In The Cup
Prototype is a seasonal showcase of fruit forward coffees in espresso form that gives bags of sweetness, balanced acidity and solubility that makes a syrupy and f...
In The Cup
Prototype is a seasonal showcase of fruit forward coffees in espresso form that gives bags of sweetness, balanced acidity and solubility that makes a syrupy and forgiving espresso. At this time of the year we like to showcase fresh crops from Ethiopia in Prototype and this washed lot from the Hambella Farm is singing with notes of soft ripe stone fruits like peach and nectarine, florals like honeysuckle balanced with sweet caramel.
The Story
The vast majority of Ethiopian coffee is what’s known as garden coffee due to the small lot sizes and intercropping of cash crops with subsistence crops. Traditional Ethiopian garden grown coffee is grown and harvested by the small family farms and then delivered to their local coop where it is processed as either washed or natural coffee. However, Hambella is a single farm, about 200 hectares in size, with their own processing facilities for multiple processes and the first SCA certified lab in Africa.
The story of Hambella goes back to just after WWII when Muluemebet Emiru, the first ever female African pilot, was awarded a plot of land by the Ethiopian emperor for her contribution to the war. Coming from a farming background, Muluemebet wanted to use this land to cultivate coffee and provide work and amenities for the local community. Still a family run business, Hambella farm is now piloted by Muluemebet’s grandson Aman Adinew who was also one of the founding members of the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange.
Social and Environmental
Social and environmental responsibility and elevating the perception of Ethiopian coffee has always been at the heart of Hambella’s purpose, ever since its conception back in the 1940’s. Today the farm employs 28 full time members and about 700 during harvest time, 70% of which are female. There is also an out-growers program where they buy freshly harvested cherry from hundreds of local small holders to process at their facilities. Not only does this provide a route to market for smaller farmers but they also provide education and support with their agronomists to improve efficiency and quality. Healthcare is also provided for their employees and donations are made to a local primary school with over 700 students. Hambella was also the first to partner with Grounds for Health in Ethiopia, a charity that implements cervical screening for women in coffee growing communities.
The Variety
As the plant, Coffea Arabica, first evolved in Ethiopia and South Sudan, there are thousands of different varieties growing wild in the countryside of Ethiopia. Most of these varieties are unidentified and are referred to as “Heirloom” or “Landrace” varieties. However in 1967, the Jimma Agricultural Research Centre was set up to identify different varieties, their benefits and to breed varieties that will benefit farmers with productivity, pest and disease resistance and cup quality. This lot is made up of three different varieties from JARC’s identification and breeding program, Dega, Kudhume and Wolisho. These three varieties have proven to be successful in the Guji region, producing good yields and a high quality, sweet floral cup profile.
The Processing
During harvest time, pickers are trained to pick the ripest cherries and deliver them to the washing station at the end of each day where they are processed right away to avoid any over fermentation. Once cherries are collected at the washing station, they are put through a gravity sorting machine to separate out different quality cherries. Next they are pulped in a modern pulping machine that uses minimal water input before being fermented in local spring water for 36-72 hours. This fermentation develops flavour and sweetness whilst also softening the mucilage before being washed off in channels. After this it is dried on raised beds for 8-12 days where defects are hand-picked.
Brew Ratio : 1:2.5
Extraction time : 25-30 seconds