CROWN JEWEL ETHIOPIA ORGANIC GORBOTA DESTA GOLA DOUBLE WASHED

Taste

Taste Analysis by Isabella Vitaliano 

Effervescent, floral, and clean, you can’t ask much more from a coffee. A seemingly simple base of pink apple, rose, and vanilla is accented by light florals of rose and orange blossom and white grape. Not your average grocery store grape (typically a low-tier fruit in my opinion). No, this is the type of random California-native grape you have had the pleasure of sampling that just happens to grow in a neighbor’s back yard. Crisp, insanely sweet and reminiscent of the grocery-store grape but taken to a whole other level.  

You’ll find some white-flesh fruit like rambutan or lychee in the cup. The light and crisp flavors are accompanied by sweet cashew butter that holds the structure of the coffee together and presents the opportunity to take it as light or dark as your heart desires. 

In the brew analysis the team found lots of black tea in different brew metrics along with grape soda, peach, raspberries, hibiscus and pomegranate. With so many variations in this coffee to explore, and all of them delicious, you will be delighted and charmed by this single farmer lot from the Gedeo Zone. 

Source

Source Analysis by Mayra Orellana-Powell 

The creation of the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX) in 2008 significantly limited full traceability back to specific farmers. In response, Royal established the Single Farmer Lots Program to separate single farmer lots from the larger cooperative blends sold through the ECX. Annual farm visits from Royal CEO Max Nicholas-Fulmer and regular communication with farmers through Haile Andualem, Royal’s representative on the ground in Ethiopia, have been an essential component for ensuring that farmers and washing stations are following strict farm management and post-harvest protocols. The results have been increasing cup quality and higher returns for the individual producers that Royal has come to count on for great coffee year after year.  

Returning to Royal with another amazing harvest, Desta Gola cultivated this single farmer lot on his 10-acre farm near the town of Gorbota located in the heart of the coveted Gedeo Zone. Desta has been cultivating coffee since 2013 and with the help of the single lot program he has been able to sell his coffee as a micro-lot in recent years. Coffee is Desta’s main source of income to support his wife and their nine children (6 girls and 3 boys). Ripe cherries for this washed processed coffee were taken to the Adame Garbota Cooperative where Desta is a member. At the cooperative the cherries are carefully hand sorted and floated to remove less dense coffee beans, then depulped, fermented for 48 hours, and washed and classified again in channels. The parchment is placed on raised beds where it is hand sorted again and dried over a period of 12 to 15 days. The parchment is often covered during the afternoons to prevent harsh drying in the intense sun. When the coffee reaches 11 percent moisture content, it is transported to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, to be milled and prepared for export. 

Green

Green Analysis by Isabella Vitaliano 

This lot comes from a 10-acre farm in the Gedeo Zone of Ethiopia and has clean specs across the board with average ranges of moisture content and water activity. The density is a little bit above average at 682 g/L for free settles and 711 g/L for Sinar readings. The cup profile is clean, sweet with notes like rose, peach and pink lemonade. Check the roasters’ notes for more details on how to best showcase this profile.  

Indigenous heirloom varieties include those that are native to the country and can still be found wild in some regions. There are many guesses about where Ethiopian Arabica landraces came from, likely on the Bomu plateau, but this is not 100% confirmed. Heirloom varietals from Ethiopia are thought to be floral, citrus, clean — the cream of the crop. There are upwards of 10,000 heirloom cultivars in Ethiopia today. 

Diedrich

Diedrich IR5 Analysis by Doris Garrido 

This Ethiopia Desta Gola is shining again in our cupping table with a reminiscent sweetness surrounded by distinctive floral aromas. This is a delicate washed processed coffee, that ends with an elegant silky mousse on the palate. 

Taking in mind the green aspects for this roast, I applied a medium push at the beginning, using a charge temperature of 400F. To provide context, on this 5-kilo roaster, I typically use 465F as my high charge, 440F as medium, and 400F as the lowest. Since this was my first roast of the day, I assumed the drum would be well-heated, so I dropped the coffee and waited until the turning point to start by adding 100% gas. This resulted in a drying phase of 4 minutes and 43 seconds. 

I did not intend to push the roast that much and I began reducing the heat at 260F to 70% and then to 30% after marking the color change. The yellowing phase lasted only 2 minutes and 15 seconds which was quite fast, this rapid phase contributed to the delicate acidity, further enhanced by the airflow I added just before the first crack. 

To bring more of the sweetness inherent of this coffee I recommend extending the Maillard, in this case both on yellowing and development. I ended with 1 minute and 26 seconds of development finishing the roast at 401F, achieving a smoothly dropping rate of change. 

The aroma of the roasted beans struck me with effervescent sweet notes and fragrant florals. The taste revealed a very clean cup with pink apple sweetness, complemented by hints of vanilla, rambutan, very clean white grapes, and cashew butter that bring the silkiness to the finish. 

Aillio

Aillio Bullet R1 IBTS Analysis by Evan Gilman 

Unless otherwise noted, we use both the roast.world site and Artisan software to document our roasts on the Bullet. You can find our roast documentation below, by searching on roast.world, or by clicking on the Artisan links below.  

Another repeat offender (maybe repeat pleaser is more apt) on the Crown Jewel list is this, a double washed coffee from Desta Gola. It seems that summer rolls around and we are graced, inundated, spoiled, with delicious Ethiopian coffee. The exception to that rule is this year, when shipments have come in much later than usual, leaving us anticipating the usual flurry of activity as the summer comes to a close. Then again, October is generally the beginning of summer in the Bay Area, but I digress. We are now full on into Ethiopia season, the occasion heralded by a very trustworthy name, Desta Gola.  

