Green Coffee Outlook – Ethiopia Edition September 2021

5 containers of Ethiopian coffee arrived in Oakland. Here’s when you can expect them.

UPDATE September 17th:

Exactly 1 container’s been released to us since publishing this post, a box filled with mid-sized lots from Western EthiopiaEthiopia, formerly known as Abyssinia, or a coffee cultivar: Ethiopia, or more specifically the Empire under Haile Selassie,  was known as Abyssinia. The name is Latin, derived from.... Unfortunately, we weren’t able to turn around the coffee to our own warehouse fast enough to get something listed today. We promise to add a few Ethiopia’s next week, including two coffees from the Gera region, Genji Challa and Telila. Thanks again for your patience!

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I hope I don’t sound like I’m griping in this post, as there’s a lot to be excited about. 5 containers of Ethiopian coffees are here, now, in Oakland, and all signs point to them being available next week. There are so many coffees it will take us weeks to list them all! There are some heavy hitting wet mills represented in these arrivals, and based on the samples we cupped, we expect big things. Their path to Oakland has been less than normal, however, and most of what’s caused the delays is out of our control. Here’s a more granular update on Ethiopia specifically to help you plan ahead – what you can expect, and when you can expect them – and some ramblings about what’s at the heart of the shipping delays that have plagued much of 2021. Thanks for your patience! -Dan

We are going into the first week of September, and still waiting for the bulk of our Ethiopian coffees to become available. 24 lots of wet and dry processDry process coffee is a method for taking the fruit from the tree to an exportable green bean. The whole intact coffee cherry is dried in the sun... coffees just arrived in Oakland, but our patience continues to be tested by long queues to process incoming shipments at the port and offsite storageGreen coffee can be stored much longer than roasted coffee: Roasted coffee starts to lose its aromatics in 10 days after roasting. Green coffee can be stored months... facilities. It’s frustrating, to say the least, but is starting to look like the “A” in “ETA” is finally within reach.

So when exactly will you see new Ethiopias on the site? Other than a blip of a dry process on September the 3rd, we expect to start listing the coffee in groups in the next 2 weeks. That’s the short of it. Check out the longer answer below, with a list of the coffees on deck at the end (or just jump to the list).

If you’ve been following Green CoffeeGreen coffee refers to the processed seed of the coffee tree fruit. Coffee is a flowering shrub that produces fruit. The seeds of the fruit are processed, roasted,... Outlooks, or the news for that matter, you’re well aware that we’re in the midst of a global shipping crisis. An exponential rise in demand for consumer goods has stretched land and sea freight well beyond its limits, triggering unprecedented delays due to a shortage on shipping containers, limited capacity on vessels, and the ability to process the record breaking volume of freight at ports here and abroad.

While this didn’t happen overnight, we started to see delays at the Oakland Port early this year, around the time that Ethiopian coffees began shipping from originIn coffee talk, it refers to a coffee-producing region or country; such as, "I was just at origin." Of course "Origin" for most product we use is not.... By the time our first lots left the port of Djibouti in Ethiopia, container ship backups and materials shortages had worked their way across shipping routes, affecting both ends of the maritime journey, and all stops in between.

To give you an idea of how indirect and staggered some of these journeys have been, the 24 coffees that just arrived were packed into 5 different shipping containers, on different cargo ships, their departures staggered by as much as a month. But somehow along the way, long delays at transshipment ports, and a shortage of boat space, led to all 5 containers rendezvousing at a transfer port onto a single boat for the final leg of their journey. Sure, that makes tracking them all a lot easier. But the time it tacked onto the overall trip is a real bummer.

Even now that the coffees have finally landed, the wait is far from over. It’s currently taking the Port of Oakland 2 weeks on average to process incoming cargo. Then the coffee is moved by tractor trailer to our offsite storage facility where it takes another 1-2 weeks to unload, though we’re finding that the last part can take even longer if there are multiple lots in the container (shipping containers filled a single coffee are prioritized since they’re easier to unload then a container with a dozen different coffees – like most of our Guatemalan and Colombian shipments for example).

Thankfully we’re talking about Ethiopian coffee here, who happen to produce some of the most physically stable coffees in the world. As such, quality degradation is not a concern. Our July Ethiopia arrivals were nearly 3 months late and the coffee tasted as fresh as the offer samples from origin. If you had the pleasure of buying any of those coffees when they were available (Worka Wuri, Ajere, Chele’lektu, Aricha, etc), you know what I’m talking about!

