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Bean: Ethiopian Heirloom, Kochere, Ethiopia
Shop: Single Estate Coffee, Maasdijk, The Netherlands
Ethiopia Kochere: Background information.
Single Estate Coffee provided me with a package of Ethiopia Kochere filter coffee from the Yirgacheffe region. The background information I will give you is a bit extensive but bear with me please. Kochere is a district in the Yirgacheffe region and it produces almost 30% of the coffee there. Since the original Ethiopian coffee plant has a multitude of varieties, it was impossible to register which plant had what name. To create some sort of order in the chaos of those Ethiopian varieties, the name ‘Ethiopian Heirloom’ was created. In Kochere they have started a cooperation of coffee-farms under the name ‘Kochere’ that all work together and produce this ‘Ethiopian Heirloom. This is not a bad thing in the case of Ethiopian coffee as we all know; the coffee from the Yirgacheffe region is widely known for its quality. This Ethiopian Kochere coffee consists out of coffee from several farms of that cooperation, and thus has the variety name Ethiopian Heirloom.
The Ethiopia Kochere was grown at an altitude between 1800m and 2200m. After harvesting the coffee was de-pulped by a mechanical de-pulping machine. The washing station uses a period of about 36 to 48 hours of fermentation, after which the coffee was sunbed-dried for about 12 hours.
Ethiopia Kochere: Opening the package
I start noticing that the packages of the coffee’s I review are getting more and more stylish. Single Estate Coffee uses a white plastic package with a very stylish design. It would have been perfect if you could close the package up again, but for now I use crams to keep it air-tight.
When opening the package a soft and delicate scent comes out. I can trace the hints of the floral notes, but also a fruity sweetness is traceable there. The beans are in the light roast spectrum and look beautiful. Single Estate Coffee specifically mentions that this is a filter roast, so don’t try to brew an espresso from this roast. I weigh my coffee and start grinding. Immediately the soft scents that came from the package explode in my face. Sweetness, floral and a bit of herbal aroma’s escape the coffee ground.
Ethiopia Kochere: The tasting
Since this is a filter review, I always use many different methods for brewing to find the sweet-spot for the coffee. I will not bother you with all those results but tell you about the method that I liked best: 15 grams of coffee and 220 grams of water.
Before I started grinding the coffee I had already started to boil the water. Using the boiled water to rinse my paper filter and preheat the Hario V60, I waited until the temperature of the water went as low as 92 degrees. I put 15 grams of coffee in the Hario V60 and started brewing.
Ethiopia Kochere: Brewing notes
I use 50 grams of water and bloom for 30 seconds. The first thing I notice is not the floral notes that one would expect. This might sound weird but I definitely smell cannabis here. The scent is strong at firs but is soon accompanied with the typical floral and honey notes. After adding water up to 120 grams, the scent lingers still but is in no means a bad thing. Wow, I have never smelled this on a coffee! I continue pouring 20 grams each time until I reach 220 grams.
Ethiopia Kochere: Tasting notes
I fill up a pre-heated cup and smell the coffee. The first thing I process is the aroma of flowers; it’s like smelling a fresh bouquet of flowers in a vase, or walking through a botanic garden. I try to take apart the scent what I smell and come up with Bergamot, black tea and perhaps a touch of jasmine? But that is by far not the only thing I smell. The aroma’s are accompanied by citric fruits and a strong smell of honey. It’s delicious!
When taking a sip it feels as if I was drinking a velvet-like tea with honey and flowers. Just the way a Yirgacheffe is supposed to taste. There was no hint of cannabis to be found in the sip. The acidity in this coffee is high. When using higher dosages of the coffee, the acidity tends to get sparkly on your tongue. Try to keep the balance between the water and the amount of ground, in order to prevent this. The aftertaste is short and clean and fits perfectly with the light and smooth body.
Ethiopia Kochere: The verdict
Single Estate Coffee is well known in The Netherlands and they have earned that reputation. The Ethiopian Kochere is downright amazing when it comes to the tasting notes. The scent of cannabis was a bit weird for me at the start because I had never experienced it before. After acknowledging it, it became a very agreeable scent. Overall this coffee is beautifully roasted and I would place it in my top 10 of favourite beans.
Single Estate Coffee also ships throughout Europe, so even if you don’t live in The Netherlands you can still enjoy this coffee.
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