During last week's factory cupping we sampled four different Ethiopian coffees, including a Fair Trade Organic Harrar, a standard Harrar, a decaffeinated Sidamo, and a Fair Trade Organic Yirgacheffe.  The unique aspect of this cupping was not merely that all four coffees were grown in the same country, but also that all four Ethiopian coffees are currently being roasted at Stone Creek.

It is unusual for us to have more than two different coffees from one country in production at any given time, except in the case of Ethiopian coffees.  For nearly the last two years we have carried three Ethiopian coffees in our warehouse for use in several different blends.  The fact that we have four right now is a rare confluence of events and should be greedily taken advantage of while it lasts, especially by those who want to take home a delicious and unique pound of the week--triple Ethiopian blend, anyone?

The cupping began with the standard fragrance test, revealing little more than mild hints of wood and spice, while the aroma test brought us a wide array of smells, including chocolate, black cherry, cedar, sweet lemon, and blueberry syrup.  Once the tasting began, our cuppers noticed that two of the coffees, the standard Harrar and the decaffeinated Sidamo, simply did not live up to the promise made by their beguiling aromas.  The Yirgacheffe, however, exceeded all expectations by providing us with an incredibly tangible body and mouthfeel while displaying a finely controlled acidity and tartness.

It is not often that our cupping group gives a high score to a citrusy or acidic coffee, but the Yirgacheffe took top honors, garnering first place in the hearts of four out of our six cuppers.  Second place went to the Fair Trade Harrar, which possessed a much lighter body and gave hints of blueberry flavor.

As a point of political and geographical reference, both Fair Trade coffees were purchased from the OROMIA coffee producers' co-op, a large union of Ethiopian coffee growers and processors.  In case you didn't see it, this group and the efforts of their leader, Tadesse Maskela, were recently chronicled in a documentary entitled BLACK GOLD, which ran during the Milwaukee International Film Festival.  This co-op has done a lot to promote Ethiopian coffee on the worldwide market, and to encourage their growers to produce high quality, consistent, environmentally sustainable coffees.

The bulk of Mr. Maskela's effort has been to familiarize the coffee-drinking public with Ethiopian coffees, and to make the names of the Ethiopian growing regions into household words.  So far his efforts have been paying off, as the price of Fair Trade Ethiopian coffees are rising and the words Harrar and Sidamo have become a more commonplace feature in the parlance of coffee drinkers worldwide.

For those of you who are interested, the Fair Trade Organic Yirgacheffe is currently featured in our Market Day Blend, while the Fair Trade Organic Harrar is a prominent component of our Summer Blend.