Jimma and Limu

Jimma is one of Ethiopia’s biggest coffee zones, in the south-west of Oromia, and Limu (or Limmu) is the name its coffee sells under, after the zone’s Limmu districts. Smallholders grow heirloom arabica in semi-forest gardens around towns such as Agaro and Gera, and the washed coffees are clean and floral.

The short version

• Jimma is the zone; Limu is the coffee name.
• Around 1,900–2,200 metres, in semi-forest gardens.
• Clean and floral: apricot, citrus, almond and cocoa nib.
• Two 95-point washed coffees from Agaro at Coffee Review.
• About 12% of Ethiopia’s coffee, by the last zone figure (2005).

What does Limu coffee taste like?

Clean, floral, gently fruity. One roaster, Casino Mocca, sums up the Limu profile as a clean cup with a subtle citric acidity. Coffee Review’s blind assessments:

Year	Coffee	Process	Score	Notes
2015	Jimma Agaro	Washed	95	Juicy, floral acidity; cacao, nut, lily, strawberry guava, tangerine
2015	Biftu Gudina, Jimma	Washed	92	Honeysuckle, peach, almond, a touch of citrus; brisk, juicy acidity
2017	Limmu Kebena Kossa	Natural	93	Dried strawberry, sandalwood, grappa, cacao nib, spearmint
2018	Limu	Washed	93	Tangerine zest, almond paste, lemon verbena, honeysuckle, apricot
2021	Gera Limu (Gera Farm)	Washed	94	Apricot, almond, cocoa nib, key lime, caramel; very full, syrupy
2022	Nano Genji (Agaro Gera)	Washed	95	Cocoa nib, ginger flower, apricot, pink grapefruit zest, thyme

Source: Coffee Review.

In the 2021 Cup of Excellence, a natural from Gera in Jimma, entered by Tracon Trading, placed 18th with 88.06, the Alliance for Coffee Excellence reports.

Jimma or Limu?

The names overlap. Jimma is the administrative zone; Limu is the coffee name. Casino Mocca says that although Jimma is the politically defined name, Limu describes the coffee profile found in both Jimma and the neighbouring zone of Illubabor. Ethiopia keeps coffee from Harar, Yirgacheffe, Limu, Jimma and Kaffa apart and markets it under each regional name, Wikipedia says.

Jimma is also home to the Jimma Agricultural Research Centre, which has bred disease-resistant, good-tasting varieties and trained farmers since the 1960s, the same roaster notes.

Where and how is it grown?

Mostly on small farms: most farms in Limu are semi-forest systems, typically under a hectare, where farmers hand-pick cherry and deliver it to washing stations, Casino Mocca reports. Examples:

Place	Detail	Source
Nano Challa washing station, Agaro	1,900–2,200 m; a cooperative of 630 members	Elevator Coffee, via The Way To Coffee
Telila washing station, Gera	Genji Challa lot at 2,100 m; local smallholders	Casino Mocca
Limmu Kossa estate	Founded 2000; 356 ha of heirloom coffee under forest shade	Sustainable Harvest
Kata Muduga Cooperative, Agaro Gera	Smallholders’ local heirloom varieties, washed	Coffee Review

The main national harvest runs from October to December, USDA says. In 2025/26, while the south had a smaller crop, the west and south-west, including Jimma and Limmu, had stable to above-average production, helped by well-spread rain and dry weather at harvest, and by new investment in washing stations and commercial farms.

How much coffee does Jimma grow?

The latest zone figure is old. Ethiopia’s Central Statistical Agency reported 26,743 tonnes for Jimma in the year to 2005, from the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority’s inspection records: 23.2% of Oromia’s coffee and 11.8% of Ethiopia’s, making Jimma one of the three top producers with Sidama and Gedeo, Wikipedia says. In Limmu Sakka district alone, more than 5,000 hectares are planted with coffee.

Jimma, Limu and other Ethiopian origins

• Coffee in Ethiopia: the whole country, its harvest and its trade.
• Kaffa: the wild forest coffee of the south-west.
• Guji: high-grown coffee from the south.