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This offering from Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia is produced by Kefyalew Obese. He comes from four generations of coffee growers. Sample roasts of this coffee revealed notes of raspberry, lime, and grapefruit. As I prepared to do a production roast, my goal was to bring out as many tropical flavors as possible with this anaerobic natural offering. I charged our Diedrich IR-5 off the bean probe at 389 degrees. I normally charge with 50% heat applied but decided to do a soak and come in with heat after the coffee had been released in the drum. Twelve seconds into duration I applied 50% heat. The roast’s turning point occurred at 1:27 at 157 degrees. I needed to build up momentum and increased heat application to 75% at 2:47 into duration. As I began to build momentum and move closer to color change, I adjusted airflow to 50% at 5:08. The maillard phase of the roast began 6:01 into duration at 302 degrees. Color change was non uniform and awkward and came on slightly faster than expected. However, the color did smooth out as I moved through maillard. At 7:08 into duration I reduced heat to 50% and then down to 35% at 7:34. I wanted to move into the development phase with momentum but with a low heat setting to be careful to not distort or wash out the complex flavors this coffee has to offer. My last heat adjustment of the roast occurred 8:35 into duration down to 25%. I reached the development phase of the roast 9:12 at 389 degrees. First crack was gentle and light and picked up slightly. I experienced aromas of lime, grape and brown sugar throughout development. I wanted to achieve the cleanest cup possible, so I adjusted airflow to 100% at 10:39. I had achieved momentum and a smooth, descending rate of rise to finish. I released the batch from the drum into the cooling tray at 11:14. I finished with an end temperature of 403 degrees with 2:02 of development time.

The next step after roasting a production batch of this coffee was to put it back up on the cupping table. I was pleased with how the roast went so I was looking forward to the tasting. And wow, we were blown away with the complexity of flavors in the cup, it was like a tropical fruit explosion. Integrated flavors of watermelon, grape, pineapple, and lime all balanced with a smooth texture and body. We were impressed with the layered sweetness and finish and scored this coffee an 88. After the cupping session we decided to make some chemex’s with different coffee to water ratios. Would different flavors emerge in the cup? The first chemex we made had a 1:17 ratio. Notes of grape, lime and pineapple were present and integrated with a jammy mouthfeel. This ratio had translated into a very expressive cup. The second chemex we made had a ratio of 1:15. Notes of grape, lime and pineapple were present but not as integrated and the finish was slightly dry not as juicy. The flavors were muddy and not as defined as the first chemex. We then took it another step further and brewed two V60’s with the same ratios of 1:15 and 1:17. The results mirrored the chemex. We all favored the 1:17 ratio which resulted in a balanced, integrated cup. The ratio of 1:15 was not as cohesive and had a touch of dryness in the finish. This is an exceptional offering from Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia and will certainly stand out on any coffee menu. All the hard work that was done on the farm and mill is evident when working with this coffee. Brew Notes Grape, Kiwi, Jam and Blueberry Complex notes of tropical fruit, layered sweetness with a balanced, cohesive complex finish.