The Bishan Fugu Natural coffee is a testament to meticulous processing, resulting in a remarkably clean cup for an Ethiopian natural. It originates from the Bishan Fugu farm, which is managed in conjunction with the renowned Hambela Farm.
The Origin: Hambela Estate and METAD Agricultural Development
This exceptional coffee comes from the Hambela Coffee Estate, owned by the Michael and Aman Adinew Family, who are the owners of METAD Agricultural Development. The family has been deeply involved in enhancing Ethiopian coffee for many years.
Hambela Coffee Estate boasts modern infrastructure and high-quality, detailed coffee processing, which enables this rare single-farm Ethiopian coffee offering. METAD is committed to fostering the community both economically and culturally.
METAD employs a growing workforce, with women comprising 70% of it. The company also shares modern agricultural equipment with other farmers in the community. Furthermore, they have sponsored a state-of-the-art elementary school and partnered with Grounds For Health to offer healthcare services to local women.
METAD Agricultural Development PLC (METAD) is a third-generation family-owned business with a rich history that began after World War II when the Ethiopian Emperor awarded Muluemebet Emiru, the first African female pilot and family matriarch, with land in the Guji and Sidama zones that has become the Hambela Coffee Estate.
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METAD is managed by Aman Adinew who returned to Ethiopia after many years working abroad at the executive level for multiple fortune 500 companies because he wanted to make a difference for his family and community.
Through Aman’s leadership, METAD has strengthened the local community with employment opportunities including a workforce that is over seventy percent women, educational opportunities including university scholarships and sponsorship for a state-of-the-art elementary school with more than 700 students, and healthcare for employees.
METAD was also first to partner with Grounds for Health in Ethiopia to implement a successful cervical cancer screening program for women within the coffee growing communities.
METAD has an expanding Out-grower program designed to provide technical assistance, share modern farming equipment, and provide certification programs for more than 5,000 local farmers who are paid premiums for their cherry and second payments after coffee is sold. Quality and certification premiums have also helped METAD build roads and community centers.
The Coffee Profile: Flavors and Characteristics
The Bishan Fugu coffee is celebrated for its pungent, round fruit flavors. This Certified Organic micro-lot from the famed Hambela estate showcases the sweeter side of fermentation and coffees dried with the fruit intact. Expect intense notes of pineapple soda, champagne, sweet vermouth and herbal honey, with layers and layers of purple flowers.
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One taster described it as having "lovely strawberries, raspberries, ripe blueberries, spice, and a floral quality that balances out the fruit," also noting that it had the most blueberry flavor compared to other Ethiopian coffees they had tasted.
Est. Brightly sweet, deeply pungent. Fine musk, black currant, baker’s chocolate, violet, oak in aroma and cup. Sweet-toned structure with juicy acidity; crisp, lightly syrupy mouthfeel.
Southern Ethiopia coffees like this one are largely produced from distinctive indigenous Ethiopian varieties of Arabica long grown in the region. This is a dry-processed or “natural” version, meaning the beans were dried inside the fruit rather than after the fruit has been removed, as is the case with wet-processed or “washed” coffees.
Specific details of the coffee:
- Grower: Hambela Estate | METAD Agricultural Development plc (METAD)
- Altitude: 1900 - 2200 masl
- Variety: Indigenous heirloom cultivars
- Soil: Clay minerals
- Region: Bishan Fugu, Guji Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia
- Process: Full natural and dried on raised beds
- Harvest: October - January
- Certification: Organic
Here is a table summarizing the key details of the Bishan Fugu coffee:
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| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Grower | Hambela Estate | METAD Agricultural Development plc (METAD) |
| Altitude | 1900 - 2200 masl |
| Variety | Indigenous heirloom cultivars |
| Soil | Clay minerals |
| Region | Bishan Fugu, Guji Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia |
| Process | Full natural and dried on raised beds |
| Harvest | October - January |
| Certification | Organic |
This coffee is not for everyone, but for those seeking a fruit and floral-forward experience, it rarely gets much better.
Roasting Notes: This lot is sensitive to over-roasting and/or baking, so careful attention is required during the roasting process.
The Experts Behind the Coffee
Licensed Q Grader, Green Coffee Importer, Cupping Judge, 15+ Years Experience A Good Food award-winning roaster and licensed Q Grader, Michael McIntyre specializes in sourcing and quality control in green coffee and in roasting training and analysis.
He spends months of the year in Ethiopia sourcing the next year's coffee offerings for importing company Catalyst Trade, which he co-founded. Back in Portland, he spends endless hours on the phone helping roasters find their coffee unicorns, consulting with clients on a wide range of coffee topics, and training coffee professionals in roasting, cupping, sourcing, and quality control.
With fifteen years experience in the coffee industry, Michael is relentlessly romanced by coffee and the community it facilitates.
Roasting Coffee Ethiopian Style
Onyx Coffee Lab: A Champion of Quality
Onyx Coffee Lab, led by husband-wife owners Jon and Andrea Allen, has rapidly gained recognition in the coffee world by combining art and science. The magic begins with sourcing, involving countless small sample batches from coffee importers and direct visits to farms around the world.
"I know direct trade means a lot of different things to different people, but for us if we don’t put money in the producers hands we won’t call it direct trade," says Jon.
Once found, the coffees are carefully roasted in twenty-pound or smaller batches, then shared with the three Onyx cafés and over 150 wholesale customers in thirty states.
Onyx's commitment to excellence is evident in their achievements, including Andrea Allen placing first in the 2020 Barista Championship and Elika Liftee placing first in the 2020 Brewers Cup Championship. Onyx has also been recognized by Architectural Digest as Arkansas' most beautiful coffee shop and has garnered multiple Good Food Awards.
Kakalove Café is a nano-roaster located in the small city of Chia-Yi in Taiwan that strives to procure and roast the finest quality coffee.
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