ETHIOPIA LIMU FILTER/ESPRESSO COFFEE

Name: ETHIOPIA LIMU FILTER/ESPRESSO COFFEE

Country: Ethiopia

Farm: Smallholder Farmers

Variety: Heirloom

Process: Washed

Tasting Notes: Smooth, Light Citrus Cup, Note of Chocolate

Ground/Beans: Beans

Ethiopia is considered the cradle of coffee and famous for the fact that it was in the forest in the Kaffa region where Coffea Arabica grew wild. Nowadays, the country shows a typical “smallholder” structure. This means that a high number of farmers with a usually small production yield carry together their cherries and bring them to central washing stations rather than processing their coffee with their own machinery.

At the washing stations, the beans are carefully sorted before being processed. Only the fully ripe and red cherries find their way to the pulper in order to ensure a homogenous and consistent quality. The cherry skin and the pulp are now removed from the bean. After that, the beans are put into fermentation tanks for 24 – 36 hours depending on weather conditions where any remaining pulp is subsequently stripped by the fermentation. The coffee is then finally washed and graded in washing channels. Afterward, the high humidity content of the beans is reduced to approx.12%. This happens under the African sun on so-called ‘African beds’ during 10-15 days, where the coffee is carefully raked several times a day.

This washed coffee was produced by smallholder farmers in the region of Limu, in west Ethiopia. While this coffee-growing region is not so heard of as Sidamo or Yirgacheffe, it produces beautiful and complex cup profiles. Coffees from Limu are mild and smooth, typically sweet and balanced, with pleasant citrus and floral characters that are a true delight in the cup.