Day 6: Enjoy - Malese Wolde Natural
The Story
Enjoy is the only Rhode Island roaster in the box. There are actually quite a few different roasters in the state, but this is the only one this year. The coffees from many of the other roasters tend to be very dark and forcefull. Stuff that really comes through even with a lot of cream and sugar (which is how I think most Island Staters drink their coffee). Enjoy was started by Justin. Justin is a semi-regular at the SMC shop and a very nice guy.
When I started putting together this box, he was the first person I reached out to. He was game immediately. I’m so excited to have them in this box. Hope you enjoy it too.
About The Beans
| Producer: | Melese Wolde |
|---|---|
| Origin: | Shantawene, Bensa District, Ethiopia |
| Elevation: | 2250 MASL |
| Variety: | 74158 |
| Process: | Natural |
| Roast Level: | Light |
| Importer: | Crop To Cup |
| Flavor Notes: | Pink Lemonade, Strawberry, Jasmine, Caramel |
From Enjoy:
Wow. Hard to believe this is our first Ethiopian release in… ever?! In the early monthly-drop days of Enjoy, Ethiopian coffees were a bit harder for me to acquire, but hey, Enjoy 2.0 is a way different beast and thrilled to bring some coffees in from one of my favorite coffee growing origins. Big ups to Danny of Crop To Cup for getting this farmer ID Ethiopian banger my hands, here are them deets:
As told by Crop To Cup:
Melese Wolde’s farm in Shantawane developed a reputation for quality after winning a competition through one of the major specialty importers twice—an importer who never, in the end, showed up to buy the coffee. Melese is a farmer through and through, he told us, as we stood in his warehouse to avoid the rain, his coffee sleeping protected under plastic tarpaulins on his raised beds. He said would have happily continued to sell his farm’s cherry to private washing stations if the government had not given him the ability to get his own export license—which he did, in 2018. His son, the oldest of his six children, helps him and runs the harvest.
Private farms in Ethiopia are becoming more common to the specialty market here in the US. Since 2008 and the establishment of the Ethiopian Coffee Exchange (ECX), private farms have been the one option that preserve relationships and traceable coffee. The issue has been that Ethiopia is so populous, that farms large enough to fill a container, or produce an export size volume of coffee are rare. Where they do happen is most commonly seen in the west (Jimma and Keffa Zones) where land redistribution has formed larger coffee blocks.
Melese’s farm sits at a staggering 2250 MASL - one of the highest elevation coffees we’ve sourced and is growing the 74158 variety (this variety was approved and released by the Jimma Agricultural Research Center ((JARC)) in 1979. It has a high yield potential and resistant to coffee berry disease).
In the cup, you’ll find such a great time. Lol, but for real, Melese’s coffee is a pleasure to drink. Super clean, vibrant, and even contributing some florals and high hitting citrus notes to a super fruited cup. Upon first sip, I’m hit with a punchy pink lemonade note that goes hand in hand with a strawberry hard candy-like sweetness. Notes of jasmine, various citrus’ and caramel finish off this sweet sweet cup.
Feedback
From Zack:
Today is a subtler taste of sweetness. I still get the pink lemonade and the strawberry, but it’s a little later in the sip. Despite the subtle nature, it is still sweet with the milk. It’s not as forceful as some other coffees in the box, but it is enjoyable (no pun intended). I’ve had this in the shop and my pour here in the box. This batch was roasted 11/25, and it is pretty darn perfect now.
