Hayissa Olocho - Natural
ROAST | LIGHT MEDIUM
ORIGIN | HAYISSA OLOCHO, KERAMO, BENSA, SIDAMA, ETHIOPIA
NOTES | RED GRAPE, RASPBERRY, LIMEADE, HIBISCUS
Traveling along roads which are barely paved - and sometimes downright frightening - in the Bensa district of Sidama, you'll eventually come across the small-but-mighty village of Keramo. It's a place that's been growing exquisite coffee for many years, but only recently has that coffee been showcased on its own (rather than being included in larger Sidama lots). Their washing station, Hayissa Olocho, is similarly small in stature but impressive in production: with only 30 raised drying tables and 148 total bags exported this year, Hayissa Olocho truly is a small fish in a very large Ethiopian pond. Our new friends at Catalyst Trade purchased all 148 of these bags, and we have the honor of sharing the first of three offerings from them - a natural lot from Keramo - with you today.
Processing: Cherries are picked at peak ripeness and floated to remove any defects. After sorting, the full coffee cherries are placed on one of thirty raised drying tables at the Hayissa Olocho washing station where they are rotated regularly to ensure even sun-drying.
In the cup: It's been a challenging crop year for Ethiopia, and we haven't seen many truly fruity natural Ethiopia lots on our cupping table as a result. `However, this coffee is a clear exception! It's delightfully red fruit-forward and a lovely example of the naturally processed Ethiopian cup profile we love so dearly. With notes of red grape, raspberry, limeade, and hibiscus, this coffee reminds us of a frozen raspberry limeade and has us dreaming of warmer days.
Washing Station | Hayissa Olocho
Farm | smallholders in the Keramo community
Process | natural
Variety | 74110, 74158
Elevation | 1900 - 2300 masl
Brewing Suggestions For Our Coffee At Home
“How should I brew coffee from Black & White?” We get this question a lot, and we love chatting about how folks can get the most out of the coffees we roast. But, since everybody’s gear setup, water sources, and preferences are different, we haven’t found a great way to post definitive brew guides for specific coffees.
We do have some tips that have seemed to help most folks, though…
First, our coffees do great with a bit of rest. In our cafes, we’ve discovered that things really start to shine at or after 14 days post roast. You certainly don’t have to wait so long, but you’ll notice the cup’s clarity increase over time. Clean, washed coffees tend to need less rest than funkier coffees that feature higher-impact fermentation methods (like naturals, anaerobic naturals, or co-ferments).
For espresso, we start all of our coffees at a 1:2 ratio with a brew time around 24 seconds. This recipe usually works great for year round coffees and single origin coffees with lower impact fermentations. Funky coffees often get the longer ratio treatment (sometimes up to 1:3), but your preferences may lead you elsewhere. We celebrate that!
For filter style coffee, we tend to like hotter (at or above 205F), faster (at or under 3 minutes) brews. Our roasting philosophy focuses on maximizing sweetness and solubility in all our coffees, so you’re probably safe applying your favorite recipe.
If you have more questions, feel free to shoot us a DM or email. We’re always here for curiosity. Oh! And don’t forget–if it tastes good, it is good.
Roasting all the coffee in Raleigh, North Carolina
We roast and ship Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays
Please place your order the day before the roast day you would like your order shipped on.