Current Guest Coffees
Heirloom Beans from Ethiopia
- Country: Ethiopia
- Region: Shakiso, East Guji, Oromia
- Farm: Kayon Mountain Farm
- Variety: 74110, 74112 (Heirloom sub varieties)
- Altitude: 1900–2200 masl
- Processing Method: Natural
The Kayon Mountain Coffee Farm is 500 hectares, with about 300 hectares planted in coffee.
Owned and operated by Ismael Hassen Aredo and his family since 2012, it is located 510 kilometers south of Addis Ababa. The property crosses the border of two villages, Taro and Sewana, located in the Oromia region of the Guji zone in the Shakiso district of Ethiopia.
Ismael oversees a staff of 25 permanent full-time and 300 seasonal employees, and the farm management offers free transportation services as well as financial support for building schools and administration buildings for the community. The farm competes with a nearby mining village for seasonal workers, so Ismael and his family tend to pay higher wages to their pickers in order to incentivise them returning year after year.
Kayon Mountain farm has a nursery on-site and utilises shade (acacia and other indigenous trees) to protect the coffee as well as for creating compost to fertilize naturally. Ismael is meticulous about not only the structure and management of the farm itself but also the harvesting and processing. Both Natural and Washed lots are produced on the property.
Washed coffees are picked ripe and depulped the same day. They are fermented for 24–36 hours and then, weather-dependent, dried on raised beds. Natural coffees are picked, rinsed and sorted, and moved to the drying beds.
In both cases, the drying can take between 12–20 days, also depending on the weather.
Flavour notes for this beautiful coffee:
Floral with stawberry/raspberry, lime & chocolate .
A tangy fruit acidity, sweet & smooth.
Ethiopia
'The Birthplace of Arabica Coffee'
Among coffee-producing countries Ethiopia holds near legendary status, not only because it’s the “birthplace” of Arabica coffee, but also because it’s simply unlike any other place in the coffee world.
The vast majority of coffee growing countries had the plant introduced as a cash crop through colonization. Whilst in Ethiopia growing, processing & drinking coffee has been part of everyday life for centuries, since the trees were discovered growing wild in forests & eventually cultivated.
The majority of Ethiopia’s farmers are smallholders & subsistence farmers, with less than 1 hectare of land apiece. In many cases it is almost more accurate to describe the harvests as a “garden coffee,” as the trees do sometimes grow in more of a garden or forest environment, rather than what we imagine a farm to look like.
There are some large, privately owned estates & co-operative societies comprising a mix of small & more mid-size farms, but the average producer here grows relatively very little for commercial sale.
“Garden coffee” is brought by a farmer, in cherry form, to the closest or most convenient washing station, where it is sold & blended with other farmers’ lots for processing according to the desires of that washing station.
Co-op members bring their coffee cherries to be received & weighed at a co-operative washing station. There is more trace-ability back to the producer as they are registered members of the co-operative.
The flavour profile of Ethiopian coffees will vary based on a number of factors including variety, process & micro-region.
As a general rule of thumb natural processed coffees will have much more pronounced fruit & deep chocolate tones, often with a bit of a 'winey' characteristic & a syrupy body.
Washed coffees will be lighter & have more pronounced acidity, although the individual characteristics will vary.
The genetic diversity of Ethiopian coffee is unmatched globally.
This gives rise to beautiful & complex flavour profiles.
No other coffees are spoken of with more reverence, or romance.
More.....
In Ethiopia coffee is commonly enjoyed as part of a “ceremonial” preparation; a way of gathering around a table for conversation & community.
The most senior-woman of the household roasts the coffee in a pan & grinds it fresh, before mixing it with hot water in a brewing pot called a Jebena.
She serves the strong liquid in small cups, then adds fresh boiling water to brew the coffee two more times.
The process takes about an hour from start to finish & is considered to be a show of hospitality & society.
Growing Regions - Sidama (including Yirgacheffe), Harrar, Limu, Djimma, Lekempti, Wallega, Gimbi
Common Varieties - Heirloom Ethiopian varieties including Kudhome, Gesha, Djimma, and others
Processing Method/s - Washed, Natural
Population Involved in Coffee - Approx. 700,000
Average Farm Size - 1 hectare or less
Bags Exported Annually - 3.5 million bags