Education | Kilimanjaro Specialty Coffees

Why does the term "Ethiopian Heirloom" hinder the progress of specialty coffee?

5/22/2025

The term "Ethiopian Heirloom" is often considered a catch-all term for Ethiopia's diverse coffee varieties, evoking a sense of tradition and mysticism. However, we have argued for several years that its continued use obscures transparency, undermines traceability, and limits the specialty coffee industry's ability to fully appreciate Ethiopia's genetic diversity.

Proponents of the term "Ethiopian Heirloom" claim that it reflects the complex and indigenous nature of Ethiopian coffee varieties. However, this broad term risks oversimplifying a rich genetic landscape. Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee, is home to between 6,000 and 10,000 distinct varieties, many of which have been studied and catalogued, such as JARC varieties (e.g., 74110, 74112) or regional landraces like Kurume and Dega. Labelling them as "Heirloom" blurs crucial distinctions in flavour, yield, and disease resistance that roasters and farmers need to make informed decisions.

MEET THE PRODUCER: RWANDA GASHARU

9/20/2024

Gasharu Coffee is a specialty coffee producer located in Southern Rwanda. It has gained a reputation in the specialty coffee world for its high-quality beans and commitment to sustainability and community development.

History and Background
Gasharu Coffee is a family-owned business that has been growing coffee for generations. The Gasharu region, located in the Western Province of Rwanda near Lake Kivu, is ideal for coffee cultivation due to its rich volcanic soil, high altitudes, and favourable climate. The family behind Gasharu Coffee has taken advantage of these natural advantages to produce some of Rwanda's finest specialty coffees.

HAVE YOU EVER CUPPED A KENYA NATURAL?

5/9/2024

Previously in Kenya, the natural method of coffee processing was considered low quality and intended for the local market. The production of this type of coffee was carried out with floating cherries (the least dense) from the double fermentation process, which were placed without the slightest care on African beds at the end of the harvest. This type of coffee in Kenya is known as Mbuni. However, Mchana Estate has transformed this concept by introducing a more careful and balanced technique in the production of natural coffees.

Mchana Estate is located in Kiambu County in Kenya. Coffee cherries are harvested between 1800-2150 meters above sea level with an average temperature ranging between 13-25 degrees Celsius. Mchana has a workforce of 172 permanent workers and casual workers vary from 200 to 1,200 per day depending on the season. The largest quantity is produced during the peak harvest season.

THE MYTHS OF KENYAN COFFEE

3/15/2024

As we prepare to receive a new harvest of Kenyan coffee, we realise that there are several misconceptions associated with Kenyan coffee, let's review the most common ones:

1.- There is a misconception that Kenyan coffees are too acidic and unsuitable for use in espresso or milk-based drinks. However, this is simply not true. The acidity level of a coffee can be controlled by adjusting the roast profile. Although some coffees have a higher natural acidity, this can always be reduced by roasting if necessary.

HOW DOES THE BOURBON VARIETY GET TO RWANDA?

12/17/2022

Today in the world of specialty coffee, Bourbon and Typica are the most important Arabica coffee varieties. Recent genetic studies have confirmed that Bourbon and Typica were the seeds brought from Ethiopia to Yemen, and from the latter they spread throughout the world, forming the basis of modern Arabica coffee cultivation.

It was the French who attempted to introduce coffee three times from Yemen to Bourbon Island (now La Réunion), in 1708, 1715 and 1718. Genetic studies have confirmed that only a small number of plants from the second introduction and some from the third introduction they were successful. Until the middle of the 19th century, Bourbon coffee did not leave the island.

IS ORGANIC COFFEE ON A LARGE SCALE POSSIBLE?

9/21/2022

Coffee prices have skyrocketed for various reasons. Among them, the low production due to climate change, the logistical problems of the pandemic, generalized inflation and the war in Ukraine. The latter has considerably reduced access to inputs such as inorganic fertilizers, which has not only increased the costs of coffee production, but has also significantly reduced the profit margin of coffee farmers.

Russia is the world's biggest fertilizer exporter, but its war with Ukraine has disrupted shipments and pushed up prices for natural gas, a key ingredient in fertilizer manufacturing. Ammonium nitrate and urea, the two main sources of nitrogen fertilizer, are the most widely used fertilizers in the world. Fertilizer prices had already more than doubled in the last 18 months, affecting coffee growers around the world.

WHY KENYAN FARMERS ARE GRAFTING RUIRU 11 WITH SL 28?

5/24/2022

Grafting is a horticultural technique whereby plant tissues are joined together to continue growing together. The upper part of the combined plant is called the stem, while the lower part is called the rootstock.

The Ruiru 11 variety was released in 1985. The name of the variety has the prefix "Ruiru" which refers to the location of the Kenya Coffee Research Station where the variety was developed. The variety is not only resistant to CBD and CLR, but is also compact, allowing farmers to intensify production per unit of land.

KENYA'S 5 STEPS TOWARDS QUALITY

4/26/2022

It is frequently pointed out that Kenyan coffees are the best in the world. Also, that its cup profile is unique and that it must always be within certain parameters (blackcurrant, berries, winey, juicy), or else it would not be a good example of a good Kenyan coffee. It seems that the industry has preconceptions about what is a good coffee, and what flavors should be obtained from a certain origin; as if the production of coffee were an exact formula, similar to a highly efficient factory where economies of scale are generated and from which the same result is always obtained.

WHAT DOES "HEIRLOOM" MEANS?

4/2/2019

According to the Cambridge dictionary, the word "Heirloom" has the following meanings:

1.- valuable object that older members of a family have given to younger members of the same family for many years.
2.- a fruit, plant or seed of a type, which has existed for many years.

From a botanical point of view, the definition of an heirloom variety establishes that this must be open-pollinated. Arabica coffee is a self-pollinated crop, so from the very beginning the definition of heirloom doesn’t apply to Arabica coffee.

UNKNOWN HEROES OF THE GENETIC DIVERSITY OF ARABICAS

1/16/2019

Kenya is probably one of the most advanced producing countries, in the study and experimentation with the genetic diversity of Arabicas, and is far ahead of important countries such as Ethiopia for example.

On our last trip to Kenya we met the great "Dr. James", who works at the "Kenya Coffee Research Institute" station in Nyeri. In this place, he explained, how they are performing grafting of Ruiru 11 with SL 28, and the importance of its result for the future of the industry.