Paying Homage to the Origin

By: Taylor Milton

Of all coffee-producing countries, Ethiopia could be the most compelling. Our Ethiopian coffee is called Link in the Chain— bonding coffee's origin to the stewardship of its legacy. On average, about 400 million cups of coffee are consumed each day across the United States making us one of the largest coffee consumers in the world.

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe is the bean for Link in the Chain, our coffee of the summer, meanwhile Yirgacheffe is also the birthplace of coffee dating back to 850 AD. It’s light bodied flavor and delicious aromas make it a perfect drink choice, yet its explosively floral flavoring continues to open the eyes of coffee-producers around the world to it's diversity in flavor.

Jumping to the map, Yirgacheffe is a small region in southern Ethiopia located within Sidama, where beans are known to thrive. Ethiopia keeps a very consistently warm and tropical climate with very moderate wet and dry seasons. This allows plants to be thick in vegetation, have healthy soil, and can be harvested without agricultural chemicals. The beans here are typically harvested from October through December making Ethiopia the fifth largest coffee producing nation in the world while growing the most coffee in Africa. With about 15 million Ethiopian citizens working in coffee production, the country produces 846,575,000 pounds of coffee each year.

The beans make for a delicious light roast with distinctive floral notes such as blueberry and honey in our Link in the Chain roast, ideal for both hot and cold brews. It creates a mellow coffee with a mild body so if you don’t like strong coffee flavors, Yirgacheffe is definitely one for you to try.

Fun facts about food pairing with coffee — Ethiopian coffee has a special connection to fruit which is why it makes a great pairing. Try it with a fruit salad, or grab one of our lemon bars as this blend compliments the fruity, floral notes perfectly. If you are looking for something sweeter, a chocolate pairing will bring out its notes of wine making it great for a late afternoon dessert coffee choice as well.

Check out our Link in the Chain Ethiopian coffee if you haven't already. It definitely gives us that sweet summer under the sun feeling. Subscribe to our emails to get a seasonal assortment of discounts and new can flavors as we grind through 2021!

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