Taste Analysis by Isabella Vitaliano
Subtly mesmerizing in flavor and notable in quality, we are loving the first 2024 arrival of Ethiopian coffee to our Crown Jewel menu. Not overburdened by heavy citrus flavors (although we also love that) we found layers of stone fruit like peach and nectarine with subtle textures of coriander, sweet basil and mint.
Leaning less on florality to hold it up, you’ll enjoy the complex herbal notes and juicy stone fruit combination. Structurally equivalent to a black tea, the coffee carries accented fruit notes of cherry, mango and melon. Although citrus notes are not the screamer in this cup, there are layers of lemon and lime to be discovered.
The microregion of Banko Gotiti outside of Gedeb city, despite its remote location, is highly industrious and has the infrastructure to support high caliber coffee production. Attention to detail at every step in farming, production processing, and quality control is noticeable in the cup and the green specs.
As it rests after roasting, we noticed the coffee opens up in fruit flavors and floral notes. Taylor, on the brew analysis, knocked out an incredible brew in one go. Peach, brown butter, juicy blueberry and tropical fruit like lychee and mangosteen were all on display. Give it a bit of rest and a slightly coarser grind to see best results. This lot from Gedeb is quite the welcome to Ethiopia season. More to come!
Diedrich IR5 Analysis by Doris Garrido
We excitedly awaited the arrival of Ethiopian coffees, and finally Banko Gotiti just landed in Oakland! Last year's harvest was exceptional, clean, floral, and full of berry notes. (As usual, my final roast of the production run turned out to be the most delicious.) I went back to my old roast curve, aiming to replicate those results. Recently I’ve been savoring delicate coffees with vivid floral aromas, and I knew Banko Gotiti would fit the bill.
From last year's success, I opted for the same short roast. The dense coffee would benefit from it. I preheated the roaster and set it to maintain 445°F. Once I got the temperature stable, I charged the coffee, using 100% gas power. Drying took just four minutes, a goal achieved, thanks to all the variables, the coffee, the roaster and batch size, the selection of charge temperature and gas applied. Now it was the time for the Maillard phase and to start reducing the pace. I lowered the gas first to 60% before the color changed and to 30% half a minute later. Although I usually will start with some airflow from the beginning, this time I didn't plan to do it (although I would on future roasts). Around the 5-minute mark I started air at 50% and then to 100% just before the first crack.
My aim was to keep the roast end temperature below 400°F. As the rate of change reached 21 degrees per minute at cracking, I opted to turn off the pilot flame and finish the roast with the infrared panels. The roast resulted with the end temperature of 395°F within 1 minute and 27 seconds. The entire roast lasted 7 minutes and 54 seconds.
I cupped the coffee both right after roasting and then again the day after... and just now, I am enjoying a delightful cup brewed artfully by Taylor Brandon. The aroma reminds me of rose flowers, and the flavor of ripe berries, rounded with clean sweetness akin to hard candy. Overall, it is a remarkably complex cup full of fruity flavors with a hint of zestiness in the finish.
