Green Coffee Offerings : Africa : Ethiopia


View Our Current Ethiopian Coffees
Upcoming Crop Comments

We have started to cup for our 2012 arrivals, even while we have abundant offerings of amazing wet-process lots from the current crop. We're very excited about our new work with Farm Gate cooperatives, assuring the price to the farmer and coop, traceable to the last penny (or birr, really).


About Ethiopian Coffee

 

The Congo

Map of the Ethiopia

Coffee seedlings distributed free to farmers at a government nursery in the Hararghe region. From my 2008 trip.


Milling dry-process coffee by pounding the heck out of it! Eastern Hararghe region, 2008.

Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee: it is in the forests of the Kaffa region that coffea arabica grew wild. Coffee is "Bun" or "Buna" in Ethiopia, so Coffee Bean is quite possibly a poor anglicized interpretation of "Kaffa Bun". Coffea Arabica was also found in the Harar region quite early, either brought from the Kaffa forests or found closer by. It is entirely possible that slaves taken from the forests chewed coffee berry and spread it into the Harar region, through which the Muslim slave trade route passed.

Ethiopian coffees are available from some regions as dry-processed, from some regions as washed, and from Sidamo as both! The difference between the cup profiles of the natural dry-processed vs. the washed is profound. Washed Sidamo, Yirgacheffe and Limmu have lighter body and less earthy / wild tastes in the cup as their dry-processed kinfolk. Ethiopian coffee reminds me more and more of fresh produce, because when you find a really great coffee like the dry-processed Koratie, it is like eating Michigan peaches at the height of the season. The flavors are amazing, and when it is gone, it is gone. If all the factors line up just right, it might be the same next year, maybe not.

Ethiopian coffees can vary greatly from lot to lot. It takes A LOT of cupping to find the specific lot of coffee that is superior. MAO Horse exports a lot of coffee, but each year one specific "chop" (lot number) out-cups the others. Since lots differ in character, and I do so much to find the best lot, we are now listing the Lot Number in the description of the coffee. When I find that coffee, I buy the majority of the year's coffee immediately, leaving a small opening in case any other good lots come along later in the season. But my experience has been that early shipments of the DP Ethiopians are often the best of the season, in contradiction to many other origins where the earliest are often underdeveloped, lower-grown coffees and the mid-crop pickings are better.

Organic supplies have been good, and a few lots have been outstanding. Here's an interesting article outlining the producers' hopes for the budding Organic Ethiopian coops.

We have many pictures and notes about Ethiopia coffee in our travelogs, namely a cupping trip to Addis and an interesting trek to Dire Dawa and Harar in the east. Tom also attended the Harar Roundtable Conference, and headed south to Sidama and Yirgacheffe in February 2009. Check out the commentary and photos here. I have also been there a few times since - check out the travelogue section of our Coffee Library page.

Coffee Farms:
331,130 peasant farms
19,000 state farm coffee areas
 
Harvest Times:
Washed: August-December
Dry: October to March
Exports all year
Coffee Workers:
about 12 million
Grading,
Processing :

Grade 1= 0-3 defects
Grade 2= 4-12
Most coffee qualifies in these 2 grades, but is exported as grade 4 or 5, presumably for tax reasons (?)

Shade-Grown:
55% light shade
33% medium
17% heavy
Certified Organic:
None certified: all coffee grown organic by tradition
Major Coffee Growing Regions:

Harar,
Sidamo,
Yirgacheffe (in Sidamo),
Limmu,
Djimmah,
Lekempti,
Bebeka

Rank in Production::
2nd in Africa
7th in World
Botanical Cultivars:
Native arabica (arabica coffee is indigenous to Harar)
Introduced:
Coffee grew wild on the Harar plateau before the existence of man, and in Ethiopia that is a long, long, long time ago.

A brief word about the grading of Ethiopian Coffees: The top grade Ethiopian washed coffees (Yirgacheffe and Sidamo, usually) might bear a Grade 2 or 3, dry-processed from the Eastern parts will be 4 or 5 by nature of the preparation method. Oftentimes, a Grade 4 will be marked grade 5 to save on taxes and duties. The whole system is a bit tricky, because you can now have a Grade 1 or 2 natural from Yirga Cheffe, but not from Harar, where the top grade will be Gr. 4 . But we judge coffee by cup quality via blind cupping: not the marks of the bag. Expect uneven roast color from even the best of the dry-processed coffees. Even roast color is not necessarily a mark of high cup quality. NOTE: Some Ethiopian dry-processed coffees are hand prepped and dried in the sun - so watch out for rocks! There can be small stones and dirt clods in the coffee that you need to cull out before roasting and definitely before grinding as these can jam a grinder. A ground up dirt clod can foul an otherwise lovely pot of coffee. (In wet processed coffees the stones fall out in the water channel but in dry processed coffees, small stones can escape detection and make it all the way through to the final bag.) Expect uneven roast colors from dry-processed Ethiopian coffees. In this image of Harar, there is one bean to cull out - pretty obvious.

