Coffee is a universal beverage, enjoyed from the far west to the far east, including everything in between. It’s become a significant part of many cultures around the world, and a traveller would be hard-pressed to find a country that didn’t serve some kind of traditional caffeinated drink.
Africa, one of the most culturally diverse continents in the world, also boasts a wide variety of various coffees and coffee recipes, almost all of them linked to a specific culture or region. Here we will look at coffee in Africa and how it differs depending on the region.
Kenya
Kenya employs around 6 million people in the coffee industry, but unlike some other African countries, Kenya doesn’t have as long a history with the production of coffee. Coffee has been made in the region since the end of the 19th century, but over the years, it has become a true hotspot for making coffee that gets sent across the world.
Most of the coffee produced here can be found at a high elevation, usually close to Mount Kenya, and it gives the coffee a unique taste that many people liken to black currant. It’s possible to find Kenya-made coffee throughout the globe, and it’s become a staple among the people, but it isn’t quite as popular a drink as it is in Ethiopia, the next entry on the list.
Ethiopia
Believed to be the birthplace of coffee as we know it, Ethiopia is at the top of the list when it comes to African countries that produce the most. There are thousands of varieties that are grown within the country, many of which have not been fully catalogued.
It’s believed that coffee has been grown and exported from the country for the better part of the last thousand years, and currently produce around 3 percent of the global supply, while employing around 15 million of the population – this means that more than a quarter of their entire population is currently working in the Ethiopian coffee industry.
Tanzania
Coffee in Tanzania is grown predominantly on the slopes of their most famous mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro. Tanzania has gained something of an international reputation for the high-quality coffees that it creates that are exemplified by their clean and complex flavours, and a favourite to drink while working or enjoying Ausbet online betting.
While it’s believed that coffee was brought from Ethiopia by the Haya tribe, it became commercialised only after German colonists had moved into the country around a hundred years ago, and coffee is now accounts for around 20 percent of the export income for the country.
Rwanda
Despite its negative reputation from past events, Rwanda has become one of the most successful African countries in recent years, and their coffee industry – despite being just 20 years old – has become an important part of the economy.
Their coffees are almost all speciality-grade brews and tend to have a sweet flavour that covers a range of various profiles. Thanks to the high elevation of the country, coffee grows quickly and produces a lot of fruit each season.