Starbucks introduced a new coffee to its retail reserve line – Sun-Dried Ethiopia Yirgacheffe. The story of these beans begins more than 6,000 feet above sea level, “where the perfect melding of sun, air and soil contributes to enticing flavors.”
Once harvested, these special beans are carefully dried on raised beds, “absorbing the sweet juiciness of the ripe fruit surrounding them to deliver a wild burst of berry with every sip,” Starbucks said in a statement.
Coffees from Ethiopia are considered by many enthusiasts to be some of the best in the world. As the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia has a lot of diversity within the Arabica species, according to Starbucks. The majority of Ethiopian coffees are generally washed, yet from time to time, naturally processed coffees become available that showcase unique flavors.
“Our Sun-Dried Ethiopia Yirgacheffe is a fantastic example of when everything works right. Generally speaking, naturally processed coffees have an element of risk associated with them, due to the potential to develop off-flavors. Consistent quality, flavor intensity, and defects keep us from introducing them more often,” said Leslie Woldford, green coffee specialist for Starbucks.
“Remember, the coffee fruit actually dries completely on the bean, so it takes much more searching to discover a truly incredible sun-dried coffee, but is well worth the hunt,” she said. “That wild unpredictability is also what we love and why we are always searching for that amazing flavor that only comes from sun-dried Ethiopian coffees.”
This Ethiopian reserve coffee does not carry the blueberry and chocolate flavors that have become synonymous with coffees from the neighboring district of Harrar, according to Woldford, but do possess “sweet berry fruits and cherry candy that is both juicy in flavor.” The Sun-Dried Ethiopia Yirgacheffe is processed at the Aricha wet mill in the village of Aricha.
