Learn

From learning to your first cup

Read the Ethi CO Journal for new articles on Ethiopian coffee, cascara, Koti and the people and processes behind the cup.

Ready to explore? Start with the seven-variety Discovery Flight, or compare cascara and Koti by flavor.

Discover the Story Beyond the Bean

Coffee is more than the roasted seed in your cup. Its history includes the fruit that surrounds the bean, the leaves of the coffee plant, the farmers who cultivate it, and the communities that have developed ways to use every part of the harvest. Explore how cascara, Koti, and coffee itself reveal a broader, more sustainable coffee culture.

Coffee cherry or coffee leaf?

Compare flavors, blends and brewing styles to find your first cup. Read Cascara vs Koti: Coffee Cherry Tea or Coffee Leaf Tea?

Start with coffee cherry tea

What is cascara, what does it taste like, and how do you brew it? Get to know the coffee cherry, understand caffeine, and choose between pure, floral and spiced blends.

Read our guide to cascara coffee cherry tea

Brew cascara hot or iced

Find the right steeping time for Hashara, Ganda and Harar, adjust your cup’s strength, and make iced coffee cherry tea.

Read the cascara brewing guide

The History of Cascara
Cascara is made from the dried skin and pulp of the coffee cherry. For generations, coffee-growing communities in Ethiopia and across the Red Sea region have dried or brewed coffee fruit, often combining it with spices and other local ingredients. Learn how cascara became a distinctive beverage in its own right, how it is prepared today, and why renewed interest in it is connecting traditional knowledge with modern coffee culture.

Explore Ethiopian coffee leaf tea

Discover Koti, its connection to Ethiopian coffee-leaf traditions, how to brew it, and which pure or botanical blend to try first.

Read our Koti coffee leaf tea guide

Koti: Coffee Leaf Tradition
Koti, also known as coffee-leaf tea or Kuti in some Ethiopian traditions, is made from carefully prepared coffee leaves. Long enjoyed in parts of Ethiopia, it demonstrates that the coffee plant offers more than its fruit and seed. Discover its history, preparation, flavor, and cultural importance, as well as the opportunities it creates for farmers and producers beyond the conventional coffee harvest.

Coffee: From Ethiopia to the World
Ethiopia is widely recognized as coffee’s birthplace, with coffee-growing traditions shaped by diverse landscapes, communities, and ceremonies. Follow coffee’s journey from Ethiopian forests and farms to global cafés, and learn how cultivation, trade, roasting, and brewing have transformed coffee into one of the world’s most important agricultural products.

The Whole Bean Concept: More Than the Bean
The whole bean concept encourages us to value the entire coffee plant and cherry—not only the seed. Using cascara, coffee leaves, and other by-products can reduce waste, create new beverages and ingredients, and broaden the coffee industry’s horizons. It gives coffee lovers more ways to enjoy familiar plants, discover new flavors, and make more informed choices about sustainability.

Benefits for Farmers and Coffee Communities
When more parts of the coffee harvest are used, farmers may gain additional income streams and greater value from the work required to grow, harvest, and process coffee. New products can support local processing, encourage innovation, strengthen rural economies, and reduce the amount of organic material discarded after harvest. Responsible development must include fair compensation, safe processing, environmental care, and respect for the communities whose knowledge makes these traditions possible.

There’s More to Coffee. Come Discover It.