When it comes to the selection of Ethiopian coffees, the possibilities of flavours, fragrances, and aromas are virtually endless. Cup profiles are so varied that most importers or roasters do not expect a specific profile for an Ethiopian coffee. The same does not hold for origins such as Kenya or Sumatra, where roasters are looking for berries or chocolate, respectively.
From a sensorial perspective, the acidity of Ethiopian coffees is as diverse as the number of acid components that a coffee bean has. Like sweetness, cleanliness and texture, acidity is fundamental in our sensory analysis and selection work. It is important to note that in the long journey of coffee from the plant to the cup, the acidity and all the sensorial attributes can be modified, enhanced, damaged or eliminated.
Lately, the sensorial analysis and lot selection in Ethiopia has become more challenging, due to the lack of flotation and sorting at a washing station level. This generates a significant number of physical and processing defects that affect the cup quality, transforming acidity into grassiness. Ethiopia, being the world's second largest producer of "arabica alone" after Colombia, has only one harvest per year and in a very limited period of time. Producing so much coffee in such a short time, creates traffic jams at washing stations when farmers are delivering cherries, and there is no time nor space for floating or hand sorting.
Unlike Burundi, where the cherries are floated and classified at the very time of delivery into A and B cherries. A being the best quality, which is paid at full price, and cherry B at half price. This may sound cruel to the farmer, and it is in some way, but it also works as a very powerful incentive to deliver only ripe cherries, significantly improving the overall quality and farmer’s income. Alternatively, in Ethiopia it would be interesting to find a way to replicate this Burundi model, hopefully, in an efficient way that does not consume too many resources, time nor affects coffee farmers' income.
Unlike Burundi, where the cherries are floated and classified at the very time of delivery into A and B cherries. A being the best quality, which is paid at full price, and cherry B at half price. This may sound cruel to the farmer, and it is in some way, but it also works as a very powerful incentive to deliver only ripe cherries, significantly improving the overall quality and farmer’s income. Alternatively, in Ethiopia it would be interesting to find a way to replicate this Burundi model, hopefully, in an efficient way that does not consume too many resources, time nor affects coffee farmers' income.
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