Hassan Family (Kayon Mountain)

Description

Releases October 5th 10am EST

Tasting Like:

Strawberry Cream Tart, Poached Blueberries, Passionfruit Jelly Curd, Mango Rinds, Blossom Florals

Farm: Kayon Mountain
Producers: Hassan Family
Variety: Heirloom
Process: Extended Anaerobic Fermentation
Origin: Guji, Colombia
Altitude: 2100masl

Goodness it's good to finally have an ethiopian we love. It's been long overdue.

It is so good to finally have coffees from Ethiopia touching down. You likely have some knowledge or familiarity with the quality and importation issues of the origin over the last three years. If not, here’s a quick 30-second summary.
Cash-sensitive exporters have frequently treated coffee as a loss-leader (like Costco’s rotisserie chicken – same concept here) to secure hard foreign currency, leading to aggressive bank defaults that forced 20% of washing and drying stations to close in the last three years. To cut costs under the financial strains, farmers have rushed milling and drying times, which directly dulls the complex floral and fruit notes characteristic of Ethiopian beans. Furthermore, the age and changing climate of Ethiopia have reduced crop density, while many farmers are actively replacing aging coffee trees with more lucrative, multi-harvest cash crops like “khat” and eucalyptus. But the single biggest issue has been the geopolitical crises in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz, believe it or not. The now-tricky transporting challenge has logistically "cooked" the coffee before it ever reaches importers and roasters. Because shipping lines must bypass the Suez Canal and reroute vessels entirely around the southernmost tip of Africa, maritime transit times have extended by months at a time. Stranded for prolonged periods inside standard ocean containers or un-air-conditioned warehouses at port, the delicate green beans are exposed to extreme humidity and temperature swings. This causes severe, as they call it in logistics, "container sweat," and very accelerated aging. This transforms the once-vibrant specialty flavors into what you’ve likely experienced recently: flat, quiet, and woody coffees.
This challenge has put increased pressure and demand on the few exporters who truly are finding avenues around said challenges – and pressure on the roasters to somehow supply the never-ending demand for the origin. This forces us to be extra meticulous about sourcing from the region, often cupping samples not just from origin, but all the way through port as well to prevent surprises with faded crops. This isn’t a practice all roasters can sustain, but it’s one we’ve been chasing ever since the first DM to bring Ethiopian coffees to Promethium hit our line years ago. Now we finally have the first crop of this year that we feel is up to par with the origin's best work in recent memory. It is wildly fruity, vivid, and absolutely delicious while being truly an Ethiopian crop. Enough to make a grown person cry with joy. Goodness, it’s good to have you back, Ethiopia.

Recommended Music to accompany brewing: F.E.M. - Leo Pol
Includes QR code to applicable Tasting Guide™

Text from Promethium Coffee's listing.