This is just one of the realities of the “Direct Trade” model. Exporting coffee directly from origin exposes you to risks like these, or if you’re really unlucky, it could be even worse. Conversely, when you buy from the spot market, you’re able to choose from coffees that are available at that moment. No need to wait for delivery, and the samples you taste are representative of the coffee quality as it currently sits.

Think of the food truck owner who buys their meat from Costco. If Costco are out of the organicGrown without the use of artificial fertilizers, herbicides, etc.: Organic coffee has been grown according to organic farming techniques, typically without the use of artificial fertilizers. Some farms... ground beef they normally buy, there are plenty of other stores with organic meat to fit their needs. It might not be the same price point, or even the same quality, but they are sure to be covered for business.

With Direct TradeA term used by coffee sellers to indicate that the coffee was purchased through a direct relationship with the farmer. Unlike Fair Trade and Organic certifications, Direct Trade..., you own the product before it’s even shipped. If something happens to the coffee along the way, you own that coffee. Maybe it’s late and you’re unable to deliver on your wholesale orders in the contracted time. You still own that coffee, and as a consequence, your customer may buy from another importer. And if the coffee is damaged during the shipment? You still own that coffee.

Usually, routes and transit times are predictable, leaving little room for error. But now and then, things go awry, and when they do, there’s little recourse to cover your investment. Even if you have the option to reject the coffee due to quality, a practice we do everything we can to avoid, it’s generally the farmer who shoulders such a loss (sadly, and with a touch of irony, we hear such stories from importers, roasters who boast their “Direct Trade” biz model, “paying a fair price to farmers”, etc, only to reject coffee on arrival for even the slightest change in quality…not good).

Don’t get me wrong, we choose the Direct Trade model because it works best for our needs. Having a direct hand in the negotiations affords us a greater level of price transparencyTransparency is a flavor characterization synonymous with clarity. It is also a business ethics term, implying that as much information as possible about a product is made available..., and gives us the opportunity to buy coffee from farmers in areas we’re interested to work in, the impact of which we often get to see through repeat visits. At the end of the day, we get to buy the coffees we want, rather than what’s offered on an importer’s list of spot coffees, which is well worth the risk.

If nothing else, this year presented us an opportunity to look at different ways of moving our coffee. The West Coast ports seemed to take the brunt of the congestion, so the East Coast became a real option, moving the coffee cross country by rail or truck. That sounds indirect, but actually saves quite a bit of time given the circumstances, justifying the added cost of logistics in our opinion.

Below is the list of Ethiopian coffees that await unloading in Oakland. So many familiar names here that we’ve carried in previous seasons who produce competition quality coffees like Genji/Nano Challa, Hambela Dabaye, Dambi Uddo, and more. Most are from washing stations that serve hundreds, if not more than a thousand farmers in the region, though a few are single farm estates (identified by “Aba” in the name (a title of respect, generally meaning “father”).

We hope to start trickling these to the list in the next two weeks. What order they go up in depends on when the shipping containers are unloaded. We will firm up our plan next week when we have more info. Expect an update in the 9/10 newsletter.

*Check out all the newly listed coffees on Sweet Maria’s HERE or Coffee Shrub HERE

Ethiopia Arrivals

	Bags	Size	ETA
Ethiopia Agaro Genji Challa	30	60 KG	LANDED
Ethiopia Kecho Anderecha	40	60 KG	LANDED
Ethiopia Honey ProcessThe honey process has nothing to do with honey other than the fact that they're both sticky! It's a term that became popularized in Costa Rica as another... Genji Challa	40	60 KG	LANDED
Ethiopia Agaro Telila	40	60 KG	LANDED
Ethiopia Dry Process Mahamed Aba Nura	50	60 KG	LANDED
Ethiopia Dry Process Nebso Aba Geda	40	60 KG	LANDED
Ethiopia Limu Musa Aba Lulesa	40	60 KG	LANDED
Ethiopia Dry Process Mansur Aba Hikam	40	60 KG	LANDED
Ethiopia Organic Dry Process Daanisa	100	60 KG	LANDED
Ethiopia Organic Dry Process Bookkisa	75	60 KG	LANDED
Ethiopia Organic Dry Process Sookoo Birbissa	50	60 KG	LANDED
Ethiopia Dry Process Dambi Udo	100	60 KG	LANDED
Ethiopia Dry Process Dari	100	60 KG	LANDED
Ethiopia Dry Process Hambela Goro	120	60 KG	LANDED
Ethiopia Dry Process Hambela Dabaye	120	60 KG	LANDED
Ethiopia Dry Process Benti Nenka	100	60 KG	LANDED
Ethiopia Hambela Benti Nenka	50	60 KG	LANDED
Ethiopia Hambela Dabaye	50	60 KG	LANDED
Ethiopia Dry Process Hambela Buliye	100	60 KG	LANDED
Ethiopia Dry Process Guji Bukusayisa	60	60 KG	LANDED
Ethiopia Dry Process Shakiso Allona	80	60 KG	LANDED
Ethiopia Dry Process Goro Bedesa	80	60 KG	LANDED
Ethiopia Dry Process Bekele Basha	50	60 KG	LANDED
Ethiopia Dry Process Bekele Belayecho	45	60 KG	LANDED

