Southwestern zone whose forest coffee grows at roughly 1,400 to 2,100 m. Bonga is its administrative center.
Kaffa is a zone in Ethiopia's southwest, combined with Sheka as Keficho Shekicho in 1996 and later separated again, with Bonga as its administrative center. Forest coffee grows there between about 1,400 and 2,100 m. The combined zone produced 10,352 tons of coffee in the year ending 2005, 4.6% of Ethiopia's output, and one guide notes both wet and dry processing in Kaffa.
Field notes
- i
Kaffa and Sheka were separate zones until they were combined in early 1996, and were later divided back into Keffa and Sheka Zones.
- ii
The Kafa Biosphere Reserve was declared in 2010 with Bonga as its nearest city, and the Kafa Zone around it is described as the centre of origin and genetic diversity of wild Coffea arabica.
In the cup, according to guides
- HerbalOften notedOne exporter describes Kaffa lots with herbal tea notes.
- EarthyOften notedThe same exporter lists forest floor and earthy undertones.
Elsewhere in Ethiopia
Sources · 5 Every sentence here was checked against a source we read. Taste notes are what guides describe, not promises about your bag. Last revised 2026-11-10. Some details here are less settled than others.
- Keficho Shekicho Zone (Kaffa Zone) · Wikipedia
- Coffee production in Ethiopia · Wikipedia
- Ethiopian Coffee: Taste, Growing Regions, Production, and Brewing · Colipse Coffee
- Kafa Biosphere Reserve · Wikipedia
- Guide to Ethiopian Green Coffee Origins · Ethio Coffee (exporter)