Ethiopia Sidamo | Rainforest Alliance Mormora Estate Washed Red Cherry Project

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Ethiopia Sidamo | What are the flavor characteristics of Rainforest Alliance Mormora Plantation washed beans Red Cherry Project G1?

Ethiopia is the country where coffee was first discovered, and it remains one of the most important and excellent producers in terms of coffee quality and yield. Most coffee is of the traditional Arabica variety, with an annual production of about 350,000 tons, over 70% of which is exported to countries worldwide. Approximately 15 million people nationwide are engaged in coffee-related industries, and over 90% of farms or cooperatives are small-scale plantations.

After 2008, crops produced in Ethiopia, including wheat, corn, sesame, and coffee, were fully integrated into the ECX (Ethiopian Commodity Exchange) system to replace existing auction and export methods. The approach involves coffee farmers or cooperatives delivering coffee to ECX centralized warehouses, where beans of the same grade and from the same production area are mixed together and then directly auctioned. You won't know which specific farmers or cooperatives from which regions produced the coffee. This practice actually doesn't affect production and quality, but makes it easier to distinguish coffee quality by price ["you get what you pay for"]. What's affected is that intermediate traders cannot freely track and obtain satisfactory profits ["low price, high quality"], making it more transparent for consumers. Bypassing the ECX trading system results in heavy taxation, so currently over 90% of transactions go through this system. However, for buyers who love specialty coffee, the ECX system is not beneficial. Therefore, starting from 2010, Ethiopia launched the DST (Direct Specialty Trade) system. The DST system consists of irregular Ethiopian auctions where only specialty coffees that score above 80 points according to SCAA cupping standards can be traded under their own farm or cooperative names with foreign green bean buyers.

Washed Coffee Processing in Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, washed coffees are distinguished by adding "1" and "2" after their names (with "1" being of higher quality). After coffee cherries are harvested, the pulp is immediately removed, and then the coffee beans are placed in water to ferment to remove the mucilage layer. This process takes several hours, with the duration depending on coffee variety, growing region, and temperature. This process must be closely controlled, as even slight mistakes can result in inferior flavors in the coffee beans. After fermentation is complete, the coffee beans are washed clean through a long water channel with height differences. During this process, defective beans and foreign matter are also removed. Afterwards, the coffee beans are dried on drying beds, where they must be closely monitored and turned every few hours to ensure complete drying. This is the entire washed coffee process.

Mormora Plantation Details

This coffee grows in the Oromia region. Mormora Plantation began producing organic coffee in 2001 and is Rainforest Alliance certified. Dutch coffee trader Trabocca began cooperation and monitoring five years ago. Mormora has 640 hectares, currently with 12 permanent member cooperatives for coffee cultivation and processing, managed by three high-quality consultants. During harvest season, we have over 300 coffee pickers, with approximately 150 people processing the coffee.

Farm: Mormora Coffee Plantation

City: Shakiso

Region: Sidamo

Grade: Red Cherry Project G1

Country: Ethiopia

Altitude: 1,700-1,800 meters

Harvesting: Hand-picking

Coffee Characteristics

Variety: Heirloom (local traditional wild varieties)

Processing System: Wet-Process, dried on raised beds

Appearance: 16-18 Screen

Cupping Notes: 60 seconds after first crack for cupping roast level (Cinnamon)

Aroma/Flavor: Green tea, jasmine, rose, chamomile, sugarcane

Acidity: Delicate lemon acid, raspberry, floral/herbal acid, mint, lively yet subtle acidity

Complexity and Other: Very fresh, clean and flawless, silky smooth, aftertaste filled with bright, beautiful sweetness

Overall Style Characteristics: Jasmine floral, clean, silky, fully expressing the beauty of washed beans

FrontStreet Coffee Recommended Brewing:

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90°C

Grind Size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 3.5

Brewing Method: Coffee-to-water ratio 1:15, 15g coffee grounds. First pour 25g water, bloom for 25 seconds. Second pour to 120g, then stop pouring. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g. Extraction time approximately 2:00.

Analysis: Using a three-stage pour to clearly distinguish the front, middle, and backend flavors of the coffee. Because the V60 has many ribs and drains faster, stopping the pour can help extend the extraction time.

Important Notice :

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Tel:020 38364473