For this month’s blog we thought we’d talk about Ethiopia Washed Sidamo Korate. The Korate is the most recent addition to our Single Origin coffees. The question our baristas tend to get asked more often than others is “Why do coffee beans need to be washed?". A legitimate question, after all these are coffee beans, wouldn’t getting them wet before grinding screw something up? The thing to keep in mind with coffee is that there’s a whole long process to get from the farm to that cup of goodness that brings you back to life every morning. To be fair, there are a few ways of going about it, but in this instance the process entails harvesting the coffee cherries and then washing the fruit right off the bean. What this means to you is that because the fruit is removed quicker, your cup of Korate will have less of a fruity taste and will come out a little cleaner and crisper. The other thing to keep in mind with this coffee is that the Sidamo Korate is grown at an elevation of 2000-2200 masl (meters above sea level). Coffees grown at higher altitudes spend more time on the tree before they are picked and are generally of higher quality. The final step in this process from farm to cup is how we roast the beans. We roast the Korate at what coffee aficionadas refer to as "City+". What that means for you is the coffee comes out a little lighter. This allows us to fully bring out the taste of of blueberries, lime, caramel, and a nice, crisp finish. We love coffees from this region and also supporting the 450 farmers who produce this specific coffee for us.
