Ethiopia: The Baby Yoda of Coffee Regions

​Okay, there’s not a super strong correlation between Ethiopia & Baby Yoda...EXCEPT a mysterious and hella relevant “origin” story. (This is funny on a lot of levels; see “single-origin” coffee). And if you don’t know who Baby Yoda is, welcome to the internet.

Ethiopia is known as the birthplace of humanity and also the birthplace of coffee. Coincidence? I think not. But, let’s leave the humanoid/evolution/LUCY(remember her?!) conversation for family get-togethers and stick to coffee here.
 
What do we mean when we say the birthplace of coffee? Basically, the coffee you drink is under a big umbrella called “Arabica”. You may have heard this before. It’s the species of coffee that’s most commonly grown and consumed. This species traces its beginnings to Eastern Africa, now Ethiopia. From here the Arabica species of coffee plant was taken and via Yemen, split into two main off-shoots (Typica & Burbon), and was planted all over the world giving us many different varietals, off shoots, and mutations. This pic should help! 

Credit to SCA!

But HOW did we discover coffee you ask? In my opinion? Who knows. It’s like asking where did Yoda come from. We can only speculate. There is, however, a story we’ve collectively signed off on that I’ll tell you. Long, Long- Ago, in a field full, full of hay, was a goat-hearder named Kaldi and all his goats (maybe one named Yoda? Could be!).

​Kaldi was out and about doing his thing when one or more of his goats started acting wacky AF. Naturally, he was curious what these crazy kids (goat joke) had gotten ahold of. He figured out the berries on a nearby bush must have been the culprit and as any good goat-hearder would do, he ate some because, you know, why not? Now Kaldi is turnt. He went to the local market where his buddies are at and hooks them up with the first cup of coffee ever – and the rest is history.

​Now, it is super cool this commodity product so many people consume, have consumed over centuries, make careers from, and use to fuel the day has such a long history. It is also SUPER cool that Ethiopian coffees are SUPER popular for their interesting and dynamic characteristics. So we decided to create a panel of Ethiopian coffees, showcasing here at our Warehouse for the next few weeks both on pour over and on espresso so you can get your #KaldiKraze on!
​Here's a preview of what we're offering!

 The four Ethiopian coffees we've curated to share with y'all:

- A natural process Kayon Mountain from Lexington Coffee Roasters out of Lexington, VA, with a score of 94/100 from Coffee Review : look for notes of dark chocolate, melon, and pineapple.

- A natural process Yirgacheffe from Dragonfly Coffee Roasters out of Boulder, CO, rated as the roaster of the YEAR by Roast magazine (slow clap) : look for notes of berries, candied lemon, and clove.

- A natural process Limu from Empire Espresso in my old neighborhood of Columbia City in Seattle, WA : look for notes of sugarcane, bergamot, and mango.

- A washed process Worka that was bought by Atlas Coffee Importers (primo importer X 100 billion) partnering with roaster& friends; Cat & Cloud from Santa Cruiz, CA : look for notes of jasmine, peach, and Meyer lemon.

Please join us THIS Saturday, 1/25/20 for a special experiential event as we unveil these coffees! All day we will be pulling shots of these four coffees, and slinging some pour overs. Come between 9AM-10AM to experience these coffees side-by-side with a flight of all four on Kalita Wave brewed by coffee master, Christopher Melton. $7 for a flight of all four.

Get REAL caffeinated by taking shots of each espresso as well. Why not? Let's taste some of the best coffees out there! For more info on the event, click here!

Can't make it Saturday? No fear, these coffees will be around for the next month. Try one, try them all and discover the true origin story of coffee, Episode: Ethiopia.