ETHIOPIA MC - Regular Roast, Decaf, EP DECAF PROCESS

What a delicious decaf from our Ethiopian friends!!!

*Note that decaf coffee appears darker in color when medium roasted than a typical medium roast coffee due to it's washing and drying to get the caffeine out.

About This Coffee:

Coffee Production in Ethiopia:

Production: 7.35 million 60 Kilo bags

Exports: 4 million 60-kilo bags

Primary Varieties: 1,000 – 10,000 indigenous varieties

Average Farm Size: < 1 Hectare

Maximum Elevation: 4,550m or 14,900ft

Notable Growing Regions: Yirgacheffe, Sidama, Harrar, Limu, Jimma

Harvest Season: November – February

Export Season: December – June

Geography:

Ethiopia is a landlocked nation in the horn of Africa. It is bounded by Eritrea to the North, Sudan in the west, Kenya to the South, and Somalia to the East. Djibouti is small nation on Ethiopia’s northeastern border, which is how the majority of the coffee reaches the sea. This represents a logistical challenge when transporting coffee overland across the country which is largely done by trucks, but rail is becoming increasingly viable. The region is mountainous with five distinct geographic regions: the western highlands and lowlands, the eastern highlands and lowlands, and the rift valley. The western highlands are the most rugged and extensive and varied. The central massif of these highlands contains the highest point in all of Ethiopia: Mount Ras Dejen. It is also home to the Blue Nile river and Lake Tana.

Climate:

Ethiopia’s climate depends heavily on elevation. On the highest peaks, the temperature does not rise above 50 degrees. In the valleys and on the slopes rainfall and temperature are higher, and there is extensive jungle and swamplands. To the east is the Denakil plain, where there is little rainfall and temperatures are high, creating desert.

For the coffee growing regions, the temperatures range between 55F and 80F, but average between 60F and 70F. The primary coffee growing regions are on the slopes where rainfall is moderate to heavy in western and central Ethiopia. They average between 800 and 2100mm of annual precipitation. Limu receives the greatest annual rainfall and Harrar receives the lowest. Sidama and Yirgacheffe receive moderate amounts of precipitation.

There are three main seasons in Ethiopia – Bega, Belg, and Kremt. Bega is the long dry season from October to February. Coffee harvesting and processing generally occurs during Bega. Belg is the next season from February to May. It is defined by intermittent rainfall similar to spring. During this time coffee trees flower and cherries begin to form. Kremt is the season of heavy rainfall from June until September where cherry maturation accelerates.

History:

The people’s history of coffee in Ethiopia begins over 1,000 years ago. The most commonly told legend involves Kaldi the goat herder. Upon noticing the energy his flock gained after feeding upon the berries of the coffee tree, Kaldi tried them himself. He experienced alertness and euphoria and brought the cherries back to the monks in his village. They declared the cherries satanic and cast them into the fire. Upon smelling the fragrance, the beans were raked from the fire and crushed to be extinguished. They were tossed into hot water and covered. The monks sampled the resulting brew and drank it through the night.

What is more certain is that the original consumers of coffee were the ancestors of the Kaffa province. Historians believe that hunters would chew the cherries for hours as a source of energy on long journeys. This tradition later shifted to mixing the ground coffee with animal fats or ghee as a form of early energy bar. Eating the coffee became less popular as people discovered the ability to make it into a beverage. Some fermented the cherries into wine, while others roasted the seeds and crushed them. They boiled the coffee and consumed the resulting brew.

Coffee began to be traded outside of Africa in the 16th century when Somali merchants brought the coffee to the port of Mocha in Yemen before spreading around the world.

Growing Regions:

Ethiopia is one of the only places where coffee grows wild. Approximately 85% of Ethiopia’s coffee is produced by small farmers on less than 1 hectare of land. Coffee harvesting can be divided into 4 categories – forest, semi-forest, garden, or estate. Forested coffee represents truly wild coffee that is unmaintained and has no owner. Semi-forested coffee represents coffee that is wild grown, but the area is now maintained by a local farmer in the form of weeding or pruning. Garden coffee has been planted and is maintained generally in the vicinity of the farmers residence alongside crops like false banana and papaya. They use traditional practices for fertilization and pest control that are organic in nature but generally lack the Organic certification because of barriers related to cost and infrastructure. Estate coffee represents the smallest part of the Ethiopian coffee economy. These estates are owned and operated by the government, by foreign investors, or in some cases Ethiopian families. They would be the most at risk for exposure to chemical fertilizers or pesticides.

Yirgacheffe is the most widely recognized Ethiopian coffee growing area because of the prevalence of the washed processing style. Washing the coffee produces a delicate, clean, and complex flavor profile. This coffee tends to be fruity or floral with a lighter body.

Coffees from Sidama, Limu, and Harrar are still mostly produced using the traditional dry method. Careful attention and care is essential to dry the coffee evenly and avoid defects. The dry processing style can yield coffees that may be less complex or delicate, but are still fruit-forward and sweet.

Varieties:

Ethiopia is home to most (99%) of the natural genetic diversity in the coffee plant lineage. Varieties like Gesha, Bourbon, and Typica are relatives of wild Ethiopian varieties. There are two main ways to classify Ethiopian coffee varieties: JARC hybrids or natural varieties.

JARC is the Jimma Agricultural Research Center. Founded in 1966 with the primary goal of improving Ethiopian coffee production and coordinating research at a national level, it has expanded to include two sub centers and three research stations. After a Coffee Borer Disease outbreak in 1971, the center refocused on the development and proliferation of resistant cultivars. It does this through collection and classification of landrace varieties and cross breeding programs. JARC also provides information and support for farmers in the form of best growing practices and technological advances.

Coffee that is grown in forested, semi-forested, or garden environments would generally be landrace varieties. Identifying these varieties more specifically can be beneficial to farmers, but may pose new risks. Recognizing and cultivating only specific varieties can give farmers better quality when selecting only plants with an excellent cup profile. This can translate to better prices and better name recognition for a washing stations or cooperatives. Eliminating the other varieties in a forest or garden for cultivation of a single variety would increase the likelihood of disease or pests and may jeopardize a farmer’s crop. Greater genetic diversity increases the resiliency of crops and ecosystems.