Mother Coffee – The Original Coffee Tree

May 24, 2012 - PRLog -- You may be forgiven for thinking that coffee actually grows on a bush, which is usually true; coffee tree trunks rarely grow larger than the size of your arm.  If you go deep into the Makira forest in Ethiopia you can find a large tree, much larger than other trees in the area.   The locals have named this Mother Coffee, and it measures approximately 8 inches thick and 20 feet tall.  

Although is you fancy visiting the oldest known coffee tree it is certainly no picnic and will take many hours of hiking through steep, muddy trails through some of the last remaining Afro-montane rain forest in Ethiopia.  

Situated in the southwest corner of Ethiopia is the Kafa region and it is generally regarded as the birthplace of coffee.  Some evidence of this is that the words coffee, café and caffeine are derived from the work ’Kafa’, but this is further proven by the Mother Coffee three which has been growing for hundreds or maybe even thousands of years.  

Ethiopia is a well-known coffee (http://www.espressocoffeeclub.co.uk/) producing country and there are many stories about how coffee was discovered there.  One such legend is that a goat herder named Kaldi noticed his goats behaving strangely after eating coffee berries. After trying them himself, he danced with elation and took the beans to a monk.  The monk became afraid and threw them into a fire, which then sent the delicious aroma of roasted coffee beans throughout the monastery.  After raking the beans out of the fire they distilled the stimulating substance in boiling water and found that this drink renewed their energy and the rest is history!

Now growing some of the best coffees in the world, Ethiopia is proud of its coffee heritage and this is celebrated by generations of women who maintain the tradition of the Ethiopian coffee (http://www.espressocoffeeclub.co.uk/sourcing/) ceremony.  This is a fundamental part of their social and cultural lives and it is considered a mark of respect to be invited to a coffee ceremony, which can take several hours.

It is understandable why coffee holds such a revered place in Ethiopia, with just the growing and picking process involving over 12 million Ethiopians and producing over two thirds of the country’s earning.  Arabica coffee (http://www.espressocoffeeclub.co.uk/ourblends/) beans are the original Ethiopian produce and are world famous fetching some of the highest prices on the world market.  In June 2010, large parts of the wild forests of Kafa were designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in honour of its biodiversity and unique cultural heritage as the origin of Arabica coffee.