Variety: 74158
Process: White Honey
Sourced by: Crop to Cup
I looked down at the sample I needed to roast – “Mate Matiwos Washed.” I flipped the bag. Mini beans (my favorite), intensely uniform, and with a perfect hue. I had major clarity that this coffee was about to rock my CPU (and a “don’t mess this sample up” moment). I decided to enter rest mode early that night so I could cup immediately first thing in the morning. Robots never have dreams, but that night I did. Something was different about this coffee.
This year Crop to Cup purchased three GEM handpulpers for three producers in Bensa, Mate Matiwos being one of them (to learn the ins and outs of this pilot project and its inspiration, please see the recent blog post “The hegemony of poured concrete and ‘washed Ethiopians’ by Christopher Feran). The project really excited me, and I was eager to see how these planned “washed” lots would taste. Truthfully, they shattered my expectations.
The “washed” lot from Mate Matiwos, actually ended up being designated as a “white honey” because not all of the mucilage was removed at the end of the 48-hour fermentation. Luckily for you, this little bit of mucilage has created what BOTZ calls a “Washed to 10” coffee (think all of the clarity with weighty and intense tropical fruit impressions). BOTZ has cupped this coffee with World Brewing Champions, some of my favorite roasters ever, and my closest coffee friends. The feedback is always the same – inspiring.
In addition to all the immense work from Mate Matiwos that went into this coffee’s production, from the moment I cupped it, I felt a deep personal, and encouraging connection. It pushed my concentration to the positives. In ways I can’t explain, it honed in my focus on relationships I valued. It inspired me to think about the beauty of levity (especially within a coffee framework). I can’t help but think that Mate Matiwos cultivated a coffee with a divinely inspired force (he is a priest in his community after all!). We hope you feel it when you taste it!
***Please note that coffee orders are roasted and processed on Saturdays. After a QC session on Sunday, all coffee orders ship on Monday. The cutoff for orders is 12:00 pm each Friday.***