December 19

We enjoyed Fridays coffee so much, we just had to have Prima Roastery back, for something completely different (Did you read that in John Cleeses’ voice? Bet you did).

So far this month you’ve sampled a couple of offerings from Ethiopia, but fear not. Prima Roastery today present us with something not yet shared, a coffee from the growing region of Harar.

(Words by Prima Roastery) Oromia Coffee Farmers’ Cooperative Union (OCFCU) is a tribally based co-operative union which was established in 1999, covering all the areas where the Oromo people live; this includes many of the best known coffee growing districts in Ethiopia. Harar comes from the north east of the country from the region around the ancient walled city of Harar. The environment is dry and mountainous and the coffee grows in deep valleys which are sometimes only accessible by foot or donkey. Harar is a naturally processed coffee, dried in the cherry on the farm on raised mesh beds, a method which retains some of the sugars and soluble elements that are lost with washing. It is then hulled – sometimes still by hand, before being finally polished and sorted for export. Harar is a rustic but very sweet, complex and full bodied coffee. It has a spicy, gingery and sometimes explosively fruity aroma. The coffee is rich and full with dark cocoa and apricot flavours and a good heavy, slightly earthy body. There are many indigenous and traditional varieties grown, often at high altitude from 1500 to 2100 metres.

Click here for our feature from another of Oromia Coffee Farmers’ Cooperative Union (OCFCU) Stations.

Grab yourself a bag here.

Photo Credit: TradeAid