Ok. I admit it… I drink a lot of coffee. A LOT OF COFFEE! You would probably be shocked if you saw how much money I actually spent on these glorious beans that come to mankind from heaven. You must understand though, I do not actually drink it all. I get quite a bit of help from my friends. Last Friday night, I burned through 1 1/2 pounds in 2 hours… Pouring Eth Nat3 Limu Nigussie Lemma GP through my Chimex with an accompanying kone, pulling shots of Guatemala Huehuetenango for everyone that was hanging out at my house…  I go through coffee… Fast!  If you ask my friends, they wouldn’t have it any other way.

This last summer, I took my family to Portland Oregon to visit some friends and family and stayed there for the 4th of July. We took the opertunity to do a “coffee tour” of some of the new shops and roasters that had cropped up since I had last been in the rainy city last. In addition to partaking of the usual Stumptown offerings, I drank a cup made on a clover machine at the River Maiden. We went to Barista in the pearl district, Heart Roasters on Burnside, and my favorite of the entire trip: Coava Coffee. Needless to say, I came back to Sacramento inspired! On July 6th, I placed a large order of coffee including coffee from regions I have not spent much time exploring. It is one of these coffees that is on my mind today.

Most coffee enthusiasts are familiar with the Yirga Cheffe region of Ethiopia. It seems like most of the coffee that comes from there is wet processed and washed so I was excited to discover that I could purchase some dry processed Yirga Cheffe. For some reason, I never got around to roasting it until a few weeks ago. I let the beans rest for a day before I made some but what was awaiting me was beyond what I could imagine.

I promise, I am not lying! The moment I started grinding, my entire kitchen started smelling like blueberry muffins! As I poured water over the grounds to wet them, the intoxicating aromas caused me to salivate… It was with great restraint that I was able to avoid the temptation to begin spooning the wet grounds directly into my mouth right then and there! The first sip was similar to what a cornucopia of tropical fruit exploding in my mouth would taste like. There were blueberries, strawberries, passion fruit, mangos and then it started getting really complex… I am still trying to comprehend this one…

I shared with a few good friends who I felt could appreciate it but I will confess, I wanted to horde it all… I wanted to savor every drop. Sharing something like that does not come natural to the depraved soul.

Today I used the last of this amazing coffee. Of course I went back to try and order more but of course it was sold out. My wife has been out of town and does not return until late tonight… I feel myself falling into a severe depression as I type this…

Kidding obviously. However let it be known, If I see any unroasted Ethiopia Gr. 3 Dry Process Yirga Cheffe on sale anywhere, I will take out a small loan if I have to, and I will buy it all… Do you hear that wife?