峭但又很肥沃的綠地上生長。

於水洗過程中，通常在採摘咖啡的同一天就會去除果肉(通常在傍晚/晚上)，先按重量分為三級(重、中、浮豆)，去除浮豆後利用果肉篩除機去除果肉，進行發酵(通常在16至48小時之間)，水洗後就會在水漕中再分級，然後讓工人(主要是女性)在非洲式棚架(Africa beds)進行日曬乾燥及人手分類。

Only Arabica coffee is cultivated in Ethiopia. And it is widely acknowledged as the birthplace of coffee (to the chagrin of Yemen and Sudan, who have also laid claim), produces some of the most exceptional and dramatic coffees found anywhere in the world. 

Today, one can’t overstate the importance of coffee to the country’s economy. An estimated 15 million Ethiopians are employed by the coffee industry, and Ethiopia is hugely reliant on coffee as a major source of revenue: it accounts for close to 70% of all export earnings.

Coffee in Ethiopia was traditionally dry processed, but wet processing is increasingly becoming more common. 50%, or even more, of coffee in the country is wet processed now, which highlights the delicate, floral notes for which the country’s coffee is known. 

Amongst the many beans grown and harvested in Ethiopia, the ones from the Yirgacheffe region in Sidamo are some of the best in the world. Its exquisite washed coffees are so well-known that it has been sub-divided into its own micro-region, which has been trademarked by the Ethiopian government. This steep, green area is both fertile and high – much of the coffee grows at 2,000 metres and above. 

Washed coffees are generally pulped on the same day that they are picked (usually in the evening/night), sorted into three grades by weight (heavy, medium and floaters), fermented (times vary - usually between 16 and 48 hours), washed and then usually graded again in the washing channels. The beans are then dried on African beds, where they are hand-sorted, usually by women.