A few days ago I finished up a long personal journey through the 50 states of the Union – #50States50Roasters, in which I purchase drink and review coffees from at least one roaster in every state. To put a neat little bow on that project and officially consider it finished, I purchased coffee from one final roaster – a roaster located in our nation’s capitol, Washington, D.C. Today I submit to you the final review of that project as a special appendix.
Welcome to my Table, here in the corner of this cafe. Today we’re cupping the Ethiopia Yukro, from Small Planes Coffee in Washington, D.C. Feel free to pull up a chair.
This coffee comes from the Yukro cooperative, which over the past decade has gone from producing sub-par coffees to some of the most exquisite lots of coffee coming out of Ethiopia. The coop was part of a successful non-government initiative that supplied the farmers with access to agronomists, business advice and proper equipment to wash the coffees.
With improved practices and processing techniques the coffees from Yukro went from undrinkable to completely stunning. This drastic improvement in quality fetches higher prices for the farmers, now allowing most to send their children to school.*
THEDETAILS
region: Agaro, Ethiopia
farm: N/A
producer: smallholder farmers
association: Yukro Cooperative
elevation: 1975 – 2200 meters above sea level
varietal: Landrace Varieties
process: fully washed, raised bed dried
CUPPINGNOTES
The aroma of the Ethiopia Yukro is light and fragrant; perfumed, even. Delicate scents of honey, melon, and florals wafting out of the cup…
The flavor profile of the coffee is equally delicate and elegant. It’s a light-bodied coffee with a silky, smooth mouthfeel. Light florals lead the way (honeysuckle and elderflower) for soft raw honey, vanilla, and refined sugar flavors. As the cup cools, it livens with juicy nectarine, tamarind, watermelon Jolly Rancher, and the sweet acidity of a Meyer lemon; all of which play through a crisp, clean finish.
This was a really delightful coffee, and it’s so good to see a cooperative like Yukro get to a cup like this from where they were a relatively short time ago. For more information on Yukro’s history, I’d encourage you to read a blog post by Blue Bottle coffee entitled “From Undrinkable to Exceptional.”
*content courtesy of Case Coffee Roasters
What were your thoughts of this one? Comments, questions, and suggestions are always welcome! Feel free to enter a comment below.
UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ALL PRODUCTS REVIEWED ARE UNSOLICITED SUBMISSIONS FROM THE PRODUCT MANUFACTURER.
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.