Post-Ethiopia Commodity Exchange in 2008, Ninety Plus had to pivot in a major way. With no longer having access to small farm holders picking the best garden coffee from some of their favorite sites in Aricha and Beloya, they moved to the private sector in Sidama and got straight to work.
Nekisse was the first in many ways. It was their first coffee they decided to name based on taste and location and defining their strategy to create names or Taste Profiles; a departure from naming coffees only based on location and farm which are often hard to remember. Originally named as “Nectar from Shakisso” in 2009, Nekisse has settled well in Sidama for a consistent nectar/jammy profile that sets itself apart from all other coffees in Ethiopia.*
Welcome to my Table, here in the corner of this cafe. Today we’re sipping the Ethiopia Nekisse, from SwitchBox Coffee Roasters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Feel free to pull up a chair.
THEDETAILS
region: Shakisso, Sidama, Ethiopia
farm: n/a
producer: smallholder farmers
association: Ninety Plus Coffee
elevation: 1700 – 2000 meters above sea level
cultivars: Ethiopia Heirloom
process: natural
CUPPINGNOTES
The aroma of the Ethiopia Nekisse is wonderfully fragrant. This is predominantly floral-forward aroma, featuring a bouquet of soft rose hips and honeysuckle; but there are soft fruit nuances mixed in, too—citrus, red grape, peach…
The Nekisse profile features a pretty light body and a soft, creamy mouthfeel. Unlike its aroma, though, Ethiopia Nekisse’s flavor profile isn’t so floral-forward. Rather, it’s bursting with bright tropical fruit flavors. Strawberry, raspberry, red grape, peach, passion fruit… Soft florals mingle with cocoa nibs through a mildly sweet, clean finish.
FINALTHOUGHTS
I’m just going to cut right to the chase, here—SwitchBox Coffee Roasters’s Ethiopia Nekisse is as stunning a coffee as any I’ve ever had.
It’s one that is absolutely bursting with flavor, is brilliant and lively, and its clarity does a hell of a lot to really showcase those brilliant flavors. This is the kind of coffee that only comes around once in a great while; a truly special, rare coffee that can only be experienced to be believed.
Buy this coffee. Drink this coffee.
*content courtesy of Ninety Plus Coffee
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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.