The coffee from Eastern Harar used to be everywhere. What changed?
Harar coffee is still produced, exported and available … but not like it was 20 years ago, in the early days of Sweet Maria’s. Harar is not found very often on roaster’s menus, or importers trading sheets.
In this slideshow from my old trips to Harar, I try to answer some of the questions we receive lately about Harar coffee. Why does it seem hard to find? What changed? (Actually Harar lots have been on our cuppingCupping is a method of tasting coffee by steeping grounds in separate cups for discrete amounts of ground coffee, to reveal good flavors and defects to their fullest.... table … but we just have not found lots that are good enough to offer.)
The short answer is a. lack of water in a region with a growing population, b. the production of the stimulant shrub called Khat, or Ch’at, c. limited coffee production area.
I am sure there are other forces at play too, and I am no expert on Harar or 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... … but I wanted to narrate some photos, share what experience I have, and reminisce about Harar coffee of the 2000s!
10 Responses
Agree completely! A harar was what made me initially fall in love with coffee 15+ years ago. It tasted like blueberry juice. I’ve been chasing that high ever since. I always try harar when I see it on a menu and am always massively disappointed!
I know! We had found one several years ago that I hoped would pan out, from a small farmer group truly in East Harar, not West. But the confirmation pss sample was not the same coffee at all and had to pass on it. The main ones still imported, as Queen City and Mesela seem to have mostly a flavor like cheap chocolate and none of the dried berry etc. Luckily there are so many amazing dry processed coffees from other parts of Ethiopia but I still miss Harar anyway…
When we started roasting in Eugene OR at what was then known as The Coffee Bean in 1974 and a few years later in Portland, Harar was the only specialty Ethiopian coffee available from the vendor we used, B.C. Ireland in San Francisco. This was about the time Erna Knutsen, the woman who coined the phrase “specialty coffee”, was getting involved in coffee. Erna went on to become emblematic of all that was wonderful about the specialty business, and later, in 1992, Erna became one of my mentors.
OK back to Harar, or as it was spelled on the cool little cards that came in each 60Kg bag, Harrar, as in Harrar Horse. I understand the Horse label has made a comeback in recent years through the auspices of the original owner’s nephew, although I’ve only heard that once so who knows?
The coffee was unlike anything any of us had experienced- that blueberry note was a revelation. But it was also anything but consistent, and often full of rocks.
In August of 1975 Haile Selassie was assassinated by the Marxist Derg faction that had overthrown the old monarchy in September of 1974, of which Selassie had been Emperor since 1930. Most accounts say that he was strangled, although I have been told by more than one Ethiopian that he was drowned in one of the toilets in his palace.
A couple of things changed in the Harar coffee after Haile’s death. The amount of foreign material in the coffee was significantly reduced, mostly small rocks, so that was good. But many of us also noticed that its distinctive blueberry note, along with an overall reduction of the fruity flavors that made it so special, were significantly reduced. It may be that drying times were decreased in an effort to speed along production and reduce costs. I don’t know how else to explain it, and these kinds of initiatives are typical of the misguided efforts typical of other government-controlled coffee programs in Peru, Burundi, and elsewhere.
It wasn’t until 1991 or 92 that washed Yirgacheffe #2 made its appearance at the little independent roaster where I was then employed in Marblehead Massachusetts. The rest, of course, is history, as washed Ethiopian coffees checked all the boxes for a successful specialty coffee: a uniquely distinctive, yet not too consumer-challenging profile (unlike Harar, which, like its cousin from Yemen was quite polarizing), ensured by generally solid agronomics and processing.
Wow thank you for the first hand history lesson on Harar. Much appreciated, Jim
I suspect part of what happened is the same as happened to Jamaican Blue Mountain and Hawaiian Kona, a lot of lower quality coffee was sold as Harar which alienated a thriving customer base. I do really miss them. I have fond memories of those coffees. They were often described as drinking an African market of dried fruits, nuts and spices. An accurate description.
Agreed! IDK maybe they were more about reputation than actual cup quality (?) Coffees from everywhere else have improved so greatly but certain places could rest on the laurels, perhaps. Jamaica could sell on reputation alone without actually having to be that great in the cup … this is more opinion than anything of course, but I would be willing to bet money that a Jamaica in a blind cupping with some solid, basic Central America coffees wouldn’t have a chance.
I have been wanting to ask this question (What happened to Harar), for so long. I miss being beaten about the head and shoulders by a blueberry bush during my morning coffee.
Haha. Thanks for the funny visual! If it helps, we picked up on a nice blueberry note in dry process Hambela Goro, which we still have a few bags of.
Cheers.
Dan
I so wish I was into specialty coffee when Harar was so highly sought after. Based on everyone’s description I can bet it would have been a favorite of mine. I’ve only been home roasting for a few months now and one of my favorite offerings was Buno Dambi Uddo. It smelled like chocolate covered blueberries and the blueberry notes were definitely there. Too bad that one is no longer available. I should have grabbed more when it was available again. I’m curious what made the blueberry aspect of Harar coffee so prominent?
Hey Todd, thanks for your comment. Unfortunately, I don’t have a good answer for why Harar coffee is so closely associated with a “blueberry” note. I do think it’s a real thing, but also believe that nostalgia is at play to a certain degree. There have been so many improvements to how dry process coffee is managed since the days of regular Harar representation on our list. To be honest, I wonder how some of our favorite Harar’s from way back would compare to today’s Grade 1 naturals. For one, coffee used to ship without barrier bags, so most coffee had a haze of age by default. And they didn’t receive anywhere near the attention they do now in terms of hand sorting, and attention on the drying tables. “Grade 1” naturals just didn’t exist. Just some food for thought.
I agree with you on Dambi Uddo! If you enjoyed that coffee, try Goro before it sells out. It’s from the same group.
Thanks again Todd.
-Dan