Upcoming green coffees currently on the schedule to be added to our website:

Please keep in mind that the coffees on the Upcoming Coffee Outlook schedule with a location status of “In Transit” are still a bit of a wild card, and the month we have them listed under is based on the current shipping ETA, and subject to interruptions out of our control. Thanks for your patience!

September Coffee Outlook

Sweet Maria’s Altiplano Blend			Oakland
Costa RicaCosta Rican coffee is typically very clean, sweet, with lots of floral accents. hey are prized for their high notes: bright citrus or berry-like flavors in the acidity,... Don Mayo La Loma	38	46 KG	Oakland
Costa Rica Yellow HoneyIn coffee, honey-like sweetness is often found, but we use terms such as refined honey (highly filtered and processed) as opposed to raw honey rustic honey sweetness. This... Process Las Anonas	15	69 KG	Oakland
Cascara Helsar Cascara Coffee Fruit Tea	50	4 KG	Oakland
Ethiopia Organic Dry Process Refisa	70	60 KG	Oakland
El SalvadorEl Salvador coffee had an undeservingly poor reputation for years, marred mostly by the inability to deliver coffee of high quality in an unstable political climate. Unfortunately, agriculture... Matalapa Calagual	20	69 KG	Oakland
Ethiopia Dry Process Hambela Dabaye	120	60 KG	Oakland
Ethiopia Dry Process Dambi Udo	100	60 KG	Oakland
Ethiopia Organic Dry Process Daanisa	100	60 KG	Oakland
Ethiopia Hambela Dabaye	50	60 KG	Oakland
Ethiopia Jimma Kecho Anderecha	40	60 KG	Oakland
Ethiopia Dry Process Mahamed Aba Nura	50	60 KG	Oakland
Ethiopia Honey Process Genji Challa	40	60 KG	Oakland
GuatemalaGuatemalan coffee is considered a top quality coffee producer in Central America. Due to our proximity to Guatemala, some of the nicest coffees from this origin come to... Patzun FincaSpanish 101: Finca is the Spanish word for farm. Sometimes the term Hacienda is used to imply an Estate, which would mean the farm has its own wet-mill.... Las Camelias	35	46 KG	Oakland
Guatemala Huehuetenango Boqueroncito	16	69 KG	Oakland
HondurasHonduran coffee was absent from the top ranks of the Specialty market, but that has changed. It has all the environmental factors on its side: soil, altitude, climate.... Lempira Doña Muñoz	24	69 KG	Oakland
Honduras Ruta del Cafe SWPSWP means Swiss Water Process is a patented water filtration decaf method, not a chemical solvent method. The plant is in Vancouver, Canada. Decaf	10	60 KG	Oakland
IndiaS-795 is a variety based on the " S-Line" coffees of  India, and stands for Selection 795,  It has a very fine cup, one of the best in... Monsoon Malabar AA	10	50 KG	Oakland
KenyaKenya is the East African powerhouse of the coffee world. Both in the cup, and the way they run their trade, everything is topnotch.: Kenya is the East... Nyeri Gatugi AA	51	60 KG	Oakland
Kenya Nyeri Ichamama AB	31	60 KG	Oakland
Kenya Embu Gakui PeaberryA peaberry is a green coffee "bean" that has a rounded form: Coffee is the dried seed from the fruit of a flowering tree - each fruit having...	11	60 KG	Oakland
Kenya Kiambu Fram Farm PeaberryThe Spanish-language term for Peaberry is the same for "snail". See Peaberry for more information on the single bean fruit of the coffee tree. A peaberry is the...	10	60 KG	Oakland
Kenya Kiambu Mandela AA	12	60 KG	Oakland
Kenya Nyeri Ndimaini Peaberry	13	60 KG	Oakland
Kenya Nyeri Chinga AB	22	60 KG	Oakland
Kenya Nyeri Karinga Peaberry	14	60 KG	Oakland
NicaraguaNicaraguan coffees from the Segovia, Jinotega, Ocotal and Matagalpa regions are nice balanced cups. They often possess interesting cup character along with body and balance, outperforming many other... Los Papales SWP Decaf	54	60 KG	Oakland
Nicaragua Buenos Aires Los Pinos	30	69 KG	Oakland
Nicaragua Ojo de Agua	40	69 KG	Oakland
PeruPeruvian coffees have Central American brightness but in a South American coffee flavor package overall. The good organic lots do have more of a "rustic" coffee character.: Organic... El Palto SWP Decaf	40	69 KG	Oakland

