Ethiopia season is a highlight of our year at Caravan – a time to celebrate the country’s bright, fun, and unique coffees which are favourites of baristas and beginners alike. This popularity comes from a combination of genetic diversity, skilled processing, and a long history of importance in the production of coffee worldwide.

Ethiopia is not only coffee’s birthplace from a genetic perspective, but also a place where coffee consumption and culture continue to thrive. Coffee farming takes place across multiple mountainous regions, each with their own unique flavour profiles. This lot was produced by Melka Gumie on her farm in the Harfusa woreda in the region of Yirgacheffe, one of the country’s most famous coffee-producing districts.

Separating single producer lots in Ethiopia is difficult due to socio-political and logistics-related factors, and therefore most specialty coffees are sold under the name of the washing station where they were processed. To separate a lot down to a single farm requires additional time, resources, and training at the warehousing and export level. If executed properly, this process of rewarding individual farmers for exceptional quality can deliver much higher income levels for producers. Melka’s coffee is an example of what may be the future of Ethiopian coffee, should the infrastructure and political climate improve.

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BREWING GUIDE 

Ethiopian coffees are prized for their complexity and the uniqueness of their acidity, which is typically on the fruit and floral end of the flavour spectrum. Melka’s coffee has exactly this sort of lovely acidity which can be accentuated through careful hand brewing. Try a ratio of 1 to 16 on your pour over method of choice, adjusting to taste.