Ethiopia Idido is famous in the world of Ethiopian Coffee. Named for the village located just a few kilometers from the cooperative and mill that were among the first in the world to craft meticulously prepared natural processed coffees under the name ‘Idido Misty Valley’. Like many cooperatives in Ethiopia, Idido has all of the right ingredients for turning out some of the best coffees in the world: high altitude, sound processing techniques, fertile soils, and heirloom varietals.
Idido was established in the late 1970′s and joined the ranks of Yirgacheffe Farmer’s Union in 2002. The cooperative has roughly 1,000 active members who cultivate farms averaging 1.5 hectares. We visited this cooperative in November of 2011 and were very pleased with the level of interest and engagement from members of the cooperative.
Welcome to my Table, here in the corner of this cafe. Today we’re sipping the Slingshot Cold Brew, from Slingshot Coffee Company in Raleigh, North Carolina. Feel free to pull up a chair.
THEDETAILS
region: Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia
farm: N/A
producer: smallholder farmers
association: Idido Cooperative
elevation: 1900 – 2400 meters above sea level
cultivars: Kudhume, Wolisho, Dega, Ethiopia Heirloom
process: fully washed, raised bed dried
CUPPINGNOTES
The aroma of the Slingshot Cold Brew is pretty intense, and, even if I were cupping blind I could have guessed that this was a Yirgacheffan coffee. There are mild notes of chocolate milk and florals mingled in with massive scents of stone fruit and melon.
Taking my first few sips, my taste buds are dazzled by a bright, sparkling, and refreshing light-bodied coffee. This cold brew has a clean, silky mouthfeel that is light on the palate and tantalizing in flavor. Beautiful stone fruit notes pervade the profile—peach, apricot, nectarine, and mango—and are complemented by red apple, plum, mild floral aromatics (lilac, rose hip), raw cocoa nibs, and a sweet citrus acidity.
FINALTHOUGHTS
I don’t really drink cold brewed coffee all that much. It’s not that I don’t like cold brews; it’s just that I prefer hot coffee. Well, that and I live in a city where a refreshing cold brew is only appealing for a very, very small window of the year.
But when I am in the mood for one, and when I think of what makes a cold brewed coffee ideal, I can now tell you with confidence that Slingshot Coffee Company’s eponymous cold brew is what comes to mind.
Think about it. Cold brewed coffee is best served on those hot, Summer mornings when you need a refreshing pick-me-up and an iced tea just won’t do. You’re not going to reach for a coffee that’s roasty and acrid or one that’s too bright and sour. You want something that’s bright, lively, effervescent, fruity sweet, light on the palate, silky/juicy, clean, crisp, and refreshing. While there aren’t many cold brews on the market that encompass all of those descriptors, the Slingshot Cold Brew embodies them.
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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.