Incoming coffees currently on the water:

Africa Incoming Coffees

Ethiopia Organic Agaro Duromina	80	60 KG	Sep 6
Ethiopia Agaro Nano Challa	60	60 KG	Sep 6
Ethiopia Agaro Kedamai	60	60 KG	Sep 6
Ethiopia Kennisa Cooperative	60	60 KG	Sep 6
Ethiopia Geta Bore	60	60 KG	Sep 6
Ethiopia Banko Chelchelle	120	60 KG	Sep 6
Ethiopia Dry Process Guji Uraga	100	60 KG	Sep 6
Ethiopia Dry Process Dikitu	50	60 KG	Sep 6
Ethiopia Uraga Raro	120	60 KG	Sep 18
Ethiopia Dry Process Nensebo Refisa	80	60 KG	Sep 18
Ethiopia Yirga Cheffe Chelchele	120	60 KG	Sep 18
Ethiopia Organic Dry Process Mengesha Gumi	40	60 KG	Sep 25
Ethiopia Organic Dry Process Yohanes Degoma	35	60 KG	Sep 25
RwandaA Bourbon cultivar variant from Rwanda and Burundi. Bourbon coffees are named for the island in the India Ocean where French colonists grew it. Some history from the... Kivu Kageyo	50	60 KG	Oct 20
Rwanda Peaberry	50	60 KG	Oct 20
Rwanda Karongi Gitesi	35	60 KG	Oct 20
Rwanda Nyamasheke Gitwe	50	60 KG	Oct 20
Rwanda Rulindo Tumba	40	60 KG	Oct 20
Rwanda Nyamasheke Gatare	50	60 KG	Oct 20
Rwanda Nyamasheke Mutovu	50	60 KG	Oct 20

Central America Incoming Coffees

Costa Rica Don Senel El Jocote	10	69 KG	Sept 5
Costa Rica Honey Process Las Anonas	15	69 KG	Sept 5
Costa Rica Honey Process Monte Brisas	30	69 KG	Sept 5
Costa Rica Chirripo Corazon de Jesus	47	69 KG	Sept 5
Costa Rica Rio Jorco Tarbaca	10	69 KG	Sept 5
Nicaragua La Bastilla EstateA "coffee estate" is used to imply a farm that has its own processing facility, a wet-mill. In Spanish this is called an Hacienda. A Finca (farm) does...	87	69 KG	Sept 5
Guatemala Huehuetenago Finca Los Suspiros	12	69 KG	Aug 12
Guatemala Xinabajul Pena Roja	12	69 KG	Aug 12
Guatemala Xinabajul Punta del Cerro	16	69 KG	Aug 12
Guatemala Xinabajul Punta del Cerro AA	23	69 KG	Aug 12
Guatemala Huehuetenango Finca Rosma	20	69 KG	Aug 12
Guatemala Xinabajul San Gaspar Ixchil	32	69 KG	Aug 12
Guatemala Xinabajul San Pedro Necta	26	69 KG	Aug 12
Guatemala Xinabajul Tuiloj	20	69 KG	Aug 12
Guatemala Xinabajul Santa Barbara	20	69 KG	Aug 12
Guatemala Xinabajul Producers	27	69 KG	Aug 12
Guatemala Chimaltenango San Martin Jilotepeque Lot 1	55	46 KG	Aug 12
Guatemala Chimaltenango San Martin Jilotepeque Lot 2	80	46 KG	Aug 12
Guatemala Acatenango GeshaGesha is a long-bean Ethiopia selection with unique cup character. Gesha is the name of the town in Western Ethiopia where the original samples were collected. Spelling it... Lot 3	35	46 KG	Aug 12

