Forest coffees

How to Choose Forest Coffee: What You Really Need to Know

Choosing an Ethiopian forest coffee means embracing a certain degree of unpredictability. And that is precisely part of what makes these coffees so distinctive.

What Is the Difference Between Forest Coffee and Plantation Coffee?

The main difference lies in how the coffee trees grow. In Ethiopia's primary forests, Coffea arabica grows at its own pace beneath a dense natural canopy, often at altitudes ranging from 1,800 to 2,200 metres. There are no uniform rows or standardised growing conditions. The roots develop in living soils rich in microorganisms and organic matter accumulated over decades.

Coffee trees such as those found at KSF Old Trees, some of which are more than a hundred years old, produce relatively small quantities of coffee cherries but can offer remarkable aromatic concentration and complexity that are difficult to reproduce in standardised plantations.

Flavour Profiles: What Can You Expect in the Cup?

With their remarkable complexity, Ethiopian forest coffees offer flavour profiles that few coffee-growing regions can match. Intense floral notes often appear first, particularly jasmine and orange blossom, followed by ripe stone fruits such as peach and apricot. Some coffees may also reveal subtle wine-like notes reminiscent of natural Burgundy wines.

Ethiopia is widely recognised as the birthplace of Arabica coffee and is home to an extraordinary genetic diversity of heirloom coffee varieties.

Yirgacheffe Banko Gotiti, for example, offers a bright, vibrant acidity with almost citrus-like notes, followed by a silky texture in the finish. Yeti Organic, by contrast, leans towards deeper fruit flavours and natural sweetness. These distinctive profiles demonstrate the remarkable diversity found within Ethiopian coffee.

Which Grind Size and Brewing Method Should You Choose?

A forest coffee is particularly well suited to gentle brewing methods that highlight its delicate aromas. Filter brewing is an excellent choice: V60, Chemex or French press can all reveal different aspects of the coffee depending on your preferences.

For a first tasting, filter methods can make it easier to appreciate the floral, fruity and delicate characteristics of these coffees. Espresso can also produce interesting results, but its concentrated extraction creates a very different expression in the cup.

Fresh grinding is particularly important. Coffee begins to lose some of its volatile aromatic compounds after grinding and once the bag has been opened. For the best results, grind your beans shortly before brewing and store them in their original packaging, properly sealed and protected from light, heat and moisture.

Why Does Forest Coffee Help Preserve Forest Ecosystems?

Choosing an Ethiopian forest coffee can contribute to making forest conservation economically sustainable for the communities that depend on these ecosystems. When coffee growing provides producers with a viable source of income, maintaining coffee trees within forest environments can create an economic incentive to preserve these landscapes rather than convert them to other forms of agriculture.

For this model to work over the long term, value must be shared fairly throughout the coffee supply chain. Agroforestry and forest coffee therefore represent two complementary approaches to a coffee industry in which agricultural production and ecosystem preservation can develop together.

Terres de Café has followed this approach since its foundation by Christophe Servell, integrating environmental considerations, long-term relationships with producers and responsible sourcing into its coffee selection process.

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