| COUNTRY: Ethiopia VARIETY: JARC 74112, JARC 74158, Enat Buna ALTITUDE: 1900 – 2200 MASL PROCESS: Anerobic Washed ROAST: Light-medium |
EXTRACTION SETTINGS (V60)
- Equipment: DMD Gooseneck Kettle, DF54 Grinder, Hario V60 Dripper
- Grind setting: 90.0
- Temperature: 95°C / 203°F
- Dose in / yield out (ratio): 21g in / 350g out (1 : 17)
- Extraction time: 04 minutes : 20 seconds
Learning from my mistakes with previous Mission Coffee Work beans (i.e. do not try and extract filter specific coffee with an espresso machine – see my logs on #44 – Don Alfonso, #42 – Boreta and #40 – Hermosa which are beautiful coffees by this roaster) – I opted to drink Betta Buna Lot 6 as a pour over coffee.
Out of the bag, the fruity fragrance of this coffee was in 👏 yo 👏 face 👏. Once I ground it, the smell was even more intense and I couldn’t quite place my finger on the citrus fragrance that lingered as I brewed and drank this coffee. It was only after drinking it and speaking with a close friend did I discover it may be the bergamot noted on the packet. As someone who has never consumed bergamot and I usually smell it through essential oils or fragrances, my friend described this fruit as “sour, almost like a lemon” and I agreed with him.
This does however highlight the limitation that comes with tasting notes in coffee (and any delicate and complex product like wine or chocolate). You can only describe what you taste based on your points of reference. In my case, I had never eaten bergamot so I could never be able to describe it as that fruit. I may have described it as a citrus fruit I was more familiar with and annotated it with tasting notes of kumquat and would I be wrong in doing that?
Maybe saying whether it is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ is wrong in itself as tasting and flavours are a deeply personal and subjective experience. It reminds me that when we consume something, we have our own experiences and feelings about it. We enjoy (or don’t enjoy) things for our own reasons but each one is valid and warranted. It’s beauty, science and creativity rolled into one and Bette Buna Lot 6 was a great example of flavour exploration.
🤎🤎🤎🤎 ( 4 / 5 ) Clear, complex, fresh and impressive.
| FLAVOUR PROFILE |
| – Flavour: Bergamot, tropical fruit and watermelon. – Acidity: Sparkling with a lil crispiness. – Body: Tea-like – Finish: Clean. |
A BIT ABOUT THE PRODUCERS
Betta Buna Lot 6 comes from the small village of Sidamo in Ethiopia. The family-run Bette Buna project works with local farmers in rebuilding agroforestry systems, improving soil health and picking only ripe cherries. Using ripe cherries produces better coffee, weighs more and helps farmers earn a better price. Additionally, they support their local communities in a socioeconomic way through initiatives like producing and distributing climate adapted seedlings every year (which help families create future income), employing people normally excluded from empolyment (including those with impairements and single mothers) and arranging transportation to remote farms, satellite education for children, housing and meals for employees.
More information can be found from the roaster, @StrangersCoffee.
Until our next cup,
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