Ethiopia Sidama Keramo

Sidama is a newly recognized coffee growing region in South Ethiopia, down below Yirgacheffe. It's not at all the same as Sidamo which is much farther north in the country. This one is grown by the brothers Asefa and Mulugeta Dukamo who are very careful to only pick the exactly ripe coffee cherries, which mean they have to go back and re-pick the same bushes every day during the harvest season. They won a Cup of Excellence award in 2020. These are a Grade 1 (Top Grade) sorted natural process Ethiopia, so of course it is fruity and sweet. 

There's no earthiness, it's sweet, clean, delicate. I'm tasting raspberry and a pleasant tangy note like maybe tangerine. You can both drink it straight, or use it in blends, so the versatility is handy. I mostly am enjoying it as straight up light roast coffee. It has creamier body than you would find in a Yirgacheffe -- a lot of acidity but still has good mouthfeel. It's not thin or unsatisfying.

Natural process Ethiopia heirloom variety beans really never roast evenly. Do not be alarmed if you see a variation of color in your roast. Give it steady heat at the beginning, slow it down at the first cracks. After the first cracks end, give it maybe 30 more seconds and let it out. The usual rule of thumb is that you want the roast to end 30 degrees and 3 minutes past the beginning of the 1st cracks, but on this one we're giving it 30 extra seconds to make it sweeter. I would not take the roast farther than that unless you are incorporating it into an espresso blend, at which point you can take it up to the 2nd cracks to get a fruity, sweet, creamy shot of espresso.

US Arrival: August 2022