Kawo Kamina, Ethiopia

COFFEE TASTING NOTES FOR KAWO KAMINA, ETHIOPIA

chocolate ganache, blackberry, grape, black currant, tobacco, dessert wine

 

COFFEE BACKGROUND FOR KAWO KAMINA, ETHIOPIA

We were fortunate to visit the Sheka Kawo Kamina Farm in Ethiopia last February. Incidentally, this was Blueprint Coffee’s last origin trip before the pandemic ruled out international travel for the foreseeable future. While there was no sense of what truly lied ahead, this trip was both enlightening and profound for several significant reasons.

Kawo Kamina (pronounced kay-o kah-mina) is located across the river from Kaffa, which is recognized as the native, genetic home of Arabica coffee and the origin of the word “coffee” itself. All of the farm’s coffee is planted, but would grow naturally. This is referred to as a semi-forest coffee. Wild, naturally-grown coffee represents genetic diversity that is unique to western Ethiopia — making it critical to the future survival of the coffee plant.

After harvest, the coffee cherries are dried at the farm using the natural process, then trucked to the dry mill for final hulling, sorting, and polishing. All entities are operated by Moplaco, a respected coffee exporting company in Ethiopia, owned by Heleanna Georgalis. Heleanna inherited Moplaco after the sudden death of her father. Under her leadership, Moplaco is pursuing farm-level quality and traceability. This is fairly unprecedented in Ethiopia, where coffee origins were often limited to a region until more recent years.

Even without traceability, the quality of Ethiopia’s coffee is unique and immense. This farm-specific lot from Kawo Kamina is a capstone of the movement towards greater transparency, and we feel privileged to serve it in our coffee bars. Anticipate a bright, sweet cup with notes of chocolate ganache, blackberry, grape, and dessert wine.

 

2020 MOPLACO VISIT

In early 2020, we visited the headquarters of Moplaco in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and the Kawo Kamina farm in Sheka. At the farm, we were able to see the culmination of Moplaco’s farm-to-export model. The farm was beautiful, inspiring, and a true retreat where we could reflect upon the impact the coffee industry has on so many livelihoods.