Guatemala Huehuetenango Boqueroncito Lot 1	18	69 KG	Sep 15
Guatemala Huehuetenango Boqueroncito Lot 2	20	69 KG	Sep 15
Guatemala Xinabajul Donaldo Villatoro	23	69 KG	Sep 15
Guatemala Michicoy Finca Rosma	16	69 KG	Sep 15
Guatemala Xinabajul Flavio Martinez	18	69 KG	Sep 15
Guatemala Xinabajul Gonzalo Perez	16	69 KG	Sep 15
Guatemala Xinabajul Guilmer CastilloCastillo is a selection of the Colombia cultivar that has become the most commonly grown coffee in Colombia. It is preferred to the older resistant variety, Variedad Colombia...	21	69 KG	Sep 15
Guatemala Xinabajul Herlindo Villatoro	23	69 KG	Sep 15
Guatemala Xinabajul La Libertad	21	69 KG	Sep 15
Guatemala Xinabajul Productores de Peña	30	69 KG	Sep 15
Guatemala Libertad Punta Del Cerro	36	69 KG	Sep 15
Guatemala Xinabajul Santiago Lopez	9	69 KG	Sep 15
Guatemala Xinabajul Producers	32	69 KG	Sep 15

South America Incoming Coffees

ColombiaColombian coffee is highly marketed and widely available in the US. They have been largely successful at equating the name Colombian Coffee with "Good" Coffee. This is half-true.... Buesaco EA Decaf	55	69 KG	Sep 20
Colombia Caicedo Ruben Gomez	16	69 KG	Sep 20
Colombia Buesaco Nubia Chates	6	69 KG	Sep 20
Colombia Buesaco Alianza Granjeros	22	69 KG	Sep 20
Colombia Narino Vereda Pompeya	13	69 KG	Sep 20
Colombia Honey Aponte	22	69 KG	Sep 20
Colombia Honey El Páramo	33	69 KG	Sep 20
Colombia Vereda San Antonio	20	69 KG	Sep 20
Inzá Las EstrellasColombia	14	69 KG	Sep 20
Colombia Inzá Rio Paez	20	69 KG	Sep 20
Colombia Cresta El Hato	15	69 KG	Sep 20
Colombia Inzá Veredas Vecinas	46	69 KG	Sep 20

Indonesia Incoming Coffees

SumatraIndonesians are available as a unique wet-hulled or dry-hulled (washed) coffees. Giling Basah is the name for the wet-hulling process in Bahasa language, and will have more body... Lintong Sigumpar Village	30	60 KG	Oct 13
Sumatra Honey Process Auliya	15	60 KG	Oct 13
Sumatra Wet Hulled Ribang GayoGayo is ethnic group from the area of Aceh Sumatra around Lake Takengon. They use the name Gayo Coffee to market their production. The Acehnese are a different...	25	60 KG	Oct 13
Sumatra Wet ProcessWet-processing starts by removing the outer skin of the coffee cherry with a machine called a pulper, then fermenting the remaining fruit (with green bean inside) in water... Ribang Gayo	25	60 KG	Oct 13
Sumatra Dry Process Ribang Gayo	10	60 KG	Oct 13
Sumatra AcehThe northernmost district in SumatraL Aceh District is north of North Sumatra and produces some very classic Sumatra coffees. The center of coffee in Aceh is Lake Tawar... Bebesen Auliya	40	60 KG	Oct 13
JavaThere are several types of Abyssinia variety coffee, but they are not from Ethiopia but rather Indonesia. Abyssinia 3 = AB3.  PJS Cramer, a Dutch plant researcher, introduced this variety... Tambak Ruyung	30	60 KG	Oct 13
Sumatra Kerinci Gunung Tujuh	50	60 KG	Oct 13
Sumatra Wet Process Kerinci Gunung Tujuh	25	60 KG	Oct 13
Sumatra Honey Process Kerinci Gunung Tujuh	25	60 KG	Oct 13
Sumatra Honey Labu Gunung Tujuh	25	60 KG	Oct 13
Sumatra Dry Process Gunung Tujuh	20	60 KG	Oct 13
India Honnamatti Estate Ruiru	20	60 KG	Oct 13
India Organic Araku Valley	20	60 KG	Oct 13
India Mahaveer Estate	20	60 KG	Oct 13