Great Expectations - 250g

This Lot, led by Hester, Dawit, and Sissay, a war veteran and cranial gunshot survivor, the team processes each lot with a controlled approach that brings out the absolute best of the cherry.

Their dedication and perseverance created this 4 bag microlot. Here’s a little from the team themselves since this was a special one for them:

“Even though we knew what we were going to do ahead of time, we listed this lot as a mysterious “experimental surprise.” It was fun to see roasters’ curiosity piqued… and also fun to reveal that this lot was processed as a thermal shock! At some origins thermal shock is not that big of a deal, but in Ethiopia it is very, very special, and this one comes with a great story.

"After selecting the best cherries from both our farm and our community farmers, we put them in our blue barrels and sealed them for several hours to ferment. The idea with thermal shock is to stop the fermentation process quickly by using either hot or cold temperatures, therefore creating a unique cup profile. We decided the most fun way to try it would be with ice – but where were we going to get ice?! We’re based in the poorest region of Ethiopia with very little access to electricity, so we definitely don’t have freezers at our mills.

We decided to look for ice at the nearest town, but they were also having electricity problems, so no ice. Hester and team member Burakie drove the pickup truck to a few supermarkets in Sidama’s capital Awassa, over 2 hours away, but still no ice.

Finally they had a brilliant idea. Nightclubs serve whiskey on the rocks, so they must have access to ice! After sourcing a few small bags of ice from some clubs, Hester and Burakie took things to the next level by locating the ice wholesaler who supplied the clubs. Bundled up in hats, gloves, and coats, they completely filled the bed and cab of the truck with ice, AC blasting and hearts racing to make the 2-hour drive back to the mill.

They arrived back just in time (and with just enough ice still intact!) to start the thermal shock process with a crazy happy mill team, who completed the job with plenty of dancing and celebration. Definitely one of the highlights of our mill experiences this season!”