CROWN JEWEL ETHIOPIA ORGANIC MEKONISA ZELELU ARARSO WASHED

taste

Taste Analysis by Isabella Vitaliano 

I don’t often choose favorites, how could I? It would be disrespectful to the excellent and wide range of coffees that we source for our Crown Jewel program. I say that… but I think this might be one of my favorite coffees of the year (right under it is the Colombia Pink Bourbon). I know, I know, picking a washed Ethiopian coffee as my favorite is not exactly the most ‘interesting’ choice. But this is truly what excellent coffee is made of, and it’s safe to say that I am hooked. 

Pear, oolong tea, cherimoya, dragon fruit and grape – what more could you want? Complex and clean lime-like acidity is expressed under the top of a cloud of florals. A collection of lilac, orange blossom, lavender and chamomile create a bouquet like experience. As soon as you smell the coffee you will get a whiff of this. 

Soft fruits like melon, pear and peach and pink apple create the bulk of the structure of the coffee. Keeping it silky and tea-like while retaining such high florals in the cup is a feat in and of itself. I caution you from putting it up against other coffees, they will likely pale in comparison, no matter how good they are.  

Source

Source Analysis by Charlie Habegger 

The creation of the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX) in 2008 significantly limited farm-level traceability. In a noble effort to reduce nepotism and fraudulent marketing by bad actors in the chain (both of which directly hurt farmers’ chances in the market), the Exchange instituted a nationalized system of purely empirical quality analysis. This was achieved by anonymizing coffee deliveries to government-run sensory analysis hubs throughout the country. In these labs, samples would be cupped and the entire lot would then be profiled by region and grade only, for internal auction to exporters. Where all of this backfired was in relationship markets: longtime microlot buyers like Royal could risk losing access to very established producer partnerships as their coffees were blinded in the Exchange, and enterprising coops, unable to show their coffees directly to buyers, found it more difficult to find their coffees a consistent home for the highest value. 

In response, Royal, with support from select cooperatives, led the formation of the Single Farmer Lots Program, in order to break off single farmer lots from the larger cooperative blends sold through the ECX, taking custody of these precious coffees through a direct sale. The program is a unique micro-channel of almost unprecedented specificity in coffee supply from Ethiopia. Farmers with the drive and means to sell direct are supported by Royal, and, in turn, our most enthusiastic buyers of Ethiopia coffee have access to a portfolio of single-farm lots, un-diluted by the typical cooperative- and exporter-level consolidations. The Single Farmer Lots Program represents a very sweet end to a chaotic recent chapter in Ethiopia’s coffee history, and we think it’s a model for what ought to be a generation of start-up relationship farming in Ethiopia’s world-famous southern zones. 

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, has 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. 

Zelelu Ararso, at 60 years of age, is a returning participant farmer and an important figure in the Single Farmer Lots Program. This year we’re thrilled to have his coffee, washed, fermented, and dried by the Addis Ketema cooperative, of which Zelelu is a member. Addis Ketema, and Mekonisa’s home, are found in the Wenago district of the coveted Gedeo Zone– the narrow section of plateau dense with savvy farmers whose coffee is known as “Yirgacheffe”. Wenago is a small district that sits between Dilla, the mighty university city and coffee transit hub at the northern tip of Gedeo, and Yirga Chefe, in the heart of the zone, whose diminutive stature holds back none of its legendary global presence. 

Zelelu is an accomplished individual, even by the standards of Gedeo, whose dense farming and processing landscape has a reputation for competitive farmers. He has earned model farming awards at local and state levels for working with the Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (YCFCU) to pioneer single farmer exports; the efforts of which helped like-minded farmers throughout Yirgacheffe’s union achieve direct sale and see their coffees priced and roasted with just about unprecedented transparency. In addition, Zelelu educates his children to a college level and will soon be processing his own harvests. Much respect. 

Green

Green Analysis by Isabella Vitaliano 

From start to finish this coffee has obviously had some special care and attention because the final product has wowed the whole team. Beginning in 2012 Royal Coffee and YCFCU began a program to separate single farm lots from the larger cooperative blends. Initially focused on natural coffees, it has grown to include other districts as well as washed coffees such as this lot from Zelelu. Clean specs all around with a slightly above average density as well as screen sized condensed in the 15-16 range. There is so much flavor to explore and unlock, be sure to check out the roaster’s notes for more details on roasting.  

