This particular coffee from the Yirgacheffe region in Ethiopia originally came into my possession in September of this year, part of an order from Ministry Grounds, my usual green bean supplier. The coffee was quick to position itself atop the heap as one of the best of the year for me.
With an eye towards the 2015 “Christmas Roast” festive blend, I quickly added another kilogram to the next order in November.
The Region
The Dumerso mill is located within the Yirgacheffe region of the Gedeo Zone in southern central Ethiopia, bordered on the south by Kochere, west by the Oromia Zone, north by Wenago, east by Bule, and southeast by Gedeb (courtesy Wikipedia).
Local roaster Coffee Supreme also tells us:
The Dumerso municipality has around 700 smallholders contributing their coffee, each bringing with them the unique characteristics of the areas heirloom seed stock
The Coffee
Courtesy Ministry Grounds:
The Natural process involves the ripe cherries being delivered to the mill where they are sorted and graded, then placed onto raised drying beds in thin layers and carefully turned every 2-3 hours. 6-8weeks later, depending on weather and temperature, the beans are then de-hulled ready for export
- Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Dumerso Gr 1
- Region: Yirgacheffe, Southern Ethiopia
- Varietal: Heirloom – Ethiopian
- Altitude: 1800-2000 metres
- Processing: Natural, Sundried (Kebel Dumerso Mill)
- Tasting notes: A beautiful, balanced and natural coffee; sweet with dominant notes of strawberry and other berries; creamy body and a tropical finish.
The Brew
I mentioned in the introduction this coffee quickly became one of the standouts for the year, mainly due to its great performance across virtually all of the brewing methods I prepared it with.
Upon opening the bag, and of course after grinding, the aroma was akin to plunging head first into a bowl of mixed berries, of which the majority were strawberries. This of course followed through into the taste as well. Given the 2 kilograms of green beans I had at my disposal, I was able to tailor the roasts for both filter and espresso brewing.
As espresso1, there was a fantastic combination of ripe berry flavours and raisins, with just a little chocolate. Also evident was a smooth creamy mouthfeel, medium body and long finish. Used as a base for a latte or flat white, similar flavours were again on show, with the overall combination somewhat reminiscent of a cherry ripe bar.
When roasted a little lighter and filter brewed with the V602, you guessed it — predominantly strawberry, this time a little lighter and brighter, with a hint of jasmine and a little citrus to the finish. Again, that creamy-smooth, velvety mouthfeel.
Lastly, amidst the afternoon office kitchen rush, the Aeropress3 again saved the day, providing enough of a pause to allow my enjoyment of a similar flavour profile. Although not quite as bright as the V60, that smooth creamy mouthfeel, strawberry, and jasmine on the finish again made for a very enjoyable cup.
The Finish
So all in all this coffee was certainly one of the best for the year, and as a result contributed 60% of the “Christmas Roast” festive blend overall volume, in combination with a washed coffee from Honduras (El Tamarindo Horizontes) and a honey processed offering from El Salvador (La Esperanza).
Overall I was fairly pleased with how the blend turned out, a main aim being to keep the great Ethiopian berry flavours of the Dumerso at the forefront, whether brewing with an espresso base of through a filter.
I think you can probably tell I enjoyed this one, and it was nice to end the year on a high note from a coffee perspective.
Having now turned over into 2016 (and a happy new year to all), things have kicked off pretty well with my Third Wave Wichteln coffee arriving a couple of days ago — a beauty from ReAnimator Coffee in Philadelphia, kindly sent over as part of the exchange by Greg, a barista and trainer with ReAnimator.
Speaking of the Wichteln, you might be able to guess which coffee I sent to Bonn, Germany to fulfil my part of the exchange. It was indeed the Yirgacheffe Dumerso, however this time the washed process coffee, roasted of course by the professionals at Coffee Supreme. Hopefully the recipient will enjoy it, and also (fingers crossed) the additional bag of my home roasted Dumerso Natural thrown in as well.
I’ll leave it there, except to say I hope your journey (coffee or otherwise) into 2016 begins well and continues — lets say for at least twelve months or so. Now I’m off to brew!
- Dose 21.6 grams; yield 44 grams; time 27 seconds ↩︎
- Dose 19 grams; water 330 grams; brew time 3:15 ↩︎
- Inverted; dose 16 grams; water 200 grams; bloom 30s; brew 30s; flip and plunge 30s. ↩︎
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Pete Denison 