Ethiopia Organic Idido Misty Valley DP

Country:

Ethiopia

Grade:

1 (!)

Region:

Idido, Gedio Area, Yirga-Cheffe

Mark:

Idido town, "Misty Valley" mark

Processing:

Screen Dry-Processed

Crop:

January 2007 Arrival

Appearance:

.2 d/300gr, 16-18 Screen

Varietal:

Longberry and shortberry Ethiopia cultivars

Dry Fragrance (1-5)

4

Notes: This is a special lot of dry-processed (DP) coffee from an area within Yirgacheffe: Idido town in the Gedio area of Yirgacheffe. This is quite different from the Natural Yirgacheffe lot we had earlier this season, a much better preparation of the green coffee, uniform roasting, and unique in its flavor profile. As you know, the tradition in Yirgacheffe is wet-processing, whereas Harar has a dry-processing tradition. Wet-processing is the method used in Central America and the like, resulting in a green seed with a cleaner cup profile, and less earthy or rustic cup flavors. Dry-processing involves drying the entire coffee cherry in the sun, and later removing the skin, fruity mucilage layer and protective parchment shell that surrounds the green seed ... all in one fell swoop. Excellent dry-processed coffees are difficult because the milling method for wet-processing allows for separation of ripe and unripe coffee cherry (and other defective seeds) using water and machines. But in dry-processing, sorting out under-ripes is done visually, either by sorting the ripe cherry, or later, sorting the "green" bean. (You probably know from experience with Harar and the like that the dry-processed green bean is in fact yellow, mostly because it has more of the silverskin, the chaff, still attached to it). The problem in Ethiopia is this: traditional dry-processed coffee is NOT pre-sorted to include only ripe red coffee cherry and it is sun-dried in a rather haphazard fashion. The difference with this lot is night and day (as an experienced eye can see when you look at the unroasted coffee), this originates with ripe cherry, is uniformly screen-dried in the sun, and has been dry-milled using the same screen and density-sorting techniques as wet-processed lots. And the result is amazing: it is both a traditional "moka" type coffee flavor (chocolate and fruit) with Yirgacheffe accents (floral, citrus) and no distracting, overly-earthy notes.


Given that, the darker roasts (FC+, Vienna) are surprisingly pungent, with a intense tobacco aromatic, dark chocolate roast taste, and tannic grape skin notes in the background. But it is the City+ roast where the cup has intense sweetness, and liveliness. The dry fragrance is honeyed, with cherry fruit notes, and vanilla. Add water and the sweetness becomes sharper, and sweet mango fruit aromas emerge, with floral and citric hints. Cup flavors are like fruit candy, like marmalade. There are tropical fruits, and sweet orange and citrus flowers. Unlike light roasts of other dry-processed Ethiopians, there is a noticeable refinement and clarity to the finish of the Idido Misty Valley cup.

Wet Aroma (1-5)

4.4

Brightness - Acidity (1-10)

8.8

Flavor - Depth (1-10)

9.4

Body - Mouthfeel (1-5)

3.6

Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)

9.2

Cupper's Correction (1-5)

2

Intensity/Prime Attribute: Medium-Bold intensity / Clean, bright, floral and fruited cup

add 50

50

Roast: City + is where you will experience the most here, FC+ to Vienna is nice and bittersweet too. … see the comments above

Score (Max. 100)

91.4

Compare to: A fantastic dry-processed Ethiopia without remarkable clarity in the cup flavors, and laced with bright floral notes a la Yirga-Cheffe.


Ethiopia Organic Idido Misty Valley DP

$6.20

$11.78

$26.97

$51.46

$95.48


Coffee Roasting & Brewing Log

Coffee Roasted: Ethiopia Organic Idido Misty Valley DP

Roast Date:

02/09/2007

Roaster:

Gene Cafe

Ambient Temp:

70º F, continuous roasting method

Roast Time:

8:45 PM

Roast Level:

City+

General Notes: See profiles below. Batch # 1 was cooled in the roaster and the rest were cooled slowly on a Wearever Cushionaire Pizza Pan atop a round fan.

Batch Size:

226g

Total Roasted:

904g


Roasting Log Number 1

Batch #

1st Crack

Roast Stopped

2nd Crack

Roast

Stopped

Post-Roast

Weight (g)

Roasting Notes

Batch # 1

11:30

15:00



190

Aroma transformation at 9:15, roast terminated at 15:00, but the cracks were confusing. Total elapsed time including roasting and cooling: 24:44.

