ADADO

ORIGIN
Among coffee-producing countries, Ethiopia holds near-legendary status not only because it is considered the ‘birthplace’ of Arabica coffee, but also because it is unlike every other place in the coffee growing world. Unlike the vast majority of coffee origins, the coffee plant was not introduced as a cash crop. Instead, growing, processing, and drinking coffee is part of the everyday way of life in Ethiopian society, and has been for centuries, since the trees were discovered growing wild in forests and eventually cultivated for household use and commercial sale.

The genetic diversity of coffee grown in Ethiopia is unmatched globally since there is 99% more genetic material in Ethiopia’s coffee alone than exists in the entire rest of the world. For these genetic, environmental cultural and culinary reasons, this is the romance of Ethiopian coffee. This is especially today as coffee is still commonly enjoyed as part of a ceremonial preparation; a way of gathering family, friends, and loved ones around a table for conversation and community to bind social bonds.
 

PRODUCER
Named after the local tribe, this wonderful coffee comes from the washing-station of Adado, or village of Shara, in the in the Yirgacheffe region. Each day, after the labour-intensive work of handpicking the ripe red cherries, the cherries are brought to the facility before being de-pulped and separated along washing channels before being fermented in tanks for up to 48 hours. The parchment is then dried and turned on raised beds before it reaches the optimum moisture content.
Typically, Ethiopian coffee is only traceable to the washing station level, where smallholder farmers—many of whom own less than 1/2 hectare of land — deliver cherry by weight to receive payment at the market rate. After processing, the coffee is sorted according to different grades which are either bound for export or consumption in-country. This grade 1 coffee is considered the highest quality and is often sold for export to external markets due to its highly complex and clean cup profile that is in high demand worldwide
 

ROAST
When we tasted the coffee courtesy of our friends at Café Imports, it was a sensory match made on heaven! Although we have tended to roast naturally processed coffees from Ethiopia, this lot shone through for its delicate floral aromas. Roasted gently for filter to preserve complexity in the cup, we love this coffee for its vibrant notes of blueberry, bergamot-infused earl grey and citrus flavours.