Start with a good green coffee, and it’s easy to end up with a good roasted coffee. My roast here wasn’t perfect, but I’m happy to say that the coffee very nearly is. I started with a medium-high charge temperature of 464F, and P7 power to push the coffee through turning point, yellowing, and nearly all the way to first crack. With F2 fan to start, I increased airflow to F3 at my peak rate of change of around 35F/minute, keeping everything mellow. Towards the end of yellowing, I increased fan to F4, then to F5 before first crack, ending on a riotous F6 to abate smoke and conclude the roast as I had lowered my heat to P6 around 6:30 / 363F, when I expect a slight bump in rate of change. I was able to keep this coffee on a gentle trajectory through and past first crack, for a final temperature of 395F and time of 9:39.  

In the cup, this coffee was a veritable flower bomb. Jasmine, violet, and chrysanthemum came through, along with plenty of cane sugar sweetness, milk chocolatey body, and some kind of dried plum tisane note that lent a pleasant astringency. I have honestly been drinking this coffee at home as drip all week, and at one point had to stop myself from making a second pot. I really don’t need to drink *that* much coffee, but this one is such a banger… and while there are certainly more to come, this coffee is one for the books. Get it before it flies off the shelf! 

You can follow along with my roast here at roast.world: https://roast.world/egilman/roasts/nRloGkGlr4WMDdvVO7dEq 

IKAWA

Ikawa Pro V3 Analysis by Isabella Vitaliano  

Our current Ikawa practice compares two sample roast profiles, originally designed for different densities of green coffee. The two roasts differ slightly in total length, charge temperature, and time spent between color change in first crack. You can learn more about the profiles here. 

Sourced from a single lot 10-acre farm in Ethiopia using indigenous heirloom varietals we think this coffee is deliciously effervescent and elegant.   

On the low density profile Doris and I got lots of floral notes with a delicious silky and marshmallow like texture.  

The high heat on the high density profile certainly brought out some zestier flavors with lots of plum and sweetness to accompany it. This cup also had some rose and plum notes in the cup.  

Doris loved the florals in the light density roast while I favored the zestiness of the high density roast. If you are looking for delicate florals or something a bit sharper and citrusy for your menu this coffee can do it all! All depending on how you approach it in the roaster. Happy cupping!  

You can roast your own by linking to our profiles in the Ikawa Pro app here: 

• Roast 1: Low Density Sample Roast 
• Roast 2: High Density Sample Roast   

Brew

Brew Analysis by Katie Briggs 

We are finally getting some delicious Ethiopian coffees here at the Crown! This one from Desta Gola has definitely become a staple here on our menu, and for good reason. Always bright, floral, delicious and gleaming with potential for truly amazing brews. I really wanted to highlight these amazing qualities so let’s get into what I brewed up and how this coffee performed. 

The first brew I did was on a Kalita Wave flatbed brewer. I used a 19g dose of coffee and ground it at a 9.5. I then did a 50g first pulse of water for 40s to let the coffee bloom. Then I took the second dose up to 200g of water, and then the final dose up to 300g. This brew was just alright. A bit heavy and right on the edge of a black tea bitterness but had some nice juicy citrus notes. I wanted to soften it up a bit on the next one to bring out more florality. 

The next brew I just coarsened the grind up to a 10.5 and repeated my process from the first brew. This one was interesting, it brought out the savoriness of toasted peanuts and tahini, while also still having a bit of sweetness like a cooked peach. I will say it wasn’t my favorite brew, and I still wanted more soft florals and sweetness, so I went back to the drawing board.  

I figured the dose may be a little high, so I brought it down to 18.5 and brought the grind back up to a 10. I repeated my brew process and found this brew to be exactly what I was looking for! The team got some soft and sweet florals like hibiscus and black tea, with some juicy notes of pomegranate and raspberries and a touch of dark chocolate. Everything that I want from an Ethiopia coffee!  

I would recommend a slightly lower dose and a coarser grind on a flatbed brewer for this coffee, but don’t hesitate to experiment! You never know what great brews you could uncover. Happy brewing!  

Espresso

Espresso Analysis by MJ Smith

Over the course of my years here at The Crown, I’ve become very familiar with Desta Gola’s coffee. So much so that I’ve nicknamed it “Dust of Gold,” because that’s exactly the vibe this coffee brings to the table. Delicious, smooth, and slightly tangy, so good that it tastes like someone sprinkled a little gold dust on your coffee! *plays “Gold Dust Woman” by Fleetwood Mac* I tried about a million shots of this trying to find the perfect recipes to talk about today, and now that I’m caffeinated enough to fly to the moon, let’s get into these brews! 

First up, we’ve got a dose of 19g, a yield of 39g, and a pull time of 28 seconds. The more I sipped on this shot, the more it evolved on my palate. Initially, I picked up notes of light florals, lemon zest, and cocoa powder, followed by hints of saltwater taffy and grape jelly. We also noticed just a bit of red wine and baking spice notes.  

Next, we have a 19.5g dose, 38.5g yield, and 33 second pull time. This was my favorite shot of the day. All its notes just seemed like they were in perfect harmony together. I noticed hints of Instant Hot Cocoa, jasmine, limoncello, margarita, a touch of baking spice, and just a whisper of sweet smokiness. Honestly, the perfect shot of espresso as we inch our way into the fall and winter seasons.  

Overall, this coffee makes for a truly wonderful espresso that has a little something to offer everyone. (Because who wouldn’t enjoy a little “gold” brightening up their day??) On espresso, I recommend a medium-high dose, a high yield, and a slightly longer pull time. It’s great on its own, but I also think it would pair very well with milk. Enjoy!