Ethiopian Yirgacheffe
Once again it’s been an extremely busy Friday morning around here. There’s been a line to the door all day, and the lovely ladies pictured above have been hopping around. Somehow, wearing a cute dress makes it easier to smile at each of you, and to appreciate the nonstop pace. If you’re new to our store, we celebrate Dress-Up Friday. I know, the rest of you go casual on Friday, but we’re casual everyday, so we go fancy on Friday.
All of our customers are always complimentary on Friday, and it’s fun on this side of the counter too. Did you know that if you wear the wrong cute shoes, your heel can get stuck in the anti-fatigue mats? You go to take a step, and you’re caught in a rubber trap that doesn’t let loose without serious effort. Laughing at our missteps is fun for all of us, and our friendships are one of the reasons that we all enjoy working together. I might be rather biased, but I think we have the best employees anywhere!
This week’s coffee of the week was termed by Trace (our roaster/owner and my cherished husband) as “the best Ethiopian I’ve ever had.” That’s saying something, since he has over twenty-five years in the coffee business. I know that we ran an Ethiopian on special last month, but this is a new shipment, and it’s an Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, instead of a Harrar.
We get a lot of questions about the meaning of coffee names. What exactly do Yirgacheffe or Harrar refer to? Is it a type of bean? Both of these are technically coffea arabica, the higher grade coffee plant that has lower yields and better flavor than its counterpart, coffea canephora (also known as robusta). In fact, all of our coffees are arabica.
The names Yirgacheffe and Harrar refer to areas of the country where this coffee originates. This is a typical meaning of a coffee name, although some refer to the grade of coffee: such as Kenya AA, or Kona Extra Fancy. However you label the coffee, the ultimate description is how it tastes in the cup. This Yirgacheffe is a washed, or wet-processed coffee, whereas most Ethiopians we carry are dry processed. For that reason it is more mellow, and this one has dark chocolate and nutty tones, complemented by a light citrus flavor. As it cools you can really taste the chocolate notes.
Watch out, though, if you are caffeine sensitive. I’ve noticed that this Ethiopian carries quite a kick. On the other hand, if you are looking for a coffee to get you going in the morning, this might be the right one for you. The acid is not as high as most African beans, although it still has plenty of bright flavor. Come on in and try a cup on us this week.
Okay, for those of you who read this far strictly to find out about the basket pictured above: yes, we have another giveaway going on. You can join in by leaving a comment on the next post, or click
here. We’ll ship it to anywhere in the lower 48 United States, so leave a comment even if you don’t live in the area. You can also enter by filling out a form in the store. The basket is there to be seen, or you can read the description on our blog. Thanks for being the best customers anyone could have!
–Holly Fike
This week’s coffee of the week was termed by Trace (our roaster/owner and my cherished husband) as “the best Ethiopian I’ve ever had.” That’s saying something, since he has over twenty-five years in the coffee business. I know that we ran an Ethiopian on special last month, but this is a new shipment, and it’s an Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, instead of a Harrar.