Ethiopia Keramo
ETHIOPIA
KERAMO
CITRUS, MELON, BERGAMOT, JASMINE + PURPLE FLOWERS
BEAN DETAILS:
ORIGIN: Bensa, Sidama, Ethiopia
PRODUCER: Daye Bensa
ELEVATION: up to 2,300+ meters
VARIETY: JARC 74112 & cultivated local varieties
PROCESS: Washed
TASTING NOTES: Tropical citrus, melon, bergamot, jasmine, with aromatics of beautiful purple flowers.
ROAST TYPE: Light
Farm Level
The producers of Keramo live high in the beautiful Bombe mountains and have an out-grower relationship with our Ethiopian partner, Daye Bensa. The out-grower group consists of about 1,500 farmers in various parts of the mountain range, and these producers deliver their coffee to Daye Bensa's Keramo Washing Station. The main varieties are JARC 74112 & cultivated local varieties.
Due to the staggering elevations of up to 2,300+ meters, the beans are very dense, with heavy concentrations of the smaller screen sizes (the majority is at 13-14). The Washed Keramo is traditionally wet fermented for between 36 and 72 hours, and then dried on African beds for about 12 to 15 days, until the coffee reaches approximately 10% moisture. During peak sun, the beds are covered to prevent over-drying. The Natural Keramo is dried on African beds, with clean plastic mesh and sheets for about 14 to 18 days. The cherries are locally hulled into unsorted natural beans, and transported to Addis for final sorting afterwards.
Sitting at its high elevation, the Keramo site has awarded Daye Bensa with prestigious Cup of Excellence awards in 2020, 2021, and 2022. This has built a reputation in the region for producing some of the best coffees in all of Ethiopia.
Established in 1996 as producers, Daye Bensa has lived through all the turmoils that coffee growing and exporting entails in the region. Daye Bensa works with various communities of out-growers from whom they receive cherries and work with multiple washing stations in the Bensa, Sidama area, including some which they own.
General Brewing Instructions
- Filtered water. Spring water is ideal. Removing chloride, sulfur, and iron is essential.
- A burr grinder. The more even the coffee particles, the better the coffee. Burr grinders, whether manual or electric, will do a better job than "whirly-blade" grinders. Invest in a burr grinder. Your taste buds (and coffee roaster) will thank you.
- A scale. I know using a scale can seem a bit like you're doing something you shouldn't be. Trust me, you can only brew consistently great coffee with a scale. Water and coffee are hard to measure without one.
- Clean equipment. Properly cleaning your equipment is the only way to avoid stale and rancid coffee flavors entering your cup. Please keep your equipment clean. The sooner and more often you clean your gear, the easier it will be in the long run. Add it to your ritual and thank us later.
- Delicious and freshly roasted Color Coffee
- Hario V60 02. Check out Scott Rao's video on how to brew a better pourover than your local cafe does.
- French Press. Check out James Hoffman's video on how to brew a next level cup.
- Aeropress. Check out Tim Wendelboe's video on how to brew an exceptionally easy and delicious cup.
Coffee Faq
IS YOUR COFFEE ORGANIC OR FAIR TRADE?
In many cases, yes. However, our first priority is quality and flavor. Sometimes these priorities align and our producers are certified organic and/or fair trade. We always pay well above fair trade rates (which are quite low and don’t guarantee sustainability or quality).
Often times, the producers we work with are too small to gain certifications. It’s expensive and laborious. Many of our producers are certified organic and fair trade, including many of our producers in Peru, Ethiopia, and Mexico.
WHAT IS THE BEST TIME-FRAME TO DRINK MY COFFEE?
We recommend drinking our coffee within one month of the roast date. Most of our coffees taste best however within 2 - 14 days of roast date.
For espresso, we recommend using coffee that has rested at least 7 days after roast date. This is because coffee gives off CO2 after roasting that can interfere with extraction. One way to get around this is to let your ground espresso dose sit for 30-120 minutes before pulling the shot. Email info@colorroasters.com for more questions about this.
If you are pre-grinding the coffee, we recommend drinking the coffee within one week of grinding.
CAN YOU GRIND MY COFFEE ON WEB ORDERS?
Yes, we can. Please select how you want your coffee to be ground at the time you place your order. Simply click on the arrow beside "Grind" and make your selection. If you need help choosing let us know the brewing method you will be using to prepare the coffee, in the notes of the order. And we will be happy to grind the coffee for you on our commercial grinder.
DO YOU HAVE BREW RECIPES?
These are in the works! We are compiling a bunch and even shooting some video, to help you brew like us at home.
In the meantime...go here: Pour Overs | Aeropress to get some expert advice.
MY COFFEE TASTES WEAK, WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?