Our Unroasted Ethiopian Coffee Offerings:

Please refer to our Reference Page for definitions of terms and cupping numbers used below. Check out the Sweet Maria's Coffee Home Roasting Forum for more conversation about home roasting Ethiopian and other coffees.



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Ethiopia Illubabor -Camp Cooperative
$6.95$13.21$30.23$57.69$107.03
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Camp Coffee. I know this will be the source of a few jokes, especially since camp coffee (at least to me) means not-so-tasty coffee that is enjoyable because, well, it's hot, and your camping! Anyway, I have been to the Camp cooperative mill, and I still can't explain the name. It just is. Camp is in the Illubabor district of western Ethiopia. It is not far from the main paved road on the way to Bedele town. I measured the altitude at the Camp mill at 1897 meters, but most of the coffee comes from the higher areas in the vicinity, up to 2100 meters. This lot of Camp is part of a new initiative we have in Ethiopia to work direct at the coop level. The program is administered by a non-government organization that not only coordinates agronomists and managers for each of the coops they work with, but also has a business adviser assigned that helps the cooperative manage their debt, re-invest in quality improvements at the mill, and verifies distribution of income to all members.

Camp has a more balanced fragrance and aroma than other Ethiopias from the area. It is not outrageously floral or fruited at first, with moderate cocoa tones, almond essence, and some dusky wildflower notes. It comes to life adding hot water: a strong sweetness I could characterize as "peach preserves" dominates, with cane sugar juice. The cup has a moderate brightness when you stack it up against other wet-process Ethiopia coffees. It has the peach notes and the same latent floral aspect hinted at in the aroma, but with an overlay of chocolate roast taste and rather dense body. In fact that might be the reason I liked this coffee with a little more roast on it, Full City to Full City+. The chocolate bittersweet tang is really pleasant at this level, while lemon hints come through to vivify the cup flavors. I let one batch go a tad into 2nd crack and really appreciated the SO espresso shot from this, a bit bright, but with a long, reverberating aftertaste.





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The micro-mill system at Camp Cooperative, Illubabor area
Country:
Grade: 2
Region: Illubabor
Mark: Camp Cooperative
Processing: Wet process
Crop: August 2011 Arrival GrainPro Bag
Appearance: .2 d/300gr, 16-18 Screen
Varietal: Heirloom Ethiopia Varietals
Intensity/Prime Attribute:
Roast: Full City to Full City+ had a very nice, developed chocolate roast taste, while brightness still came through.
Compare to: Clean, balanced wet-process Ethiopia coffees.
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Ethiopia Gera Jimma -Nano Challa
$6.85$13.02$29.80$56.86$105.49
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This coffee from Nano Challa Cooperative is part of a new initiative we have in Ethiopia to work direct at the coop level. The program is administered by a non-government organization that not only coordinates agronomists and managers for each of the coops they work with, but also has a business adviser assigned that helps the cooperative manage their debt, re-invest in quality improvements at the mill, and verifies distribution of income to all members. A cooperative can make all kinds of quality improvements, turn out fantastic coffee, and sink deeper in debt all the while. Cooperatives often fail to return a fair and full amount of payment to their farmer-members. Often this is from poor management, and sometimes from graft as well. With this lot we can verify that the great price we paid will result in a fair distribution of funds, a better managed coop, investment in the mill, and even better coffee next year! There will be about 10 coffees we offer this year from this system, Nano Challa being one of the earliest arrivals. This is the second lot of they year from this coop. Nano Challa is in the Gera Woreda, with farm altitudes between 1900 to 2100 meters. I was there in November we brought a home roaster, and powered by car battery and an inverter, held an entire cupping for the coffee farmers!

This coffee is not a powerhouse, but a sweet, bright, clean and refined Ethiopia cup. The dry fragrance has sweet honey and jasmine floral notes, with peach pastry fruit. The wet aroma has jammy apricot fruits, as well as an aroma I can only describe as "almond croissant," sweet and confectionary in character, but mild as well. The cup is juicy and sweet, particularly in the light roasts. City to City+ roasts have a red currant fruit, that shifts toward darker plum and black tea notes at Full City roast level. It has hawthorne flower, but seems more violet-like as the cup cools. Mouthfeel is light and juicy as well. The cup has a bracing brightness especially in the light roasts, and a very well-structured character overall. It's no fruit-bomb Ethiopia coffee, but a retrained and clean cup. Darker roast levels are nice, but seem to lose a little: Full City roast has less fruit and sweetness, with a nice Dutch cocoa roast tone. The finish has a slight dryness, and I notice a few quakers in my test roasts that might be responsible for some of this. It's not that distracting, but removing these few obvious quakers seems to give the finish more polish. The floral and fruit notes intensify as the cup cools, really distinguishing this coffee on the cupping table.





