Roasted - Ethiopian Djimmah GR5

About the bean

An inland city in the southwest of Ethiopia, Djimmah (pronounced Jimma), is one of Ethiopia's five major coffee-growing regions. Coffee here is cultivated at high altitudes under cover of forest shade which offers growers more topsoil protection and enriched soil, as well as higher quality, denser beans. To dry, beans are laid out beneath the hot sun. In general, expect a good body and a winey, gamey taste.

The discovery

A grade five bean (GR5) indicates the greater likelihood of defects compared to a Grade 1 bean. As such, we don't expect too much of a wow factor from the Djimmah, but, as our in-house coffee expert, Priscila, always says: "Never give up on an Ethiopian!"

We taste tested this bean as a City roast using a V60 drip brewer and as a Full City roast brewed in a French press. The roasting profile selected will enhance the flavour possibility of a bean, and, in this case, these roast levels produced a salty cup! You usually like salt or you like sweet and those of us who prefer the former really liked this one. The City profile was definitely the better of the two for body, taste and brightness (acidity) - a surprisingly balanced cup. 

So, is that it for Djimmah?

Not quite. Priscila, our above-mentioned resident coffee fiend, took our salty buddy Djimmah home and blended a 50/50 ratio of the Djimmah with Guatemala Antigua (also a City roast), counting on the Antigua to add more body and delicate fruit notes. Instead of her go-to AeroPress coffee plunger, she opted for a Bialetti stovetop espresso maker to brew her blend and the result was "amazing!" Way to go, Djimmah! Priscila preferred her blend to the popular Antigua on its own (high praise indeed) and declared:

"Djimmah is a star for blends when it comes to price and flavour". 

Cupping Notes

Species: Coffee Arabica
Processing: Dry (unwashed)
Altitude: 1,340 and 1,830 masl.
Grade: The most exported Grade 5 (GR5 indicates the greater likelihood of defects compared to a Grade 1 bean)
Acidity: Medium to light
Body: Good
Balance: Good
Good for: Espresso, plunger, drip or siphon coffee and BLENDS!

Roast recommendation: Light to medium. We liked a City roast. The body should increase the darker you go but we found the opposite with this bean. For an explanation of our different roasts, see here: http://greenbeanery.ca/pages/roasting-chart.