[Homeroast] Ehtiopia Trip

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Lurk mode off...
I've been a list member for several years and just returned from a wonderful
visit to Ethiopia!  While my visit had nothing to do with coffee, I had some
wonderful coffee experiences.  First, After a day in Addas Ababa we drove
south to Lake Langano for a week.  While visiting a camp I was treated to
some of the best coffee I've had outside my own homeroast.  They said it was
from Sidamo but since I don't speak Amheric very well I don't know much else
about the coffee.  I was taken to an open fire behind the kitchen where they
roasted the coffee on what appeard to be a very large wok shaped pan.  The
lady roasting the coffee used a stick to stir the and adjusted the heat by
moving logs in and out of the fire. It was roasted to second crack and
cooled in a clay container.   Since we all know the importance of a good
grinder I could hardly wait for this step of the process.  They had a large
wooden bowl and a few very large sticks from a tree.  The ends of the sticks
were carved to a point and the coffee was pounded by two people into a
powder.  Once a fine powder, it was poured over boiling water and served.
The coffee was absolutely wonderful - chai spice, fruits...incredible
flavor!  Since I was in Langano for a week, I had this wonderful brew every
morning.
After returning to Addis Ababa I began talking about coffee with one of the
ladies who worked where I was staying.  She shared with me that she had
previously worked in a large coffee processing facility and could arrange a
tour if I was interested.  As my son would say..."well duh".  We drove
across town the next morning to Robera Coffee where they were processing
Yirga Cheffe.  It was an amazing tour of the processing facility, roasting
room, cupping room and lab.  But I'll never forget the four long rows of
ladies sitting at conveyors hand sorting coffee.  I have pictures and will
share them soon, including video of the coffee roasting at Langano.  After
the tour I was treated to several shots of SO Yirg espresso... I was a happy
man.
I'm now home in Charlotte drinking Moka Kadir Blend and some mighty fine
Ethiopian ordered from SM before my trip.  Although I'm looking forward to
returning to Langano next summer.
Gregg Talton
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