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Mr. Pop Hot, sorting coffee at Nano Challa Coop
Country:
Grade: N/A
Region: Gera Woreda, Agaro, Jimma, West Ethiopia
Mark: Nano Challa Cooperative
Processing: Wet process
Crop: August 2011 Arrival GrainPro Bag
Appearance: .4 d/300gr, 16-18 Screen
Varietal: Hierloom Ethiopia Varietals
Intensity/Prime Attribute:
Roast: City to City+ roast levels have the best sweetness and fruited notes. Full City roast has less fruit and sweetness, with a nice Dutch cocoa roast tone
Compare to: Clean, bright wet-process Ethiopia coffees.
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Ethiopia Limu Jimma -Alaga Sekala
$6.85$13.02$29.80$56.86$105.49
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Alaga Sekala is a cooperative wet mill near Jimma, western Ethiopia. It is actually in a zone that was sold with the appellation of south Limu coffee, hence the hyphenated Limu-Jimma. The station is at 1850 meters with most of the coffee coming from the higher zones surrounding the site, from 1900-2100 meters. It is just down the road from the Wakito Madallu cooperative we also are offering this year, and the coffees have much in common. Alaga Sekala Cooperative is part of a new initiative we have in Ethiopia to work direct at the coop level. The program is administered by a non-government organization that not only coordinates agronomists and managers for each of the coops they work with, but also has a business adviser assigned that helps the cooperative manage their debt, re-invest in quality improvements at the mill, and verifies distribution of income to all members. Of course there is agronomy help and technical assistance, but aiding the coop in business aspects is a key difference with this program. Among the cooperatives here, Alaga Sekala has the distinction of winning a cup quality competition last year, and it is a very nice coffee this harvest too!

This coffee has a lot of peach-apricot fruit notes in the dry fragrance, as well as anise seed and almond essence. Adding hot water, the wet aromatics have even more fruit character, jammy sweet stone fruits, and panela raw sugar. The cup is fairly light in intensity, especially when it is hot. There are jasmine tea notes, and peach pie (...pie crust as well at City+ roast). As it cools the cup gets bolder, with orange peel, and even stronger jasmine notes at City roast, along with hazelnut roast notes. Body is light, but suits the mouth-refreshing character of this coffee.





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Making coffee amongst the coffee trees, Alaga Sekala.
Country:
Grade: 15+
Region: Limu -Jimma zone, West Ethiopia
Mark: Alaga Sekala Cooperative
Processing: Wet process
Crop: September 2011 Arrival -Grainpro Bags
Appearance: .4 d/300gr, 15-18 Screen
Varietal: Hierloom Ethiopia Varietals
Intensity/Prime Attribute:
Roast: City to City+ roast levels are ideal. Darker roasts have nice creamy chocolate tones, but lose some of the fruit and jasmine notes.
Compare to: Similar to the Wakito Madallu lot, since they are in the same zone as each other
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Ethiopia Pulp Natural Process Limu
$6.48$12.31$28.19$53.78$99.79
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We had been using this beautiful coffee in a blend, and thought ... heck, why aren't we selling it a la carte? The issue is that we don't have a lot of information about it's origin. This is a very clean tasting pulp natural process Limu area coffee from the mysteriously-named Helen Gebrenigus exporter. Pulp natural lurks somewhere between the traditional methods of wet-process and dry-process coffees. With a pulp natural, the cherry comes in from the farms and is pulped (skin removed) immediately. Instead of fermenting off the sticky mucilage of the fruit, it is laid directly onto raised beds. It must be distributed in a thin layer and turned often, especially in the initial days of drying. This coffee was from a private farm and then traded through the ECX exchange, which is why we don't know it's exact source. I have a feeling the exporter knows, because she told us some details of processing this lot, that they shade-dry initially. But if she knows, she is not telling. In any case, we love the cup quality, and that is the most important factor.

The cup has the consistent and uniform nature of a wet-process coffee, and some of the interesting fruited notes of a dry-process. The dry fragrance has peach and meyer lemon fruit, which honey graham cracker in the lighter roast. The wet aroma is fantastic, with unique citrus and stone fruit notes, peach, apricot, and hints of mango. There is a more pungent scent in the Full City roast, and a bit of herbal lemon grass on the break. The cup has feature of both a wet- and dry-process coffee as well. It's a bit brighter than most naturals, but certainly has the fruited notes and body of that process method. Layers of fruit, already listed in the aroma, add complexity. Spice and herbal notes (coriander, and lemon grass again) are present, distinguishing this from a wet process coffee, as well as a fairly thick, opaque mouthfeel. The sweetness is like honey in the light roast, while there is a slightly drying chaff-like note in the finish. It seems to roast well at any level, shifting to a more bass-note cup at Full City+.





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Old coffee trees in Limu, from my trip this year.
Country:
Grade: 3
Region: Limu Kossa, West Ethiopia
Mark: None
Processing: Pulp natural process
Crop: September 2011 Arrival GrainPro Bag
Appearance: .2 d/300gr, 16-18 Screen
Varietal: Local Ethiopia cultivars
Intensity/Prime Attribute:
Roast: City+ to Full City+ all work well for this unique coffee.
Compare to: With some aspects of both wet- and dry-process coffees, this is unique in character. Works well in espresso as well.
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Archived Reviews

To view reviews for out of stock coffees, visit our Ethiopia Coffee Archives.


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