Ethiopian Limu Ferment Case

29 March 2012

 

First ferment find. In an Ethiopian bag of green. Nostrils filled with memories of the proceeding hours of mid summer lawn mowing. Humid, sweating grass clippings, steaming like wilting greens in a congested pan. The oil off the blades rendering ashfelt stint – highly undesirable.

     The green beans weighed up for a roast sat high in the barrel. Density of the coffee much lower; or moisture content much lower? I would have thought otherwise for moisture level, as the plastic wrapping of the shipment was skin/air tight around the beans, differing from the norm of the packaging.

      Gazing wondrously at the bean loader as the soft, poorly pungent beans tumbled endlessly into the drum. A regular roast would load with a different sound and what seemed at the time a shorter period of time. I reweighed and re weighed, momentarily doubting the scales or my tare.

          Running fast in the drum, our ferment friend did well… In contrast to a regular roast of this lot number, the beautifully yeasty, sweet Ethiopian final bean temperatures were very close to one another, but drastically varied in colour.

   Flavour, feel and smell - Shiny, monsooned like small beans with a heavy feel. High acidity with a moderate body that predictably with age would improve. However, the alliaceous, sharp aroma wasn’t desirable. Rough front palate, grainy and truly unwell summation of the brew welcomed a decision to reject the fermented bag.

          Our regular smiling cup of berries and sweet wheat ‘digestive biscuit’, clean and rounded ripe stone fruit, was no where to be found!

    Never doubt initial visual perception or unusual wafts around the nose hair J