Review on Factors which Affect Coffee (Coffea Arabica L.) Quality in South Western, Ethiopia
Habtamu Deribe
Citation : Habtamu Deribe, Review on Factors which Affect Coffee (Coffea Arabica L.) Quality in South Western, Ethiopia International Journal of Forestry and Horticulture 2019, 5(1) : 12-19
Coffee is the most important crop in the national economy of Ethiopia and the leading export commodity. Ethiopia is well known not only for being the home of Arabica coffee, but also for it is very fine quality coffee acclaimed for its aroma and flavor characteristics. Coffee quality is of critical importance to the coffee industry. Cup quality is a complex characteristic which depends on a series of factors such as the species or variety (genetic factors), environmental conditions (ecological factors), agronomical practices (cultivation factors), processing systems (postharvest factors), storage conditions, industrial processing, preparation of the beverage and taste of the consumer. However, in Ethiopia the quality of coffee produced by farmers has been deteriorating from time to time. Moreover, factors that determine coffee quality are genotypes, climatic conditions, and soil characteristics of the area, agronomic practices, harvesting methods and timing, postharvest processing techniques, grading, packing, storage conditions and transporting, all contribute either exaltation or deterioration of coffee.