It seems to me that no matter what else is happening in the world, people keep talking about time. Lines take too much, family gets too little, recharging ourselves gets little if any.
We’ve heard the story of the jar; first the big stones, then the smaller ones, then the sand, then the coffee. (Actually, I heard it using water, but what fun is that?! Besides, this is a COFFEEE blog..) Since each of these represent amounts of time and priorities, we must decide what gets put in the jar, and in what order. Choose wisely. Those seemingly little adjustment in where you invest your time today can have huge repercussions down the road.
Enough philosophy; lets get down to coffee. This blog’s feature is a favorite of some and an unknown by many; Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. (That’s YEER-guh-shef or Yeer-guh-SHEF-ay depending on who you ask.) Ethiopia is commonly understood to be the birthplace of coffee, and the legend of Kaldi, the goat herder who discovered it, leading the way. I don’t know much about goat herders but I understand why todays people are so attracted to the coffee of this region; clean, sweet, fruity.
A light to medium/light roast Yirg is known by the vast majority of my customers for its cleaness. There are little, if any, lingering aftertastes and this coffee cuts through heavier flavors in entrees or desserts. This attribute also lends itself well to being a great morning coffee.
The natural sweetness of the coffee is the second dimension. A high percentage of people who try this coffee at an arts show are party comment on its sweetness, even to point that “I wouldn’t have to put sugar in this coffee!” That may be extreme but it seems as though this is a quality that catched people off guard.
Finally, I am always amazed at the fruitiness of this coffee. The citrus/lemony aromas and background flavors make pairing this coffee a joy. Aside from the pairing mentioned earlier, other ideas include fruit desserts, fish and shellfish entrees, as well as chicken dishes.
For those of you out there who are in it for the caffeine, here’s your fix. Remember; the lighter the roast, the more the caffeine.
‘Til next time, think about what you drink.
Cheers!
