This fully washed coffee was sourced from the growing region of Oromia in Ethiopia and was produced by the Shiberu Bedasso Washing Station.
This special coffee comes from Barefoot Coffee’s decade-long import partner Dominion Trading (DTC) which seeks communities that want change. Some initiatives DTC has taken over the past 10 years in Ethiopia include social and health initiatives such as providing health care training to nearly 1 million people resulting in significant reductions in infant mortality rates and malnutrition; coordinating disability projects (especially polio); training and empowerment to women and micro-businesses; and helping widows and orphans with housing.*
Of course, DTC has also done a great deal of good with the actual coffee production side of things. They train farmers in pruning, stumping, and composting; consult in quality improvement, process control, and equipment efficiencies; and even work towards enhancing awareness and implementation of environmental stewardship.
There are over 20 million victims of human trafficking with 68% in forced labor, 26% children and 55% woman and girls. To help bring attention to this, Barefoot Coffee Roasters will donate a portion of the proceeds of Ethiopia Limu to the Polaris Project. Named after the North Star that guided slaves to freedom, Polaris systemically disrupts human trafficking networks and helps survivors restore their freedom, prevents more victims, and leverages data and technology to pursue traffickers wherever they operate.
Welcome to my Table, here in the corner of this cafe. Today we’re sipping the Ethiopia Limu, from Barefoot Coffee Roasters in San Jose, California Feel free to pull up a chair.
THEDETAILS
region: Oromia, Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia
farm: Shiberu Bedasso Washing Station, Agaro
producer: smallholder farmers
association: N/A
elevation: 1750 – 1950 meters above sea level
cultivars: Ethiopia Heirloom
process: fully washed, raised bed dried
CUPPINGNOTES
The aroma of the Ethiopia Limu is sweet and fragrant with scents of cocoa, citrus, and florals.
The flavor follows the nose. This is a medium-bodied coffee with a smooth, silky mouthfeel. The flavors are a little muddled – it isn’t a cup with great clarity – but it’s packed with flavor. Cocoa powder and salted caramel provide sweetness, while restrained high notes of nectarine and lime flow in over the top. As the cup cools, graham cracker comes out a bit (which, combined with the lime, make for a key lime crumble flavor) and lilac florals play through the finish.
FINALTHOUGHTS
Barefoot Coffee Roasters provided me with a quality cup of coffee in their Ethiopia Limu. Again, it wasn’t a perfect coffee – it could have had more clarity, they could have backed off on the roast heat a little bit, it could have had more of a zing (especially with its lime and nectarine flavors)… But it was still tasty and enjoyable.
And the fact that this is a good coffee with a good cause makes it that much better.
*content courtesy of Barefoot Coffee Roasters
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Andrew is a husband, father, dog lover, craft beverage enthusiast, content creator, and niche market Internet celebrity. Formerly of A Table in the Corner of the Cafe and The Pulitzer Project and contributor to Barista Magazine and Mental Floss, he’s been writing on the Internet for years.