Indigenous heirloom cultivars 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 Boma plateau, but this is not 100% confirmed. Heirloom cultivars from Ethiopia are thought to be floral, citrusy, clean — the cream of the crop. There are upwards of 10,000 heirloom cultivars in Ethiopia today.

Diedrich

Diedrich IR5 Analysis by Doris Garrido 

After enjoying excellent coffees from Ethiopia, I wondered what other possibilities awaited. Then Zelelu Ararso responded with this remarkable coffee. The barista team brewed my first roast before I got the chance to cup it, and everyone knew how the coffee turned out before I did. I felt nervous, anxious and even a bit jealous. I always wanted to be the first to taste my roasts, so I rushed to the cupping table, listening to their excitement about the perfection of flavors they achieved in the brew. 

The more I taste coffees from Ethiopia the more I am captivated by the diverse flavors I discover. This particular coffee showcases its inherent floral notes beautifully. It is a washed coffee that combines delicate flavors with a velvety touch. 

The best part, the roasting process: easy and straightforward. I used a high charge temperature on my roaster, combined with consistent airflow throughout the roast. I then lowered the temperature before the Maillard reactions began and used the accumulated energy to caramelize and maintain the floral notes. On the Diedrich, I started with an initial temperature of 466F and used 100% gas power for 2 minutes and 50 seconds, then reduced it to 30% gas. From there I monitored the roast as I entered caramelization, marking the first crack at 379.6F. The Maillard phase was smooth, with enough energy to preserve the juiciness and the floral characteristics while developing the sweetness. For post development, I let it run for 1 minute and 26 seconds, utilizing all the remaining airflow, which worked perfectly with the pace. The end temperature was 400F. The coffee tastes phenomenal, though I would consider a lower end temperature (starting the full airflow earlier) to preserve more present floral notes. I just never have enough, and this coffee has a lot of potential to showcase its floral qualities. 

In terms of caramelization notes, my favorite was candied fruits, a mix of sweet notes like dried fruits and Asian pear. The florals in the dry aroma were subtle but present throughout the cup from hot to cold, with hints of Jasmine, Lilac, and rose water. A gentle oolong and rooibos tea notes, combined with juniper berries. This complexity of flavors is brought to us by Zelelu Ararso and I cannot adequately express my gratitude for this outstanding coffee. 

P.S. I brewed a cup before starting this analysis and cannot get tired of sipping this coffee. Even as my cup cools down, its quality remains evident. The floral notes persist, and the sweetness is a testament to the coffee’s excellence. 

Aillio Bullet R1

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.  

As we are truly in the prime of Ethiopian coffee releases, I wanted to get the expected bright and clean flavors from this immaculate washed lot from Zelelu Ararso. My approach was to roast quick and with lots of airflow, and this did indeed turn out to be one of my fastest roasts in recent memory. 

A charge temperature of 482F started me off on the right foot for this dense coffee, and high heat application of P9 coupled with F2 airflow had this coffee cooking at a clip. My peak rate of change was around 43.5F / min, and I engaged P8 and F3 just as I hit that peak to begin the ramp down towards first crack. At 350F / 4:10, I reduced heat further to P7 and raised fan speed to F4. The coffee continued on its trajectory at about 25F / min, and I wanted to ramp that down a bit as I approached first crack so I reduced once more to P6 and F5 at 378F / 5:43, and first crack followed almost as soon as I did so, as moisture was drawn away from the beans and out the back of the roaster. I wasn’t expecting crack quite so soon, but there we were! My last move did take effect after first crack, and I was able to get 22% time in post crack development, and a final temperature of 396.5F – not too dark for this beautifully clean coffee. 

The high airflow and quick roast style did indeed flatter this bean, with bright and juicy lemon-lime acidity, some very clear (and sticky) lilac florals, and a nice black sesame finish that just seemed to dissipate off the palate. There was a little dry hot chocolate mix chocolatiness here that I’d attribute to my fast roast style, but this was a very pleasant note in concert with all the preceding juiciness.  

This is a clear winner on filter drip, but honestly it would be great in any brew device at nearly any roast level. It’s very hard to lose out with high quality washed Ethiopian coffees like this one. Tis the season! 

