During the early days of our civilisation, in the place where Ethiopia is today, local tribes used to consume coffee by roasting the whole cherry until it was burnt. The charred cherry was then added to a beverage of cow's or goat's milk and butter. The result was an intensely flavoured, protein-rich and nutritious drink that is still consumed to this day in some areas, such as Guji. I had the opportunity to try it and honestly, I didn't like it. The texture and taste of the milk with the butter plus the burnt cherry is not a good mix for my understanding of taste, but as I was invited to the home of a very traditional brewing family, it is frowned upon in Ethiopia to refuse what you are offered, and I had to drink it anyway. I was offered a second one, but that I refused because I couldn't take it anymore.
As we know, Ethiopia is the birthplace of the Arabica species and the place where the history and culture of coffee in the world begins. The natural processing method is the oldest way of processing coffee, and it is also born in Ethiopia, then implemented in Yemen and spread all over the world. Before someone invented the washed method, which by the way nobody knows who and when it was created, all coffee was processed using the natural method. In Ethiopia, natural coffees have been produced for centuries and to this day, to a lesser extent than washed coffees. But due to climate change and desertification in Ethiopia and many other coffee producing areas of the world, natural coffees are projected to regain prominence.
In fact, to produce natural coffees, you don't need to use a single drop of water. As opposed to washed coffees, which have to use a lot of water to be produced. And this is not sustainable because of the contamination of the water, which is often not filtered after use and is reintroduced to the original flow in its toxic state. In addition to the scarcity of water in many producing areas, coffee production cannot be privileged to the detriment of human consumption.
It would be ideal if the coffees were floated in water when they reach the washing/drying station, but this is also not done due to the large volume of cherries that are received in a very short period of time. Sorting has to be done by hand, with the difficulty that the human eye is not able to pick up subtle differences in the colour or texture of the cherry, thus incurring the possibility of finding defects in the cup and quakers. But as all processes are perfectible, we must provide the necessary feedback to producers so that they can implement feasible solutions to produce more and better coffees year after year.
Prefer conscious sustainable coffee production and enjoy your Ethiopian naturals!
It would be ideal if the coffees were floated in water when they reach the washing/drying station, but this is also not done due to the large volume of cherries that are received in a very short period of time. Sorting has to be done by hand, with the difficulty that the human eye is not able to pick up subtle differences in the colour or texture of the cherry, thus incurring the possibility of finding defects in the cup and quakers. But as all processes are perfectible, we must provide the necessary feedback to producers so that they can implement feasible solutions to produce more and better coffees year after year.
Prefer conscious sustainable coffee production and enjoy your Ethiopian naturals!
RSS Feed