Green Coffee Descriptions

Detailed Descriptions of Sweet Maria's Green Coffees

On this page: African and Indonesian Coffees

Follow this link for Central and South American coffees.

Follow this Link for Indian, Oceanic, Exotic, Blends and Decafs.

All information is intended for reference, comparison and entertainment. Cupping results are based on my tastes and opinions; yours should differ. I gently insist that you read the reference page for interpreting terms and numbers used below ...if not you will invariably draw odd conclusions!

African Coffees

Country:

Ethiopia

Grade:

Region:

Ghimbi

Mark:

Horse

Processing:

Dry

Crop:

97/98

Appearance:

2d/300gr

16+scr

Varietal:

Very Longberry

Frag/Aroma:

1/ 1

Notes: Now here's a Grade 5 to be proud of. Nice "present crop" Ghimbi (friend of pony pal pokey?) is clean with exceptionally long longberries in it, and green looking for a DP Ethiopian. Ghimbi has been called "poor man's Harar" because it doesn't have the soaring aromatics that make good Harar so tea-like. But Ghimbi is great coffee, with ample body, fine aromatics and a nice touch of earth. In fact, it is not my top pick in blind Harar cuppings, but does SURPASS some Harar samples (not the ones I sell, of course). It's a great base for espresso blends or a contributor. I like it as a straight roast. It is a bitter coffee (remember, all coffee classifies as sour, salty, sweet or bitter --the 4 Primary Taste Sensations --bitter is good), so it produces good chocolate flavor when roasted properly.

Acidity:

Body:

Flavor:

Aftertaste:

Roast: Full City, or darker. At City, you catch some more delicate qualities too.

Overall:

21.5

Compare to: other DP Ethiopians, especially Harar and Sidamo, and to good DP Brazil in a funny way -Brazil is sweeter.

(Here's the Horsey Picture. Horse is the mark of an exporter known for quality

and offered by the nice brokers at Royal Coffee.

That is why I pass the mark, so boldly emblazoned on every bag, to you!)

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 will be 4 or 5 by nature of the prep. method. Oftentimes, a Grade 4 will be marked grade 5 to save on taxes and duties. The whole system is very unreliable and seemingly arbitrary. The Harars we have right now are beautiful , the Djimma is not, but both are Grade 5. Another Note: ALL Ethiopian coffees are PASSIVE ORGANIC (Uncertified)

Country:

Ethiopia

Grade:

Region:

Harar

Mark:

None

Processing:

Dry

Crop:

Appearance:

4d/300gr

16/17scr

Varietal:

Traditional Moka Longberry

Frag/Aroma:

1/ 2

Notes: Harar is considered a great Ethiopian coffee. The Harar region is the birthplace of coffee, where it grew wild on the slopes for centuries before it's special properties were fully known.

This Harar is sourced from the respected San Francisco brokerage of Erna Knutsen, who, along with Alfred Peet, formed the Adam and Eve of Specialty Coffee on the West Coast in the '60s. It is a cleaner Harar (less must and earth in the cup) than Harars we had from the 97/8 crop, which had more body but less of the prized fruity Harar acidity than this one does.

Acidity:

Body:

Flavor:

Aftertaste:

Roast: City, Full City, or darker. Like other DP Ethiopians, these are versatile coffees. Expect roasts to be uneven in color.

Overall:

Compare to: other DP Ethiopians, like DP Sidamo.

Country:

Ethiopia

Grade:

Region:

Harar

Mark:

Horse

Processing:

Dry

Crop:

98/99

Appearance:

5d/300gr

16/17scr

Varietal:

Longberry

Frag/Aroma:

3/ 2

Notes: The Harar imported under the Horse mark has a lighter body, and more fruity (raspberry) and flowery enzymatic aromas. The only reason Horse is included here in the title is that this importer (Mohamed Abdullahi Ogsadey -see his gertificate found in each bag above) is discriminating in the sourcing of his coffees.But exporters mark is still not enough: While I always cup the Horse offerings, I passed on the last two samples of Harar Horse cause they lacked the bouquet of aromas I had hoped for. I was thrilled whn the first container from the 98/99 crop cupped like this ...so here it is! In fact, I was worried subsequent containers will not be this good, and completely confident I was tasting everything I want in a Harar in *this* cup, I bought a heavy supply from these chops (lot marks) .Since the light fruity acidity and flowery aroma is the halmark of fine Harar coffees, we consider this one to have better "origin character", the qualities that typify a coffee's origin, than our other Harar. What ...you don't use Harar in your espresso blend --are you nuts?

