Ethiopian Limmu – Burka Gudina Estate – Natural Gr. 3 Org.

Description

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Ethiopian natural processed beans are in a class of their own. Exotic tones that you will find in very little other coffee.  The kings of the infamous “blueberry” toned coffee. A rare day that tone is achieved but in all nice lots of the natural processed you will find a balance of acidity (lemony floral), stone fruit (red-fruit), and usually a chocolaty semi-tea like dark tone.  Depending on the region and exact processing, some can be more fruity or acidic than others, more chocolaty or more herbal.

This is a great example of a very well balanced and pronounced Ethiopian.

Grade 3 is nothing to back away from. In the natural processed world these can be top cupping lots (this one scored nicely). The grades refer much to the appearance of the coffee and uniformity rather then the tastes. Grade 3’s tend to include some of the more wild trees and undocumented strains which make Ethiopian coffee so tasty.

Tasting Notes: A little milder example of an top notch Ethiopian; a good everyday drinker. Lighter roasts are not overly acidic. Smooth, clean and a little fuller bodied. The red fruit is clear in the cup but a little masked by the lemony floral acidity. Hints of the chocolaty undertone can be seen at light roasts but the cup finishes a little more herbal tea like in the aftertaste, not over the top and a good compliment to the floral and fruity tones. Medium roasts are smoother and lower acidity,  not quite as fruity or acidic as the light roasts but more chocolaty with that wonderful soft fruit tone still clear in the cup and a little herbal spice in the aftertaste. Dark roasts get pretty bakers chocolate like, bittersweet with wonderful aromatics. Roasty notes will dominate the cup profile into 2nd crack but it does leave a more exotic cup profile than your Central American dark roasts.

Roasting Notes: A very nice screen for a grade 3 but still a little chaff heavy. Shoot for a light to medium roast if your an existing Ethiopian or Natural processed fan. If you have not played with these before, take it a little closer to 2nd crack than first (strong medium roast) for it will show more traditional coffee tones. Can go pretty quick from 1st to 2nd crack, make sure to keep an eye on it. Very loud first crack, much harder to miss than most.

Coming from the Burka Gudina Estate; owned by Ibrahim Hussein. He is the third generation owner of the the Estate, coffee in his blood. The estate uses 150 hectares of farmland for coffee production and employs 120 people during the peak season. The coffee is grown at heights of 1850-2000 meters.