Clifton Coffee - Ethiopia: Margarrisa (Guji)

Our 5th Ethiopia selection of 2016 from a small private wet-mill in Danbi Uddo near the town of Shakiso in Guji called Margarrisa.

2016 has yielded some incredible coffees from Ethiopia, both washed and naturals. It’s probably the origin we get most excited about here in the roastery and we’ve loved how refined & complex some of the naturals such as the Diima have been; a sure sign of major improvements in production and preparation at origin.

We’ve also enjoyed the breadth of flavours that can be found in the washed coffees coming from the likes of Limu, Guji and of course Yirgacheffe, and judging by the rate at which we’ve roasted the through the Biftu Gudina this season, our customers are increasingly loving the broad spectrum of complex & delicate florals that are so abundant in the cup from this incredible country.

It’s with great excitement then that we introduce this lot – our 5th Ethiopia selection of 2016 from a small private wet-mill in Danbi Uddo near the town of Shakiso in Guji called Margarrisa. Again from our friends & trusted Ethiopian partners, Nordic Approach.

We first cupped this coffee back at the London Coffee Festival in April and it immediately showed promise, but – as with so many of the washed Ethiopians – it was always going to benefit from a good rest and a little ‘breathing’ to really open up. Fast forward to November and our first test roast immediately leapt out of the cup for the sheer sweetness this coffee showed with an abundance of floral aromas & flavours – it was, for us the archetypical washed Ethiopian coffee that epitomises everything these coffees can be when they’re carefully prepared & properly rested with a delicate light to medium roast profile.

Honeysuckle, peach, jasmine, bergamot & apricot – its all there in abundance with a lovely syrupy body and bright but perfectly balanced acidity. This coffees brews incredibly well as both a filter but also makes for an stunning espresso.