Acidity:

6.5

Body:

Flavor:

Aftertaste:

7.5

Roast: I prefer a light roast to highlight all the fruit notes. Roast City, through first crack and stop before 2nd crack. As with other DP Ethiopian and Yemeni coffees, EXPECT uneven roast colors within a batch. DO NOT cull out light beans.

Overall:

24.25

Compare to: other XLNT DP Ethiopians, good Yemeni coffees.

Country:

Ethiopia

Grade:

Region:

Limmu

Mark:

Horse

Processing:

WASHED

Crop:

Appearance:

1d/300gr

15/16scr

Varietal:

Traditional Moka

Frag/Aroma:

2/ 2

Notes: Basically, I cupped this specific washed Limmu against all other Yirgacheffe samples, and except for the particular lot of Horse Yirgacheffe we offer, it beat the others hands down. This Limmu will easily surpass washed Sidamos, and our one broker even thinks it is better than the Yirgacheffe we sell ...but I don't; there's just a tangerine peel twist to the acidity of the Yirg. that distinguishes it. But its close! And geographicaly close too; Limmu is adjacent to Sidamo/Yirgacheffe. Another taste I have noted more lately is a honeysuckle like sweetness, very soft and pleasant.

Acidity:

Body:

Flavor:

Aftertaste:

Roast: Don't you dare roast this into second crack! I think this coffee is best air roasted just through first crack, then rested a couple or three days

Overall:

Compare to: washed Ethiopians: Yirgs, tea-like Harars

Country:

Ethiopia

Grade:

Region:

Sidamo

Mark:

Horse

Processing:

Dry

Crop:

98/99

Appearance:

1d/300gr

16scr

Varietal:

Longberry

Frag/Aroma:

2/ 2

Notes: Several key points here: this is NOT washed Sidamo. DP coffees have more body, more wild earthy flavors, and oftentimes more "regional character." Washed Sidamos can be excellent, or very blah, insipid. I love this DP Sidamo coffee. The prep is excellent; its very longberry varietal. The body is excellent. The fruitiness is there; dried apricot flavors, and its zested with a bit of citrus too. Did you know that Yirgacheffe is a town in the Sidamo region? Don't fret, I just found that out a few weeks ago. Sidamo is a high plateau (6000 ft) north of Harar. This is in our Moka Kadir blend, and is an excellent espresso constituent. See roast recommendation below! Also, expect uneven color in the final roast, and DONT worry about that! Its the nature of DP Ethiopian and Yemeni coffees.

Acidity:

Body:

Flavor:

Aftertaste:

Roast: There are delicate apricot fruit notes lost as the coffee approaches 2nd crack or passes into it. Roast it as light as possible, just through first crack OR go ahead and roast dark just for chocolatey and spicy notes.

Overall:

23.5

Compare to: other great DP Ethiopians.

Country:

Ethiopia

Grade:

Region:

Yirgacheffe

Mark:

Horse

Processing:

WASHED

Crop:

Appearance:

2d/300gr

14/16scr

Varietal:

Traditional

Frag/Aroma:

2/ 2

Notes: Wow. Yirgacheffe will beat you with a flower. It's delicate and mild, and is so amazing and impressive at the same time. I cupped Yirgs hard this season, with so many blah samples arriving. Many were less than washed Sidamos. (Yirgacheffe is a town in Sidamo region, a high plateau north of Harar ...Yirg. should mean "highest quality, most fruity acidity" compared to washed Limmu and washed Sidamo --or else the name doesn't mean anything at all!) But his stuff changed my mind. Even in roasting and grinding you can smell that sublime citrus. Leof it cool to room temp. to get a full sse of the "tangerine peel" notes in the acidity. The second best Yirg I had was not... it was a Limmu and it will be arriving mid to late Jan 99.

Acidity:

Body:

Flavor:

Aftertaste:

Roast: Don't you dare roast this into second crack!

Overall:

23.5

Compare to: Washed Limmu, Sidamo and Yirgs, tea-like Harars

Country:

Kenya

Grade:

Region:

Slopes of Mt Kenya

Mark:

Gaturiri Farm

Processing:

Washed

Crop:

Main Crop 98

Appearance:

0d/300gr

16scr

Varietal:

NOT

Riuri 11

Frag/Aroma:

2/ 3

Notes: Kenya is 1 of 2 countries that grades coffee by screen size (the other is Colombia). Screen is not very relevent to cup quality! This AB Grade Kenya can kick most AA's in the hiney! It is a full-bore bright coffee, with enough lemony acidity to cook raw fish and a neat lemon-peel zest in the finish. Behind that is good roast taste "chocolate", which makes this coffee ideal for those who want to take their Kenya into an aggressive full city roast (a tad into 2nd crack). While this coffee's AA version topped www.coffeereview.com's Kenya cupping (and given that AA and AB's dont differ much in the cup) I differ with their cupping results. This is a powerful lemony / tangy coffee! It is a THRILL to cup!

