Roasting Washed Coffees from Ethiopia

Roasting washed coffees from EthiopiaEthiopia is the birthplace of coffee: it is in the forests of the Kaffa region that coffee arabica grew wild. Coffee is "Bun" or "Buna" in Ethiopia, so Coffee Bean is quite possibly a poor More can be incredibly tricky. While they are dense coffees, the beans are also a good deal smaller than other varieties (15+ screen) and they can behave rather delicately in the roaster. There can also be a great variability to the bean size in a coffee from Ethiopia as compared to a 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 African powerhouse of the coffee world. Both More, Colombian, or Central American coffeeCentral American coffee is known for its "classic," balanced profile.: Central American coffee is known for its "classic," balanced profile. Centrals are primarily wet-processed since the climate is too humid for dry processing and hence More. And not only does the bean behave delicately, but the flavors that you’re trying to develop in the coffee are also delicate. This is not a coffee that you can bully with intense heat or one that will forgive you like a Kenya. Roasting Ethiopian coffees well is as much as a finesse game as there is in coffee roastingThe application of heat to green coffee seeds (beans) to create palatable material for brewing a great cup!: Coffee roasting is a chemical process induced by heat, by which aromatics, acids, and other flavor components More.

The quintessential cup qualities of the best Ethiopian coffees are the sweet floralFloral notes in coffee exemplify the connection between taste and smell. Describing the taste of a specific flower is near impossible...we always default to “it tastes like it smells” which, admittedly, isn’t the most helpful.  More notes, followed by the potent citrus notes. It’s important to keep your eyes on the prize of the florals though, as many roasters get hung up on the lemongrass and citrus and end up roasting to that while burying the beautiful jasmineA very positive and intensely floral quality in coffee, usually with a strong aromatic component, reminiscent of jasmine flower or tea. There are many forms of jasmine; the common flowering vines, teas, potpourri, etc. Jasmine More and honeysuckle notes. In some, the citrus and floral notes are perfectly married into bergamotBergamot Orange is the size of an orange, with a yellow color similar to a lemon, and has a pleasant fragrance. The juice tastes less sour than lemon, but more bitter than grapefruit.: Bergamot orange More. Ethiopian coffees are not for deeper roasting.

Getting into Full City on an Ethiopian coffee might help push some of the gingery or clove spice notes, but chances are you’ll lose most of the florals as they move into those more clove-like flavors. Roasting into Full City while making sure that no second crackAfter First Crack, a roast reaction around 440 to 450 degrees that is distinguished by a snapping sound. Second Crack is the second audible clue the roaster-operator receives about the degree-of-roast, following First Crack. Whereas More occurs can be good for espressoA small coffee beverage, about 20 ml, prepared on an espresso machine where pressurized hot water extracted through compressed coffee.: In its most stripped-down, basic form, this is a working definition for espresso: A small More roasts, but again you’re mostly going to get gingery spice if not a bit of well developed mandarin orangeOrange aromatics and flavors are prized in coffee, whether they take the form of sweet orange flesh and pulp, or orange peel. Orange flavors or aromatics can range in degrees of ripeness, which also involves More citrus.

Drying parchmentGreen coffee still in its outer shell, before dry-milling, is called Parchment coffee (pergamino). In the wet process, coffee is peeled, fermented, washed and then ready for drying on the patio, bed, or a mechanical More on raised bedsRaised beds, also referred to as "african-style beds" are elevated beds used for drying coffee when dry-processing.: Raised beds, also referred to as "african-style beds" are elevated beds used for drying coffee when dry-processing. Coffee More

The secret to bringing out the best of Ethiopian coffee is not just in roasting them lighter. The key really lies in the controlled velocity in 1st crackAn audible popping sound heard during roasting. In coffee, one refers to "first crack" and "second crack," which come from two different classes of chemical reactions.: An audible popping sound heard during roasting. In coffee, More. The 1st crack in these coffees can start slow and then just keep trickling along without ever seeming to reach a defined conclusion. Allowing this to happen can result in some really muddled flavors in the cup or even just a lack of definition in the citrus notes and otherwise. While you don’t want to dry out the coffee too quickly in the beginning stages, it’s a good idea to make sure there’s a little extra energy at least when you’re going into first crackFirst crack in one of two distinct heat-induced pyrolytic reactions in coffee. It is distinguished by a cracking or popping sound in the coffee, and occurs between 390 and 410 degrees Fahrenheit in most coffee More.

Giving the roast a boost right before getting into the crack and making sure that there’s a nice rolling vigorous crack is what you’re aiming for. Don’t push right on through; once there’s a nice rolling crack you’ll want to pull back on that energy or adjust the air (depending on your roaster) in order to make sure you don’t get too short of a crack. You’re looking for somewhere in the neighborhood of a good minute and a half to 1:45, and you want a clear endpoint to the crack as well without too many straggler pops.