Ethiopia Huaku 5.0 Coffee BeansCoffee Beans
Origin
- Region: Ethiopia Hambela
- Variety: Heirloom variety
- Process: Natural Process
- Roast: Cinnamon Roast
- Altitude: 2050 to 2300
- Sample Batch:
- Grower:
Flavor Notes:
Strawberry, Cream, Honey, Fermented Wine-like, Ripe Fruit, Mango, Cantaloupe
- Aroma: Strong
- Cleanliness: Medium
- Sweetness:Medium
- Acidity:Medium
- Body:Strong
- Bitterness:Slight
- Aftertaste:Strong
- After Cooling:Medium
Ethiopia Huaku 5.0 Coffee BeansCoffee Bean Intro:
As the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia has always been one of the coffee-producing countries that Front Street Coffee particularly admires. Whether it’s the classic Yirgacheffe or other regions, the baristas at Front Street Coffee are very fond of them. When it comes to Ethiopian coffee, people often think of the washed coffee beans produced in the famous Yirgacheffe region. Among Front Street Coffee’s bean menu, there is a washed coffee bean from the Gedi Ding Cooperative. Although the washed coffee beans from the Yirgacheffe region are very well-known, Ethiopia actually primarily uses the natural process. Even now, the natural process accounts for about 70% of Ethiopia’s total coffee production. If you ask what represents Ethiopian natural-process coffee beans, the “Huaku” coffee beans can be said to be the standout among natural-process Ethiopian coffee beans in terms of both popularity and flavor profile. This year, everyone at Front Street Coffee was very interested in the new season’s Huaku coffee beans. As soon as the roasters received the green beans, they immediately developed a roasting curve and roasted them, then sent them to the stores for cupping the next day. During cupping, the classic deep berry, ripe fruit, cream, and honey flavor notes of the Huaku coffee could still be distinctly perceived. In 2017, Ethiopia’s DW coffee bean company submitted their coffee beans to the TOH (the Taste Of Harvest) green bean competition organized by the African Coffee Association. A natural batch from the “Buku Abel” processing plant won the TOH Ethiopia championship with its strong strawberry and cream aroma. That year, this batch of green beans was introduced by a Beijing-based green bean trader and, due to its championship status, was named “Huaku.” In addition to Huaku, Front Street Coffee also added a TOH 2020 washed group champion last year. Apart from its outstanding performance in green bean competitions, domestic coffee brewing competitions also gave this champion bean a boost. Li Jianfei from Beijing won the runner-up in the 2017 World Brewers Cup China Division with this Huaku coffee, further fueling its popularity. At that time, Gesha coffee was dominant, and most contestants chose Gesha beans. Yet, this “non-Gesha” coffee bean from Ethiopia, Huaku, defeated many Gesha beans that year and secured second place (although winning second place wasn’t solely due to Huaku’s quality, its excellent quality was certainly one of the factors). So, it’s not hard to imagine why people would think this Huaku could rival Gesha coffee. Subsequently, DW established processing plants in Dimtu, the core producing area of Hambella, namely “Buku Abel,” “Buku Saysay,” “Haro Soresa,” and “Tirtiro Goye,” with an annual production of about 1,100 tons. In terms of growing regions and processing plants, among all these estates and processing facilities, only the natural coffee beans from the “Buku Abel” processing plant can be called “Huaku.” The new season’s Huaku coffee beans also come from the Buku processing plant, located in Guji Hambella, where the coffee is grown at an altitude of 2050 to 2300 meters. Such high altitude gives the Huaku coffee more refined flavors and a fuller body. The coffee varieties of Huaku, like other Ethiopian coffee beans, are referred to by the name of native varieties. However, the baristas at Front Street Coffee have always shared a fact with customers—native varieties are not a specific coffee variety. Why does this phenomenon exist? Actually, there are many factors contributing to this, including the wide variety of cultivars, smallholder farming practices, mixed harvesting and processing, and the early Ethiopian green bean grading system. 20 Production Season Huaku Batch with Smaller Beans As the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia has a vast number of coffee varieties, both known and unknown, making Ethiopia a treasure trove of varieties. For example, the owners of Gesha Village Estate once discovered the Gori Gesha and Gesha 1931 varieties in the wild forest along with the owner of Donkey Estate. At the same time, Ethiopia’s early green bean grading system was based on the number of defects in the beans—the fewer defects in every 300 grams of beans, the higher the grade. Of course, this standard has since been improved and no longer relies solely on defects but considers many other aspects. 21 Production Season Huaku Coffee Beans Therefore, this year’s Huaku still shows some differences in taste during cupping compared to last year. The 2020 small-bean variety of Huaku had deeper berry notes, while the 2021 Huaku has more pronounced acidity and brighter acid qualities. Huaku Coffee Processing Method The processing method of Huaku coffee is natural. Ethiopia has always primarily used the natural process. Although the washed process was introduced in the Yirgacheffe region in the 1970s and gained global popularity, the proportion of the washed process has increased, the natural process has always remained a major part of Ethiopia’s production, with about 70% being natural process today. The natural process is one of the oldest and most classic processing methods. The steps of the natural process are relatively simpler compared to other methods: the coffee cherries are sun-dried, which can take several weeks, until the moisture content drops to around 11%. Then, machines are used to remove the skin and pulp of the coffee cherries, after which they are stored in warehouses awaiting export. Traditional natural processing is quite simple, and every coffee farmer can do it in their own yard. However, the rough processing can also lead to unpleasant flavors. Nowadays, doing a good job with natural processing requires much more effort. Before sun-drying, manual sorting or flotation at washing stations may be done. Where possible, Africa uses raised beds for sun-drying, where the coffee cherries are evenly spread out with not too much thickness, allowing air circulation from both top and bottom, thus accelerating drying time. Meanwhile, the coffee cherries are manually turned to prevent over-fermentation flavors. Roasting Recommendations for Huaku Coffee
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Region Intro:
Ethiopia is located in a land full of wonders, and all the Arabica coffees we have or have not tasted originate here.
Documented historical evidence of coffee in Ethiopia dates back to the 4th-5th centuries AD. At that time, due to wars between ethnic groups, coffee spread with people's conquests and migrations to Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula. Later, with the rise of the Ottoman Empire and the spread of Islam, through various circumstances, Europe began to have coffeehouses and the coffeehouse culture that gradually formed along with them. Subsequently, Central America began to cultivate coffee, and India and Indonesia in Asia began large-scale commercial coffee cultivation. Having gone through several hundred years in this way, we have only now arrived at today's third wave of specialty coffee.
Brewing Tips:
Front Street Coffee Brewing Recommendations
Filter: V60#01
Water Temperature: 90-91°C
Coffee Dose: 15g
Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: Medium-Fine (80% through a 20-mesh sieve according to Chinese standards)
Brewing Method: Three-Stage Extraction. Bloom with 30g of water for 30 seconds, then pour in a small circular motion until 125g, pause when the water level is about to expose the coffee bed, then continue pouring to 225g and stop. Remove the filter when the water level is about to expose the coffee bed again (start timing from blooming). Total extraction time: 2’00”.