Acidity:

Body:

Flavor:

Aftertaste:

Roast: City-Full City for maximum character, but a coffee this powerful wont hide behind darker roast tastes either.

Overall:

26.5

Compare to: other estate Kenyans, powerful Zambians or Zimbabwes, Malawi. If you like powerful Centrals, you need to explore these coffees too.

Country:

Kenya

Grade:

Region:

Kirinyaga

Mark:

Kirinyaga

Processing:

Washed

Crop:

98/99 Main Crop

Appearance:

0 d/300gr

16/17scr

Varietal:

not new hybrids

Frag/Aroma:

2 / 2

Notes: Kirinyaga is the name of a particular exporter who adopted the name of the subregion the coffee comes from. Like a vinter blends from specific areas of a vineyard to produce the farms wine, Kirinyaga blends from this region. The results are a MORE consistent cup from year to year than auction-lot estate Kenyas*, and an excellent cup at that! Along with plenty of black currant, I get a hint of caraway and a wild leatheryness too. This coffee is powerful, and can take on a broader range of roasts without relinquishing its origin character to roast tastes.

*this is why we don't buy from the same Kenya farms from year-to-year; Gaturiri may be explosive in 97/98 (it was) and a dud in 98/99

Acidity:

Body:

Flavor:

Aftertaste:

Roast: While peak origin character is found in City roasts or Full City up to the verge of 2nd crack, this coffee can handle a more aggressive roast too.

Overall:

Compare to: Fruity auction-lot Kenyas, but NOT to those generic lots of "Kenya AA" --much better than that!

Country:

Kenya

Grade:

Region:

Slopes of Mt Kenya

Mark:

Kiungu Farm

Processing:

Washed

Crop:

Main Crop 98

Appearance:

0d/300gr

16/17scr

Varietal:

NOT

Riuri 11

Frag/Aroma:

2/ 3

Notes: We were lucky to get another stock of Kenya AA from the Main Crop at a time when the second picking, called the Fly Crop, is arriving. And then it's an estate coffee, Kiungu, that I cupped very vigorously against 8 competing samples, some generic AA, 4 other estates too. Kiungu is the most powerful; the acidity will make you pucker but there's depth and aftertaste too. It has a cranberry/lemony acidity, sharp and sweet t the same time. It strikes you at the tip and down the center of the tongue ..that's the nippyness of high acidity. Very nice stuff, fair price for a great Kenya AA ...no flies. I have also seen this coffee called Kiunyu on the coffeereview.com web site recently... dont ask me why, Kiungu is correct.

Acidity:

Body:

Flavor:

Aftertaste:

Roast: City-Full City for maximum character, but a coffee this powerful wont hide behind darker roast tastes either.

Overall:

25.5

Compare to: other estate Kenyans, powerful Zambians or Zimbabwes, Malawi. If you like powerful Centrals, you need to explore these coffees too.

Country:

Kenya

Grade:

Region:

Slopes of Mt Kenya

Mark:

Mweiga Farm

Processing:

Washed

Crop:

Main Crop 98

Appearance:

0d/300gr

16/17scr

Varietal:

NOT

Riuri 11

Frag/Aroma:

1/ 2

Notes: In my initial cuppings of Kenyas this year, I passed up the Mweiga in favor of the Kiungu because I couldnt afford to buy both at the time, and Kiungu had a more typical and straightforward character for a Kenyan. But I was happy to have a chance to buy Mweiga at a better price a couple months later, and the cuppings after it arrived confirmed that this is a great Kenya! It has a blackberry acidity, a wonderful body with nice chocolate roast tastes emerging as the fruit in the acidity passes. This coffee has depth and resonates between its flavors ...just a real thrill to cup!

Acidity:

Body:

Flavor:

Aftertaste:

Roast: City-Full City for maximum character, but a coffee this powerful wont hide behind darker roast tastes either. Excellent roast tastes develops if allowed to go a few snaps in to 2nd crack.

Overall:

Compare to: other estate Kenyans, powerful Zambians or Zimbabwes, Malawi. If you like powerful Centrals, you need to explore these coffees too.

