Ethiopian Harrar: Inexplicably wonderful flavor from the birthplace of coffee.
Written: Apr 21 '04 (Updated Oct 05 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Unique and not so subtle flavors.
Cons: Hard to find, coffee harvest vary, next year might not be as good
The Bottom Line: Try this coffee and think about Blueberry Cheesecake. You will be pleasantly surprised and might have a new favorite varietal
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| puckmugger's Full Review: Ethiopian Highland Coffee Harrar Longberry - Green |
The Legendary Birthplace of Coffee
Ethiopia is home to all coffee. It was there that, according to legend, a goat herder noticed his flock was a bit rambunctious after eating the berries from the coffee trees. He became curious as to what might cause this and after some experimentation found that the seeds (coffee beans) inside the fruit gave him energy and allowed him to think more clearly. The rest is history . . . or legend at least.
Regardless of the truth, or lack thereof, in the tale, the coffees of Ethiopia are among the most unique in the world. They all have a bit of citric flavor that will surprise and delight aficionados who have yet to taste them. Harrar was the first coffee that I tasted and truly began to understand the complexities of how coffee affects the palate.
Note on Tasting Coffee
A quick note on the aspects of tasting coffee is required here. The two most important factors are the body and the flavor. There are several other factors that a master roaster will look at, but I will keep this simple.
Body refers to the feel of the coffee in your mouth, akin to the weight or viscosity of a coffee. A thick, heavy coffee might be described as buttery or smooth in body. The converse would be described as light bodied.
Flavor is a bit more complex and would generally be broken into several sub-categories, but for the sake of keeping it simply, the main thing that I want to discuss is acidity. Acidity is a very confusing term for most coffee drinkers. In a bad cup of coffee, acidity is not a good thing. However, when selecting a coffee, master roasters will rely heavily on the acidity level to determine if a coffee is good.
Don’t confuse acidity with the burnt rubber taste you get in a bad cup of coffee. Acidity in a quality bean is a fruity sweetness that comes from citric acid in the bean. In gourmet coffee high acidity is a must for most South American and many of the more interesting African beans.
Harrar
When I was managing a couple of busy shops in the Denver area, we roasted our Harrar to what is called full city roast. This is something of a medium dark roast, not the level of espresso and well below a dark French roast.
The body of Harrar roasted to this level is best described as silky, yet dry. It has a finish almost like a dry champagne in your mouth.
The flavor is the most unique part about Harrar. This is by far the fruitiest flavor of coffee I have ever experience. The acid level is very high (again, this is a good thing, think about fruit). The flavor is amazing layered with a subtle level of blueberry cheesecake. I know that sounds a little odd, let me remind you this is a bean picked, dried, roasted and brewer, no flavors added (aficionados don’t drink flavored coffee).
While the casual coffee drinker might notice that there is something unique about the coffee, they likely won’t pick up the blueberry layer in the flavoring. Certainly they will notice a fruitiness and a natural sweetness that makes the flavor both unique and outstanding. Most people with a hint will realize that, yes, there is a trace of blueberry there.
How do they get the fruit flavor in the bean?
Unfortunately no one really knows why Ethiopian coffee beans have such unique and distinctive fruit flavors. Some Hawaiian coffees have taken on the characteristics of the fruit crops that they grew beside for years. However, none of them have the same levels of fruitiness that characterize and Ethiopian bean. This to me makes the Ethiopian coffees even more amazing.
Is this one of those insanely expensive coffees?
Harrar is generally priced in the middle to lower range for gourmet coffees. Unlike Kona and Blue Mountain which can easily spend more than $30 a pound to buy, Ethiopian coffees will usually cost in the $10 to $15 a pound range, even for the rarer peaberry beans.
Harrar is by far my favorite choice of coffees. It is a great morning cup, but also unique enough to have after dinner. I highly recommend French pressing this bean to get the full unique flavor out of it.
© Scott Noble – Unauthorized use prohibited
Some of my other reviews that you might find helpful:
Nissan Insulated French Press
Bodum Travel French Press
Puerto Rico Yauco Selecto Coffee
Recommended:
Yes
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