Mi'eessaa
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Impressions: nectarine, raspberry, honey, blueberry blossom
Roast degree: light (2/5)
Country: Ethiopia
Zone: Guji
Woreda: Shakiso
Kebele: Sukke Qutto
Sub kebele: Shoondhisa
Variety: CBD resistant swelection + local Guji landraces
Process: Natural
Drying Station: Dambi Undo
Export partner: Sookoo Coffee
Partner importer: Osito coffee
Farmer: Mi'eessaa Robe
This lot from Mi'eessaa Robe is our first ever single farmer lot from Ethiopia.
Most Ethiopian producers are smallholders selling their cherries at mills who will process and blend community lots together since single farmers don't usually produce enough.
This coffee could have ended up in our staple coffee Shoondhisa, a communal blend of 44 farmers this year.
Osito has been buying the Shoondhisa lots for multiple years now, but they wanted to find ways to build an even stronger connection with the region. They asked Ture, the exporter and master coffee processor, to consider buying lots from single farmers that are big enough to be exported on their own, unblended.
Mi'eessa's farm, that he inherited from his parent, covers eight hectares at elevations between 2000 and 2350masl.
This father of seven who has been a coffee farmer all his life produces a delicate and tasty coffee that we are thrilled to have on our menu.
With the ongoing conflict in the Tigray region and the worldwide shortage of containers and long waiting time at ports (this lot was stuck on the water for nearly a month outside of the port in NYC!) it feels amazing to offer this incredible coffee.
This Shoondhisa lot from Mi'eessaa is so delicious. Full of red berries (raspberry, strawberry) and stone fruits (nectarine, peach) it's also pleasantly thick bodied and sirupy.
The honey sweetness finish makes this coffee feel light, and the blueberry blossom aroma is a nice finishing touch and makes the whole sensory experience better.
If you ever tasted our staple community lot from the same region, you will see some similarities, but you will also appreciate the distinct note from the lot from Mr. Robe.
| Method | Dose | Ratio | Time |
| Espresso | 18 g | 2.4:1 | 30-36 sec |
| Espresso with milk | 18g | 2.1:1 | 36-40 sec |
| Americano | 18 g | 2.3:1 | 30-35 sec |
|
V60/Origami |
23 g | 17:1 | 3:15-3:45 min |
|
Chemex & Batch Brew |
40-60 g | 17:1 | 5:00-5:30 min |
|
French Press |
18-25 g | 16.5:1 | 3:30 min steep time |
Farmer: Mi'eessaa Robe
Drying mill: Dambi Undo
Coffee processors and exporter: Ture Waji, owner of Sookoo Coffee
Importer: Osito
Price we paid for the landed coffee in continental New Jersey: 5,45USD/lb (add 0,35USD for shipping and customs)
FOB price, or price paid to Sookoo by Osito: 4,00USD/lb
Farmgate price, or price paid by Sookoo for the coffee cherries: early season - 40ETB/kg, and late harvest 51ETB/kg
Last year, the cherry prices were around 24ETB/kg.
High demand and lower supply explain this increase.
In addition to the price hike, a lack of ripening rain this year made for an overall low cherry quality across the board in the region. A high percentage of cherries bought were undersized, defective or unripe.
Ture is dedicated to quality, and is sorting and processing protocols are immaculate compare to most coffee exporters in Ethiopia. He deserves the nickname ‘’King of Guji’!
But sorting coffee the way he does, especially in a year were so much cherries were defective means increased cost for the highest quality.
What is also interesting is that farmers hover from exporter to exporter to try and fetch the highest price. Ture won’t shy away from paying extra for higher quality, and his processing knowledge allows him to turn an average lots into something super tasty. He is a master at making sure we can taste the very best of the Ethiopian terroir.