Brewing Ethiopian Natural

by Matt McLaughlin on May 18, 2022

Ethiopian Natural Brew Guide


Description

Tasting Notes

Brew Methods/Recommended Recipes/Ratios


The Ethiopian Natural

This single-origin coffee is an explosive option to liven up your home brewing experience. Not for those who are afraid of a good time, this coffee will surprise and spoil your taste buds every opportunity it gets. As a single-origin coffee, meaning that every bean comes from the same origin country and is processed and roasted together, it offers clean and specific flavors that most blends would be hard-pressed to find. 


Tasting Notes

What we’re tasting: This coffee’s tasting profile is led by a juicy red-grape sweetness that reminds me of the first sip of semi-sweet red wine like a Merlot or Pinot Noir. An underlying bright acidity rounds out the sweetness, giving it the soft-sour feel of black raspberries. Finally, a surprising medium-full body makes this a well-rounded coffee that casual drinkers might find oddly familiar.


Tasting Notes Summarized

Merlot Red Wine

Black Raspberry

Medium Body


Brewing this Coffee

This coffee has the potential to be used in a variety of ways but the best brewing options are immersion brewing (Hario Switch, French Press) or Pour Over (V60, Kalita Wave.)


Immersion

When brewing this Ethiopian with immersion, expect to really see the body of this coffee to come to the forefront and the acidity to take a back seat. 

  • Use a 1/14 ratio. Ex: For a 12 oz cup you’ll want 25g of coffee and 350ml of hot water.
  • Heat your water to about 205 degrees. Usually, with brighter coffees, you want to heat to around 201 degrees, but immersion’s longer brew time means the water will cool a bit. 
  • Grind size: Medium. 
  • Brew time: 4 minutes
  • Make sure to stir at the beginning and end of the brewing process to make sure all of the coffee is integrated and extracted evenly.

Pour Over

When brewing this Ethiopian with a pour-over method, the juiciness of the grape notes and the body of the coffee both are able to shine.

  • Use a 1/15 ratio. EX: For a 12 oz cup you’ll want 23g of coffee and 350ml of hot water.
  • Heat your water to between 201-205 degrees.
  • Grind size: Between medium and medium-fine
  • Expect a longer brew time with this coffee, often between 3:30 and 5 minutes.
  • Bloom time: 30 seconds
  • Make sure to stir bloom to ensure all coffee is properly mixed.
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