Country:

Uganda

Grade:

Region:

Bugisu

Mark:

Processing:

Washed

Crop:

Appearance:

0d/300gr

17scr

Varietal:

Frag/Aroma:

1/ 2

Notes: Uganda is right next to Kenya (the coffees are very different though), on the equator, has similar altitude and climate. Why haven't we been enjoying this incredible coffee in the US for so many years? Genocide that targeted mountain peoples, driving small plot coffee farmers from their lands is one prime reason. Trade embargos is another. It takes years to rebuild an arabica crop, and this AA is some of the most wonderful coffee I have tasted from Uganda (last years E grade sample didn't cut the mustard). It is a deep toned coffee with syrupy body and intensly chocolatey taste. I was told it could be used as a Java coffee in a Moka-Java blend, but it doesn't have that hint of sweetness in the low tones ...intead it is pungent and very pleasantly earthy. Depth ...that's the keyword here, and I love deep coffees I can taste time and time again, discovering new tastes emerging from the dark brew.

Acidity:

Body:

Flavor:

Aftertaste:

Roast: City, Full City, or dark. Best tastes at Full City.

Overall:

Compare to: Java, Timor, Papua New Guinea ...NOT Kenya

Country:

Zambia

Grade:

Region:

Kapinga

Mark:

Chisoba Estate '98

Processing:

Washed

Crop:

Appearance:

0d/300gr

16/17scr

Varietal:

Frag/Aroma:

2/2

Notes: Zambian coffees were the topic of many conversations at the SCAA conference in Denver last year. I sampled it there, and cupped samples later. I wasn't too thrilled. I received samples of this Chisoba Estate coffee in October 98 and decided to give it another try, cupping it against 4 other Zambian and 1 Zimbabwe sample in my "green coffee library." It was derfinitely the best one from the first slurp of the cupping, but what was so remarkable was the aftertaste. I kept going back to the unmarked sample cup that proved to be Chisoba, and rai the on my cupping sheet after each visit. The green coffee has a very unique appearance. I have seen few samples so neatly prepared but with so much chaff tenatiously clinging to the seed.

Acidity:

Body:

Flavor:

Aftertaste:

Roast: Full City, to the verge of 2nd crack but not into it.

Overall:

Compare to: good Zimbabwe, milder but complex Kenya

Country:

Zimbabwe

Grade:

Region:

Mark:

Canterbury

Processing:

Washed

Crop:

Appearance:

0d/300gr

16/17scr

Varietal:

Frag/Aroma:

1/2

Notes: Coffees from the southernmost regions of Africa are similar, but so uniquely spiced and laced with frut in the aromatics, that each one deserves special consideration. Zimbabwes have been a favortie of mine since the time when I first encountered them as a roaster in New Orleans. The you would find me almost apologizing to customers about a my love for a particular shipment of Zimbabwe we had," it's so good ....I never heard of it ...it doesnt look good, but it really is." Anyway, Zimbabwe has staked a claim for itself since then, but frankly a lot of samples I received this year were dead as wet cardboard. I while for this stuff to show up, brokered through New York, and it really dusted all the West Coast samples I received, both new and past crop. It has good fruit, excellent depth, and is long on the aftertaste. A customer came in this week and said, " I don't know why but that roasted coffee you sold me last week ...the african stuff ...it was really good..."

Acidity:

6.5

Body:

Flavor:

Aftertaste:

Roast: Full City, to the verge of 2nd crack but not into it.

Overall:

22.25

Compare to: Zambian, Kenya

Country:

Zimbabwe

Grade:

PB+

Region:

Mark:

ZMT

Farm?

Processing:

Washed

Crop:

98/99

Appearance:

0 d/300gr

BIG scr

Varietal:

Frag/Aroma:

1/2

Notes: This big beautiful Peaberry was a very pleasant suprise ...so pleasant that I knew it would sell out of the brokerage soon, so I bought a really good supply of it! It has a farm name on the bag (ZMT...whatever). But its pedigree isnt as important as its cup. This really cups with a beautiful sweet acidity, honey-like, and similar to a less powerful (but good) Kenya. The prep is excellant with a few pieces of parchment and a few non-peaberries in there, but lush blue-green color hinting at fresh crop and good moisture content. This puts any Tanzanian Peaberry to shame (which actually doesnt say much; Tanzanian is an incredibly overrated coffee).

Acidity:

Body:

Flavor:

Aftertaste:

Roast: I like this pre 2nd crack, then rested for 2 days to de-gas. It's good darker but you lose the sweet acidity

Overall:

21.5

Compare to: good, mild Kenya AA, Zambia, Malawi, Tanz PB

Indonesian Coffees:

Note: Papua New Guinea coffees are grouped under Oceania.