How to Drink Tomoca Coffee from Ethiopia? What is the Shelf Life of Tomoca Coffee?

Tomoca Coffee: Ethiopia's Finest

Many people say this is the best coffee they have ever had anywhere in the world. I ordered a cup called "sprice" — a green-tea-like coffee with an Eastern character that felt quite wonderful.

Aside from famine, what comes to mind when people hear "Ethiopia" should be: coffee!

The single-origin pour-overs common in coffee shops — Sidamo, natural Yirgacheffe, and pour-over lots in general — all trace back to Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee worldwide.

The Legend of Coffee's Origin

Legend holds that coffee originated in the town of Kaffa in southwestern Ethiopia. One day a shepherd was tending his flock when he noticed the sheep suddenly became very excited. Watching them closely, he realized they grew especially lively after eating the fruit of a certain tree.

Driven by curiosity, he tried the fruit himself and felt its invigorating effect. He named the fruit after his hometown, and from that moment coffee entered human life.

Tomoca Coffee: Ethiopia's Premier Coffee Shop

The best coffee shop in Ethiopia is undoubtedly Tomoca Coffee. Established in 1953, it was Ethiopia's first company to emphasize specialty coffee roasting technique. Where do they source their raw materials? From coffee's birthplace, naturally — Kaffa town!

Starting from Kaffa, they gradually gathered beans from Ethiopian highland growing regions such as Sidamo. Why choose highland beans specifically? Because beans grown at altitude benefit from excellent climate conditions and fertile soil, which makes their acidity and aroma especially distinct — and creates Tomoca's signature flavor.

The Tomoca Coffee Experience

Tomoca's shop is quite small, but it sets aside ample storage space. The beans it mainly sells are a "dark-roasted Arabica blend" and "medium-roasted single-origin beans." Occasionally you may find lightly roasted beans as well. When I take guests shopping there, I mostly recommend the medium-roasted single origin, because its flavor profile is purer.

Brewing Methods

Having happily bought Ethiopia's best beans, how should you brew them at home for the most authentic cup?

Because I keep a fairly complete collection of coffee equipment at home, I have tried the following methods:

1. Metal-filter pour-over
2. Flannel-filter pour-over, with a Little Pegasus grinder set to 3.5
3. Moka pot (not recommended)
4. French press (also not recommended)
5. Pot-brewed coffee, with a Little Pegasus grinder set to 2.5

I have personally tested all of them and prefer the fifth — pot-brewed coffee. Perhaps because it comes closest to Ethiopia's "coffee ceremony."

The Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony

The coffee ceremony is always handled by the woman of the house. Cups are set on a low table, and raw beans are "roasted" fresh over charcoal so guests can enjoy the aroma first. Next, water is heated and the beans are ground — the truly traditional method uses charcoal, just like the woman in my photo. Because the flame is very small, heating the water takes a long time. During the wait, the woman burns a personally prepared herbal blend as incense, helping everyone relax. Once the water boils, the ground coffee is poured into the pot and simmered briefly before being poured and served. The first cup is always the strongest. After one cup comes another, and then another. Usually three cups must be drunk — especially the third, which represents the host's highest blessing to the guest and must be finished as a mark of respect.

The Perfect Brewing Method

Because pot-brewed coffee comes closest to the coffee-ceremony method, I find it tastes most like how locals brew, with a purer flavor than any other approach. Tomoca Coffee's packaging recommends a coffee-to-water ratio of "10 grams of coffee to 180 ml of water. When brewing, do not use just-boiled water — use slightly cooler water to preserve the coffee's flavor."

Conclusion

Although Tomoca is the best bean we can bring back from Ethiopia to Taiwan, once brewed at home it still cannot match any traditional coffee shop on the streets of Ethiopia.

FrontStreet Coffee is a small Guangzhou roastery with a diverse bean selection, carrying both famous and lesser-known lots, and it also sells online.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If Tomoca's highland Ethiopian cup is what won you over, FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopian lineup is the natural next step. The flagship washed Yirgacheffe is the classic entry point, with white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a tea-like body, grown in southern Ethiopia at roughly 1,700–2,100 meters with the trees planted above 1,800 meters. FrontStreet also offers a washed Gudingding Cooperative lot from the Worka area, showing citrus, lemon and jasmine, and a sun-dried Red Cherry lot with berry juice, honeyed sweetness and a creamy mouthfeel. A good starting point is a V60 dripper, 15 g of coffee at a 1:15 ratio, 90–91°C water, and a grind around fine-sugar size.