Kawo Kamina, Ethiopia

COFFEE TASTING NOTES FOR KAWO KAMINA, ETHIOPIA

mango, black tea, melon, green apple

 

COFFEE BACKGROUND FOR KAWO KAMINA, ETHIOPIA

We were fortunate to visit the Sheka Kawo Kamina Farm in Ethiopia in February 2020. This was shortly before the pandemic halted international travel. Aside from its personal significance, this trip was profound for many reasons: including that the flowers for this harvest were blossoming during our visit. Life comes full circle.

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 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.

The farm is operated by Moplaco, a respected coffee exporting company 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 recent years.

In 2021, Kawo Kamina began producing washed coffee. This offering is a unique blend of the farm’s washed and natural process coffees. Both methods contribute to its intense sweetness and bright profile, with notes of black tea and fruity tones of mango, melon, and green apple.

To read more about our perspective on sourcing Ethiopian coffee, visit our blog.

 

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.