November 2022’s Coffee Origin
Ethiopia - Gera Estate - Natural Anaerobic
This month's coffee selection is what holiday dreams blend are made of. While it can be enjoyed as a single origin, its over the top flavours can stand up and hold their own against a strong, well balanced staple like a Washed Colombian or Peruvian. This coffee was a pleasant surprise around our shop and we are excited to share it with you.
What Is Anaerobic Fermentation?
All coffees undergo some period of fermentation during their processing. If you remember from grade 11 chemistry, fermentation is when carbohydrates such as starches and sugars are broken down into alcohols and acids. Anaerobic, as the name suggests is the removal or absence of oxygen during the fermentation process.
Through the use of a sealed container, oxygen can be removed by adding Carbon Dioxide or by use of a one way valve that allows the oxygen to escape as other gasses are released naturally during the fermentation process. The sealed environment allows producers to control many aspects of the fermentation process including duration, pH and temperature which, as you will see, creates amazing opportunities to experiment with flavours.
What's Up With the Numbers in the Varietals?
You may be used to reading varietals such as Caturra, Bourbon and Catuai, so why the numbers?
74-110,74-112,74-140,74-165 are Ethiopian Heirloom Varietals that have been documented/enriched by the The Jimma Research Center. The 74 refers to the year of discovery (as in 1974) and the three digits following are simply the order the varietal was sampled. Maybe not as exciting as you thought, but highly organized..
This Month's Coffee Selection
A Woreda in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia, Gera is named for the former Kingdom of Gera that preceded the territory. The Estate where this month's coffee originates is located in the Djimma region at altitudes over 6100 feet above sea level. As we've discussed with previous origins, the high altitudes allow the coffee cherries to grow slowly and absorb more nutrients (and presumably flavours) than lower altitude plants. High altitude, nitrogen-rich plants and natural fertilizers are used tp create amazing conditions for coffee trees.
Gera focuses on agricultural sustainability by avoiding chemical fertilizers and insecticides. Their focus extends to the well being of their team through creating positive working conditions by providing housing, healthcare, childcare, clean water, electricity, and recreational facilities for its employees. While this provides us with a warm fuzzy feeling, we have to ask the same question as every month, how does it taste?
ETHIOPIA - GERA ESTATE - NATURAL ANAEROBIC
Region: Djimma, Oromia Region
Varietals: 74-110,74-112,74-140,74-165
Growing Elevation: 6150+ feet
Harvest: September through December
Process: Natural and Anaerobic
Flavour Profile and Notes: GO CUP YOURSELF and find out!
Roaster’s Notes:
Sometimes when you open a new, GrainPro sack (hermetic bag) of green coffee, the smell creates an expectation of greatness. Often though the romance is lost once the coffee is roasted. Smells usually fail to translate into strong tastes or only leave remnants or hints and slight aftertastes. This month's coffee was the exception! Many of the pre-roasted and roasted smells came though in the Cupping. So much so that they don't even appear on our online flavour wheel (Amaretto or Plum Liquor/Fruit Wine for example).
This coffee will be used in our holiday blends to add a highlight of fruit when combined with a washed, well balanced origin, making it more accessible as an everyday cup. This month we tried several roasts and settled on a medium. While it still offers many of the amazing tasting notes, it is far more enjoyable in second crack. This Djimma region coffee roasts similarly to many Ethiopians we carry throughout the year. We like to take our time and let them progress slowly and evenly, otherwise these roasts can run away, resulting in a dark, uneven roast. Have fun cupping this one and we look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Cupping-wise, we found Watermelon and Fruit Liquor …wait a minute, if you want cupping notes Go Cup Yourself!
Once you have finished Cupping, click on the “EXPERT TASTED” tab for our tasting notes. Can’t wait to compare notes.
As always, we'd love to hear from you. Better yet, tell the world what you think. If you've been enjoying the Go Cup Yourself experience, please take a moment to review us on Facebook, Google, Yelp, Reddit, a bathroom stall door or anywhere you get your reviews.
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