Ethiopian Sidamo and OCFCU

Greethings, this is CATCH MIND.

Today, We are going to talk about the Ethiopian Sidamo coffee, the coffee often less talked about than Yirgacheffe coffee.

 

Cultivation Environment

The variety is native kind (pure breed). The cultivation altitude is 1,500~2,200m that density of planting is quite high. Coffee growing on high altitude tend to grown slowly and have more time to absorb the nutrients from the ground. That's why the green bean coffees cultivated in high altitude areas give various characteristics due to the influence of region's weather and earth, and Sidamo coffee is one of them.

 

The most significant difference between the two coffees

is their taste and fragrance. Ethiopia Sidamo is focused on "taste" and it is described as 'fruity'. While, Yirgacheffe focuses more on "fragrance" and it is described as 'floral'. The former is comparably heavy while the latter is light in taste.

 

If it is pain to choose one between the two,

Consider the citrusy and floral fragrance for Yirgacheffe, and fruity fragrance and taste for Sidamo. It always help making decision if you think of their fragrance and taste, whether you want them light or heavy.

 

 

Tasting Note and Roasting Note

Ethiopian coffee has more various taste than the other coffees from the region. it is not as strong as Kenyan coffee but has citrusy taste.

 

When you are considering Ethiopian coffee, you chose the coffee with fancy taste and fragrance. This would mean you have to pay a closer attention to the roasting process.

 

You must get lid of the unpleasant bitter feeling that disturb the taste. For this, you need to privide sufficient heat in the beginning of roasting and thoroughly remove the silver skin.

 

Tasting note: Tropical fruit, berry, tangerine, balanced sweet taste and normal body. The overall balance gets better when you mix it with milk. So, you can use it as espresso after dark roasting.

 

 

 OCFCU (Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union)

Ethiopian coffee that we purchase and consume are cultivated at the small sized plantation in Oromia region. And all of them are part of the cooperative union called OCFCU.

 

The cooperative union was established in 1990 with the purpose of increasing regional plantationers' income, preventing the quality deterioration of each plantation's coffee, advancing the coffee industry and providing the regulation and related services to support such advancement.

 

The cooperative union is representing about 240 plantations, cultivating Arabica variety exclusively and returning the 70% of its profit to the union. Union then, returns the 70% of revenue to the farmers, creating the win-win circle.

 

The cultivation area belongs to the cooperative union is about 65%. And OCFCU's operation is not limited to the certain area but gaining its national recognition by operating the producer supporting program.

 

Recently, efforts are made to find various ways to advance the sustainable quality assurance process. I believe we would all benefit the most when the result comes out.

So, a loud applause to OCFCU.

 

 

Lastly,,,

This article discussed about Ethiopian coffee and Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union.

I hope it helped people who is still deciding between Sidamo and Yirgacheffe.

 

 

 

Moreover, I discussed about OCFCU because the cooperative union does not just represent the producers' benefits but assure the good quality product to final customers as well.

 

Thank you for your time.

 

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