Oromia coop Ethiopian Harar November's Hot Bean

This month I will focus on one of my all time favorite coffee's Oromia coop Ethiopia Harar. Traditionally Harar has wonderful Blueberry notes along with some earthiness and in the case of Oromia its very common to get Licorice root flavors along with some raw honey/Maple. This years crop upon initial cupping disappointed me in that my favorite flavor trait is the blueberry and this seemed to be significantly less than in previous years. Upon accidentally allowing this coffee to "rest" a few more days than I usually allow for, I was able to find the elusive blueberry flavors that make Harar one of the best coffee's for the absolute best value. Of course, I try and focus on Fair Trade organic and other socially conscious certified coffee's so that does eat away at some of the cheaper value's that most roasters enjoy. Fortunately the extra money that I pay for Oromia Coop coffee is well worth it, I truly feel they provide a superior coffee consistently year to year. I have said this before and I'll repeat it here if I had to choose only one coffee region to drink for the rest of my life it would be Ethiopian coffee hands down.

Here is the Bean Bio from Elan Organic:

Ethiopia
Harrar, Yirgacheffe &
Lekempti
Historically, Ethiopia is the oldest recognized country of origin
and Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee. In 1960, Ethiopia became
a member of the Inter-African Coffee Organization. Elan’s Organic Ethiopian coffees come from
a farmer group called Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (OCFCU), which was
founded in June 1999. OCFCU is a union of 34 small cooperatives benefiting 22,734 smallholder
farmer members.
Three major farming systems are recognized and practiced; Forest Coffee which grows under a
forest canopy with very little human interface, Small Farm/Cottage Coffee, the most prevalent,
comes from small farms and is shade grown and often intercropped, and Plantation Coffee,
which is the system that utilized modern coffee planting and processing practices.
Coffee in this southwest region is known, as the Highland Coffee with average altitude of 1,750
meters.
Coffee Specifications:
Variety: Arabica
Grade: Strictly Hard Bean
Altitude: Yigacheffe: 1770-2200meters
Harrar: 1510-2120 meters
Lekempti: 1700-2200 meters
Shade: Traditional Polyculture
Harvest: Yirgacheffe: September-February
Harrar: October-February
Lekempti: February-August
Certifications: USDA/NOP/TransFair USA
Coffee Characteristics:
Quality:
Harrar: Medium to light acidity, full body, genuine mocha flavor with blueberry notes
Lekempti: Good acidity, medium body, fruity finishes
Yirgacheffe: Bright acidity, citrus flavor, medium body, floral and spicy notes

info provided by: Elan Organic coffee