You can follow along with my roast here at roast.world: https://roast.world/egilman/roasts/hrgo1r6kSYRxde2H-o9eE 

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. 

From florals to pear and tea-like notes you can’t beat the flavor profile of this coffee from Zelelu Ararso. The low density roast was a little flat but still had some really great light fruit notes in the cup. In the high density roast, the cup was so creamy and floral.

While the cups were good, they were not nearly as expressive as the production analysis roast. Doris and I have some theories that this coffee does better with less air. On the production roast Doris used 50% air and with Ikawa using only air, we suspect that using too much might not be the most supportive to the coffee to get those floral notes out. 

We recommend starting off with the high-density roast but don’t fret if the coffee doesn’t completely line up with our flavor notes. It’s possible the best expression of this coffee comes from a machine that uses less airflow.  

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 Joshua Wismans 

This coffee was introduced to the team as one of the best tasting coffees on the cupping table in recent memory. With an introduction like that, we couldn’t help but get excited to dive into analyzing how this coffee brewed. And for that strong of a lead in, our expectations were quite high. Rest assured, this coffee exceeded our expectations. 

Our brew analysis started with a moderate dose and a relatively coarse grind on a flat bottom brewer. Often times, the conversation of body and clarity have tradeoffs with each other in the cup. This brew carried both traits beautifully, with sweet milk chocolate, apple, and black tea notes that floated on a decadent, buttery mouthfeel. The brew had an average extraction of 17.64% with a TDS of 1.33. Sometimes you strike gold on the first go, and this was one of those times. Everything coalesced into a striking brew that encapsulated the brilliance of washed Ethiopian coffees.

One thing of note about Ethiopian coffees. They have a tendency to be more soluble, and therefore require a coarser grind. This tends to complement their more delicate flavors. For posterity’s sake, we tried a brew with a very coarse grind. Even at this coarse grind, we still achieved a TDS of 1.30. This brew gave us more delicate flavors of oolong pear and cider.

This is truly one of the best washed Ethiopias we’ve had the pleasure of working with in the past few years. It shines on pourovers, and behaves as expected. Brews that are moderately coarse to very coarse grind will give you the best brews, utilizing a ratio of 15.79 and a flat bottom brewer to balance the delicate nature of this coffee.

Espresso

Espresso Analysis by Alisha Rajan 

As the seasons turn and the briskness of autumn begins to color our day to day here in the Bay, I find myself longing ever so much for the comfort of fall fruits, simmering spices, and mulled wine.  Fortunately for us at the Crown, our latest Crown Jewel offerings have been more than sufficient in satisfying these cravings. A ravishing ruby in an array of Crown Jewels, this washed organic Gedeo coffee from respected veteran producer Zelelu Ararso encompasses the simultaneous luminosity and coziness of autumn. A medley of honeycrisp apple, zesty lemon, and bright cranberry dance atop the smoothest and most buttery of bases. An undeniable florality permeates the tasting arch, an unforgettable experience.  

Before working on the espresso analysis, I was informed of the team’s universal appreciation of this standout coffee. For some, it was one of the best washed Ethiopias they had ever tasted. With brimming optimism and curiosity, I set to work dialing this in. I began with a standard recipe of an 18.0g dose and 36.2g yield extracted in 30 seconds. The body was light, with bright orange and cranberry presenting as the most prominent flavors. I progressed with a series of shots dosed at 18.5g extracted in roughly 30 seconds. Although the zestiness came through strongly, I was desiring some more delicate florals and a cleaner finish. The action plan at this juncture was to increase the dose and coarsen the grind for a quicker extraction.  

The aforementioned strategy worked in my favor. The best shots came in at 19.0g (38.8g yield in 24 seconds) and 19.5g (41.8g yield in 24 seconds), respectively. Cranberry and grapefruit peak through the dominant zesty yuzu notes, all resting gently upon the creamiest buttery base. Intervowen through these flavors are delicate florals like orange blossom and rose. I recommend a high dose and coarser grind for a quicker extraction time for a brightness that is prominent but not punctuating, and a clean finish. Complex yet neverendingly smooth, this organic Mekonisa Zelelu Ararso washed coffee glimmers like gold and will be a most welcome addition to our menu this fall.