Ethiopian Three-Tour Coffee Cultural Ceremony: How to Brew COE22 and TOH Coffee Beans and Their Flavor Descriptions

The Cultural Significance of Ethiopian Coffee

Beyond its rich biological origins, coffee holds a significant place in this country's culture. The Coffee Ceremony is an integral part of Ethiopian life, dating back centuries. Every morning, the woman of the household roasts fresh coffee beans and spices on a clay stove (wacheff). The freshly roasted coffee beans are finely ground, carefully brewed, and placed in a traditional clay pot (Jebena) to boil on the stove. The boiled coffee is poured into each person's cup in three rounds. Renowned coffee scholar Hsu Paolin describes this ceremony in his African Coffee Guide as Ethiopia's unique three-round coffee etiquette. The coffee is always served in three rounds: the first round is called "Abol," the second "Tona," and the third "Baraka." After the coffee is brewed, two spoonfuls of sugar are added to each cup, typically accompanied by various traditional local pastries. Guests are expected to stay through all three rounds, as leaving early would be considered impolite. Drinking coffee serves as a ritual for building friendships and discussing important matters among neighborhoods and villages.

Ethiopia's Coffee Growing Regions

Ethiopia's geographical environment is exceptionally suitable for coffee cultivation. Coffee is primarily grown in the southern highlands at elevations between 1,100 and 2,300 meters. The main coffee-producing regions include Harar, Limu, Djimma, Sidamo, Kaffa, Yergacheffe, and Wellega. The soil in these areas is well-drained, slightly acidic, and red in color with a loose texture. Ethiopian coffee is harvested once a year. From March to April, beautiful white coffee flowers bloom on the branches, after which the fruits begin to grow. From September to December, the red coffee cherries ripen and are ready for picking. From November to December, the new season's coffee begins to be exported for international markets.

Using FrontStreet Coffee's COE22 and TOH as examples, let's briefly introduce the flavor characteristics of Ethiopian coffee.

Cup of Excellence (COE) Ethiopian Coffee

First, let's examine the 22nd lot from Ethiopia's inaugural COE competition in 2020. FrontStreet Coffee believes that participating in coffee origin auctions is another way to support the development of coffee-producing regions—rewarding quality, thereby encouraging more coffee farmers to actively participate. According to official information, this coffee is a Typica variety scoring 87.64 points. The coffee comes from the Arsi region of Ethiopia, grown at an altitude of 2,050 meters. The processing method is natural (dry-processed), which requires high labor costs as the coffee must be turned evenly every 30-60 minutes to avoid over-fermentation. Using a medium-light roast, the flavor profile presents citrus, lychee, honey, cream, fermented wine notes, strawberry, and mango.

Taste of Harvest (TOH) Competition

So what kind of flavor experience will the washed TOH bring us?

First, we need to understand what TOH is.

The TOH green bean competition is the most important green bean competition held annually for African coffee-growing countries. Its full name is "East Africa Taste of Harvest Competition" (TOH). This competition is similar to the Cup of Excellence (COE) in Central and South America. Since its establishment, the TOH competition has become a arena for discovering the best coffees from 12 African producing countries including Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Congo.

The TOH competition process is as follows: In the preliminary round, batches scoring below 80 points in cupping are eliminated, gradually selecting high-quality green beans from various regions to enter the national-level competition. Then, domestic and international judges together conduct cupping and scoring based on standards from the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), with the highest scorer becoming the national champion of the year.

The TOH green bean competition is the most important green bean competition held annually for African coffee-growing countries. Its full name is "East Africa Taste of Harvest Competition" (TOH). This competition is similar to the Cup of Excellence (COE) in Central and South America. Since its establishment, the TOH competition has become a arena for discovering the best coffees from 12 African producing countries including Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Congo.

Washed Processing Method

The TOH champion beans acquired by FrontStreet Coffee this time come from the washed category. The coffee processing must undergo strict and careful control and screening at every stage. Hand-picking fully ripe, fresh coffee cherries as raw material is the first step in ensuring coffee quality. Before processing, one can see the beautiful, mature red cherries appearing especially enticing under the sunlight. After careful selection, the coffee cherries enter the washed processing stage. The selected coffee cherries are placed in a depulper to initially remove their skin and pulp; the coffee beans with remaining pulp and mucilage are placed in water to ferment for about 18-36 hours; after fermentation, the coffee beans with parchment are placed in flowing water channels to wash away the pulp and mucilage; after washing, the coffee beans are dried in the sun or with drying machines until the moisture content reaches about 12%; finally, the parchment is removed from the green coffee beans.

Through cupping, FrontStreet Coffee believes that the washed processing method highlights the brightness of the acidity in coffee beans from the Uraga region, with an overall profile leaning toward the floral notes and citrus acidity characteristics of the Yergacheffe region. Using a medium-light roast, this coffee bean presents flavors of jasmine, lemon, berries, pomelo, honey, and green tea.

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