ADVENT CALENDAR #4

Sheka

The fourth and final coffee of this years adventcalendar is Sheka. A unique experience from the Kawo Kamin farm, driven by Moplaco’s experimental fermentation, a process creates a deep and rich sweetness, while maintaining the floral and fruit forward characteristics of Ethiopian coffee.

This is the second time we have released coffee from Moplaco’s farm, Kawo Kamin. Continuing our ever closer collaboration, we have purchased this small lot from the farm, processed at Moplaco’s nearby Sheka mill using their innovative Semi-Carbonic Maceration process.

Producer
Moplaco

Varietal
Heirloom

Process
Semi-Carbonic Maceration

#4 SHEKA

The Kawo Kamin farm

The Sheka forest is located in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR) in the far southwest of the country near the border with South Sudan. The forest, one of the most beautiful places we have visited during our years of coffee travels, is one of the largest areas of indigenous forest remaining in Ethiopia, known for its production of wild honey. While healthy bees are a good sign of biodiversity and minimal chemical use, much of the rest of Ethiopia has become over-farmed in recent years, so the government has encouraged agriculture across the SNNPR using grants. Especially tea and coffee production is incentivised, leading to the involvement of foreign investors, deforesting swathes of land to create large estates and enforcing questionable working conditions for natives.

Forty kilometres outside the town of Masha lies Moplaco’s Kawo Kamin farm, probably the single most beautiful coffee farm we have ever visited. Here, coffee is grown in synergy with the Sheka forest, using the indigenous forest as shade for the trees, keeping biodiversity alive. This also has a positive effect on coffee quality, the plants are well-nourished and grow in ideal moist conditions under the forest canopy. Some local farmers have even been able to maintain their bee hives around the 150 hectares of protected forest around the farm. This mode of production, working alongside the forest to cultivate coffee while still pruning and managing the plantation, is known as semi-forest coffee.

#4 A floral & wild coffee

Sheka

This carefully produced raw material is then taken to Moplaco’s Sheka mill to be processed. This station is Moplaco’s newest, and has mainly produced natural coffees so far, as the large fermentation tanks required to produce washed coffees are still under construction. The Moplaco spirit of experimentation that we have witnessed on our visits is also present here, small experimental lots of carbonic maceration and anaerobic processes have been attempted, and we’re excited to have the opportunity to forward to the opportunity to taste these

After the opening of export regulations in 2017, Moplaco began experimenting with Carbonic Maceration processing at their Logita mill in the Sidamo region. In the beginning of this project they were assisted by a group of experts in coffee fermentation, our Brazilian partners at Daterra. Some of the Daterra team actually flew to Ethiopia to consult on the project, and it was through our connection with them that we were able to taste some small samples from the initial experiments.

In order to create this lot, the very ripest cherries, on the edge of overripe, are selected before being sealed in stainless steel tanks and fermented in an anaerobic environment for 60 hours. This long fermentation causes the cherries to turn a dark purple colour, before they are dried with the cherry still attached for around 12 days. This has allowed a wild and juicy interpretation of Ethiopian terroir to develop. The fact that this terroir driven character is still able to be appreciated is testament to the expert processing carried out by Moplaco. Sheka carries a wild take on the heavy Sidamo profile, driven by tropical fruit, with crisp red apple and some interesting spice notes in the finish.

Technical Data

Producer: Moplaco

Region: SNNPR

Altitude: 2000 masl

Varietal: Heirloom

Process: SCM

Harvest: January 2021

DISCOVERY SUBSCRIPTION

Keep Exploring

We hope you have enjoyed these weekly discoveries with our coffees. We have enjoyed bringing you a selection of some of the coffees we found special this season. With our Discovery Subscription it is possible to keep exploring. Every month we find two new coffees, that share a theme - be it a sourcing country, a process or coffee from our partners that are in season. The subscription can be configured to suit your coffee needs, while bringing you on a journey through the world of coffee.