Batch # 2

12:30

15:30



190

1st crack like microwave popcorn, aromas were intense and almost overwhelming to the senses, cooled slowly on fan

Batch # 3

12:53

15:30



190

1st crack like microwave popcorn, cooled slowly on fan

Batch # 4

13:00

16:00



190

1st crack like microwave popcorn, but not as much as previous, cooled slowly on fan, may have been snaps of 2nd, forgot to dial back the heat

Brewing Log

Date

Rested

Brew Method

Filter

Grind

Cupping Notes

02/10/2007

1 day

Pour Over

Swissgold

MM 7.5

1 & 3 are boring, 2 & 4 are good with 2 being brighter

02/11/2007

2 days

Pour Over

Swissgold

MM 7.5

1 & 3 are boring, 2 & 4 are good with 2 being brighter

02/12/2007

3 days

Pour Over

Swissgold

MM 7.5

1 & 3 are boring, 2 & 4 are good with 2 being brighter

02/13/2007

4 days

Pour Over

Swissgold

MM 7.5

1 & 3 are boring, 2 has good brightness and great flavor, 4 has great roast flavor and blueberry with chocolate flavors

02/14/2007

5 days

Pour Over

Swissgold

MM 7.5

1 is good, 2 is much better in aroma and flavor, 3 is uninspired, 4 is great, fruited with hints of chocolate

02/16/2007

7.5 days

Technivorm

Swissgold

MM 7.5

#4 – UNBELIEVABLE!

You gasp and your heart rate quickens as a flood of aroma and flavor references rush to the forefront of your mind and your olfactory senses are pushed to their limit of excitement. The floral bouquet presents profusely; perhaps a hint of a Leonard Messel Japanese Magnolia, Confederate Jasmine, clove way in the back, all swirling around the epicenter of bold cherry candy. As the cup cools there is pure, sweet peach with tropical fruit juice, the cherry is transformed to strawberry and their is an almost imperceptible layer of dark chocolate.

02/20/207

11.5

Technivorm

Melitta

MM 7.5

Batch # 3 finally comes to life.

I gave up on this batch because I found it to be an absolute bore throughout the entire period. I was running low on roasted coffee today and I had about one pot's worth left so I brewed it. The fact that I used a paper filter indicates that I really didn't hold much hope for it. The aroma was great right off the bat, but the coffee was okay and flavor. When the cup cooled, it was just like the Batch # 4 that I was so impressed with; perhaps just a notch or two under, but some of that could have been the paper filter.



Profile: Preheated drum, set to 456 for the duration and cooled in Gene Cafe

Time

Temp

Note

Time

Temp

Note

Time

Temp

Note

Time

Temp

Note

Time

Temp

Note

Time

Temp

Note

00:30

221


04:30

419


08:30



12:30



16:30



20:30



01:00

282


05:00

428


09:00


Tan

13:00



17:00



21:00



01:30

320


05:30

435


09:30



13:30



17:30



21:30



02:00

345


06:00

440


10:00



14:00



18:00



22:00



02:30

365


06:30

449


10:30



14:30



18:30



22:30



03:00

384


07:00

456

6:55

11:00



15:00


End

19:00



23:00



03:30

399


07:30



11:30



15:30



19:30



23:30



04:00

410


08:00



12:00



16:00



20:00



24:00




Profile: 300º F for 5 minutes of drying / warming, 482 until 1st crack, 460º F until end of roast

Time

Temp

Note

Time

Temp

Note

Time

Temp

Note

Time

Temp

Note

Time

Temp

Note

Time

Temp

Note

00:30



04:30



08:30



12:30



16:30



20:30



01:00



05:00


Bump

09:00



13:00



17:00



21:00



01:30



05:30



09:30

458


13:30



17:30



21:30



02:00



06:00



10:00



14:00


Drop

18:00



22:00



02:30



06:30



10:30



14:30



18:30



22:30



03:00



07:00



11:00



15:00



19:00



23:00



03:30



07:30



11:30



15:30


End

19:30



23:30



04:00



08:00



12:00



16:00



20:00



24:00




Profile: 300º F for 5 minutes of drying / warming, 435º F until 9:00, 482ºF until 13:15, 460º F until end of roast

Time

Temp

Note

Time

Temp

Note

Time

Temp

Note

Time

Temp

Note

Time

Temp

Note

Time

Temp

Note

00:30



04:30



08:30



12:30



16:30



20:30



01:00



05:00


Bump

09:00


Bump

13:00



17:00



21:00



01:30



05:30

347


09:30



13:30

13:15

Drop

17:30



21:30



02:00



06:00

390


10:00



14:00



18:00



22:00



02:30



06:30

408


10:30



14:30



18:30



22:30



03:00



07:00

426


11:00



15:00



19:00



23:00



03:30



07:30

435


11:30



15:30



19:30



23:30



04:00



08:00



12:00



16:00



20:00



24:00




Profile: 300º F for 5 minutes of drying / warming, 435º F until 9:00, 460ºF until 11:00, 482ºF until end of roast

Time

Temp

Note

Time

Temp

Note

Time

Temp

Note

Time

Temp

Note

Time

Temp

Note

Time

Temp

Note

00:30



04:30



08:30



12:30



16:30



20:30



01:00



05:00


Bump

09:00


Bump

13:00



17:00



21:00



01:30



05:30

347


09:30



13:30



17:30



21:30



02:00



06:00

386


10:00



14:00



18:00



22:00



02:30



06:30

408


10:30



14:30



18:30



22:30



03:00



07:00

424


11:00


Bump

15:00



19:00



23:00



03:30



07:30

435


11:30



15:30


End

19:30



23:30



04:00



08:00



12:00



16:00



20:00



24:00



Legend: MM=Mazzer Mini, FP=French Press, AP=Aeropress


1st Place = Batch Number # 4

2nd Place = Batch # 2

3rd Place = Batch # 1

4th Place = Batch # 3