​Some interesting topics from this harvest:

Why have we been disappointed again with anaerobic coffees in Ethiopia?

In recent harvests, we have cupped a growing number of experimental Ethiopian coffees. While these efforts are ambitious, we have often found inconsistent results, sometimes overshadowing the character of the origin with overwhelming lactic notes or an excess of quakers. For us, these experimental lots have not lived up to expectations, not to mention the prohibitive prices set by the government.

​The 2024-2025 harvest has yielded mixed results across different regions. Areas such as Yirgacheffe, Sidamo and Guji have thrived due to an ideal climate and a favourable production cycle, resulting in increased production and excellent cup quality. In contrast, western regions like Jimma, Kaffa, and Lekempti have faced challenges, including drought, unfavourable cycles, and logistical issues. Given that Ethiopia has only one harvest per year, the biennial nature of coffee production is particularly significant.

​Until about a decade ago, coffee processing primarily utilized natural, honey, and washed methods, each of which offered a wide range of sensory qualities in the coffee. During these processes, fermentation occurs naturally through local microorganisms, including bacteria, yeasts, and fungi, which interact with the coffee mucilage. The metabolites produced by these microorganisms can penetrate the coffee seeds, resulting in two types of effects: beneficial ones, such as desirable organic acids, esters, alcohols, and sugars; and harmful ones, which include undesirable organic acids and toxins that can negatively impact the quality of the coffee beans.

​1. Classic Natural Fermentation

In the classic natural process, coffee cherries are picked and then dried with the fruit still on the bean. The fruit's sugars and pulp influence the flavour during drying. This method gives the coffee a fruity, sweet, full-bodied profile with rich, bold notes.

Our go-to flavour profile: We look for deep, fruity, and sometimes wine-like flavours. Most often, they have a heavy body and a rustic profile but with a sweet aftertaste.

​Mchana Estate is located in Kiambu County in Kenya. Coffee cherries are harvested between 1800-2150 meters above sea level with an average temperature ranging between 13-25 degrees Celsius. Mchana has a workforce of 172 permanent workers and casual workers vary from 200 to 1,200 per day depending on the season. The largest quantity is produced during the peak harvest season.

​Giling Basah in the local language, Bahasa Indonesian, means wet hulled. It refers to the local way of processing coffee, and more specifically to the moment when the parchment is removed from the green coffee. As we know, coffee processing aims to clean the green coffee from all the protective layers, mucilage, pulp and fruit that protect it. This wet hulling process is very particular, because it removes the parchment from the green coffee when it is still wet, i.e., at 45-50 % humidity. This would be seen as an aberration anywhere else in the world.

​Sumatra is the largest island in Indonesia. It is an exotic and mysterious island, with a history that not many know about, making it perhaps an obscure place, but the reality is that Sumatra is a majestic island, with abundant nature and friendly people, like few others in the world. And while most of its coffee production is concentrated in the far south of the island and is exclusively Robusta coffee (perhaps hence its bad coffee reputation), the north of the island produces only arabica coffee and in recent years the focus on quality has been growing. In the world of speciality coffee its reputation has been changing for the better, and in some regions like Gayo, we happily see more and better coffees year after year.

​The task of getting your coffee from the plant to your roastery is what we call coffee logistics. It is a process that consists of three main stages: production, preparation and export/distribution. Each of these stages contains a series of sub-stages or tasks that are carried out by a large number of people and/or machinery. It is also important to note that a number of customs, legal and sanitary rules and regulations must be complied with. Furthermore, in our role as importers or buyers of green coffee, we must ensure that the highest quality standards are met at each of these stages.