I thought I’d start off the Roaster Notes with one of my absolute favorite coffees. Many years ago, I was working at a Pete’s Coffee & Tea in Berkeley, CA and was being cleansed of all the hogwash and poppycock I had learned while working at Starbucks over the course of several years.

Looking back on it now, it is kind of hard to imagine that during my seven years with Starbucks, a coffee as delectable as an Ethiopian Yirgacheffe never made it to my palate. Then again, Starbucks has never truly been part of the Specialty Coffee scene.

Needless to say, once the mote had been removed from my eye, I was able to see the truth. In actuality, my assistant manager at the time, Eleanor, was cupping out some coffees and handed me a small sample with a look of delight in her eyes.

In an instant, my entire perspective of coffee shifted. One sip had managed to shake my understanding of coffee to the core. Was this even coffee?!?!

Deep floral notes wrapped in a smooth coat of black currant with the cleanest finish. Was this tea? No. In fact, it was my first Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and I was hooked.

To this day, Ethiopia remains my region of choice for Specialty Coffee beans. Sidamo, Guji, Debo, so many wonderful coffees come from this country and each of them have a unique character unto their own.

As the Source Coffee Community grows, it is my full intention to seek out more amazing Ethiopian coffees. At current, we offer two Ethiopian coffees from two of the more prominent producing regions in the country, Sidamo and Yirgacheffe. The Yirga is my reigning and defending champion at the moment. Below is my preferred brew method and recipe.

Filter Pour Over / 16.5g of fine ground coffee / 300ml filtered, boiling water / 30 second bloom / 3 minute brew