Hey everybody, what are you drinking? I'm Roger In Coffee and welcome to Coffee Cup. This week I’d like to spill the beans on a beautiful jewel from Ethiopia, this weeks coffee highlight, the Konjo from the Limmu region in Ethiopia.
Ethiopian Coffee needs no introduction and the “Limu Konjo” builds on a centuries-long tradition of Arabica from the homestead of coffee. The Limmu region from which the coffee gets its name sits in the Western Highlands of the country where grains like tef and corn are common in the moister lowlands. As the altitude rises the land is dominated by coffee that is grown chiefly for export. The Konjo is grown from around 1650-1900M, (although I'm not clear if that is elevation from ground or altitude from sea level.)
This review is based on a freshly roasted 250g whole bean package of “Limu Konjo” from CafeDirect Handpicked, prepared as two-shot espresso and two shot americano using an Aeropress coffee maker.
Opening the bag provides an immediate aromatic sweetness that captivates the senses. The beans are a mix of medium and small sizes, and can vary a tone or two in colour around its medium brown hue. If you are particular about your roast, I'm going to say this is a city roast that steps boldly into city-plus. I'm not expecting any darkness or bitterness from this.
While grinding, the sweetness bursts out and the grinds have a strong bright brown colour. A city roast is easy to grind and isn't overly tough or brittle. I'm using a very fine grind and will be pulling tons of flavour from this.
At espresso strength the Konjo has a sweet, deep body. Dominated by muscovado sweetness and teasing nectar at the top end of the palette.
There aren't booming low notes, and the mouth feel is super clean with no dark earthy taste and not a trace of bitterness which puts the Konjo equally at home as a breakfast champion or as a digestif in the evening. The dark notes it has are subtle and serve only to broaden the bold sweetness of its mid tones.
Americano tempers its natural sweetness with a dry finish and filled in the high notes with a surprising, slightly toasted flavour where I was expecting the nectar to give way to a floral bouquet. The Americano was an easy drinker and although I preferred the initial body to the toasted finish, its after-taste was was neither unpleasant nor lingering and added a complexity to the drink.
It’s quite possible to pull long shots of the Konjo and the over-extraction adds it’s late mouth flavour and emphasises the after-taste. Personally, I think I prefer it shorter but if you want it to linger then this will work just fine.
Since the Konjo works so well at espresso strength, I also tried a ristretto. I found my first ristretto to be more tart and some of its characteristic syrupy sweetness was lost to the acidity of the strength, although your exact preparation may affect the balance of the taste. The ristretto was very intense and the simple, clean flavours peak at a particular part of the spectrum just like the espresso.
The Konjo doesn't ask for anything to sweeten it, especially at espresso strength where it’s own dominant sweetness is enough, however it will survive a range of syrups and take even quite strong flavours on board for the journey.
Sweet shortbread emphasises the citrus twist to its sweetness, as will an almond croissant or cinnamon swirl, further placing this as a breakfast favourite.
At Americano strength and pulling long shots I found that it had lost some of its sweetness but it welcomed even the sweetest biscuits and even cherry bakewell wasn't too much. Maple or blueberry flavours will bring the americano alive if you are looking to perk it up, however all in all it isn't asking for the extra sugar.
Overall the Konjo is a great drinker and highly recommended. Working better at full strength, the sweet and versatile bean is a reminder that Ethiopia sets a very high bar and this puts the Limmu region on the map as a coffee to remember.
If you've enjoyed the Konjo or have a bean or blend recommendation, please leave a comment and tell me about it. Don’t forget to like, favorite, share and subscribe to be kept up to date with future news and reviews.
In the 21st century we are drinking over two billion cups of coffee a day. I'm doing my part, are you?
No comments:
Post a Comment