SOURCE Espresso

Las Etíopes is a small 3 hectare farm owned by Simon Brown and Merlith Cruz situated in the village of El Porvenir in Jaén, Cajamarca. The farm sits at an altitude of 1,750 masl and reaches 1,900 masl at its peak, and is planted with Catuai, Caturra, Catimor and a small amount of Pacamara. Simon bought the farm in 2021 and at the time it was already planted with these local varieties, which when combined with the organic matter rich soils and humid climate produce a coffee with a pronounced acidity and great body. 2022 was the first season in which they produced enough coffee to export and a farm blend of the varieties grown there won them 19th place in the Cup of Excellence last year!

This lot is made up of coffee from Las Etíopes farm and from their neighbours, or “outgrowers”, in the area. Most of the coffee farmers in the area sell to intermediaries (also known as aggregators or coyotes in Central America) who buy their coffee in cash at their door, often at the local market rate, and then drive it to the city where they sell to exporters. The team at Las Etíopes have set up a small wet mill in order to process and dry cherry bought from the neighbouring farmers. Premiums are paid for the quality of cherry selection to incentivise good picking and in order to pay more sustainable prices to farmers, certainly more than intermediaries would pay them.

Caturra is a pure-line dwarf mutant of red Bourbon, which was discovered in Minas Gerais, Brazil in 1937. Its leaf and fruit characteristics are similar to Bourbon, and Caturra cherries can be either red or yellow; otherwise known as Caturra Vermelho and Caturra Amarelo. It is short in height with abundant lateral branches and secondary branching, which gives to the plant a vigorous and compact aspect. Caturra was never grown in lowland plantations in Brazil due its susceptibility to coffee diseases and to lack of hardiness for Brazilian frost-risk areas. The adaptability of this variety is broad, so it has spread across Colombia and Central America, where it was and still is grown at higher altitudes.

Bourbon is one of the most culturally and genetically important varieties of Arabica in the world. It is a tall variety characterised by relatively low production, susceptibility to the major diseases, and excellent cup quality at high altitudes.

The first Bourbon plantation dates back to 1715 when it was introduced from Yemen on Bourbon island, now known as La Réunion. Bourbon goes back to a broad group of C. arabica specimens that developed naturally and is still cultivated in Central America today.

Depending on the sub-group, this coffee can grow red, yellow or orange-coloured cherries. Bourbon shoots grow initially upwards at 45° to the stem, the stems stand strong and young leaves are green. These plants generally have broader leaves and rounder fruit and seeds than Typica and its descendants.

The dry/natural process is the oldest and simplest method of preparing green coffee. Well suited to environments with poor access to water and hot climates, this process typically uses no water and needs no specialist equipment.

Once harvested, coffee cherries are dried until they reach around 20% moisture content and are then usually rested for a few weeks in bags before being sent to a mill to be hulled and prepared for export.
The cherries can be dried either on large patios or raised African beds which are large trays with a mesh base, allowing increased airflow which is beneficial for even drying. It’s also best practice to keep the drying coffee under shade during the hottest parts of the day and to avoid any rewetting by rain or condensation. Regular turning and good ventilation are also necessary to prevent mould formation.

To try and avoid defective seeds and sour fermentation off-flavours, it’s best to sort the harvested cherries during the initial stage of drying whilst under and over-ripe and damaged cherries can be spotted easily. After just a couple of days, the cherries start to turn a dark red-brown colour before turning black and any visual indicators of problem cherries become impossible to spot.

The coffee begins fermenting from the moment it’s picked and will continue whilst there is enough moisture and high temperatures, which favour microbial growth. This uncontrolled fermentation leads to the development of wild, fruity flavours and an increased perception of sweetness and body.