This is the first Ethiopian lot of 2020 and it's safe to say we are very (very) pleased with it. Coffee quality levels from Africa definitely dipped last year and we were concerned that this years lots were not going to hit the dizzy heights of previous lots we had found from Ethiopia. Thankfully they have exceeded our expectations.

Aramo is a standout coffee for a number of reasons. It's very well processed, so very consistent in brew and profile. It's extremely sweet and clean and it was a joy to roast, allowing us to really pinpoint the profile accurately to refine and highlight flavour.

The roast:

Until now we have only released our Ethiopian Aramo as a Filter Roast, but after a couple of roast experiments, we have opted to release it for espresso as it's delivered amazing results.

While the filter roast was very tea like and delicate, the espresso version is much more viscous, with an amazing mouth feel. The lemon tea finish has developed into more of a Lemon Drizzle cake taste, while the Vanilla layer has become what we described on the cupping table as 'gloopy'.

Why this Coffee?

We always look for a mix of washed and natural lots each your to keep it diverse and interesting. Despite this coffee being called Aramo (after the washing station it came out of), it actually comes from an area called Aricha, which was the location of one of our best ever Ethiopian coffees back in 2018. The region has a reputation for coffee excellence, supported by well established processing mills and experienced collectives of growers. On cupping, we immediately saw a coffee that represented that region exceptionally well, standing out a good distance from all the other lots.

Profile:

As espresso, Aramo is still very clean, refined and floral. The higher level of development brings out a more viscous and lemon drizzle like sweetness and has a more creamy mouthfeel / texture.

About the farmers / processing:

Aramo is a regional lot, which is the common scenario for Ethiopian speciality coffee. Aramo caters for up to 650 small farmers growing on lots of around 2 hectares per farm, which makes it near impossible to grow and process individually, so they must process and export as a collective.  Aramo is the name of the processing mill they use - run by Dircheye. At the Aramo mill they quality control and process coffee to a screen size of 14+ with a full washed process between October and January each year.

Ripe cherries are delivered to the wet mill for careful sorting and pulping, before fermentation for 36-48 hours, depending on the climactic conditions. After this point the parchment coffee is thoroughly washed and graded by bean density before being dried in the sun on raised African beds for 12 - 15 days (until the ideal moisture level has been reached).

In the daytime the parchment needs to be raked and turned periodically to ensure a consistent drying process. The coffee is also covered between 12pm and 3pm to protect it from the hot sun, and at night time to protect it from rain fall and moisture. Once the coffee has dried to the right level it is transported to Addis Ababa for dry-milling, grading, intensive sorting and handpick- ing, before being bagged in GrainPro for export.

About the Region:

Aricha is in the Yirgacheffe district in the ‘Southern Nations, Nationalities & Peoples’ (SNNP) region of Ethiopia. Over a number of years the region has developed a distinguished reputation for fine coffees, producing some of the most sought-after micro lots in the world. The combination of high altitude (up to 2,200m in some areas), fertile soil, consistent and plentiful rains, and an abundance of local knowledge are all contributing factors to the high status of Yirgacheffe coffees. The indigenous ‘heirloom’ varietals - which grow wild in Ethiopia - are responsible for the unique flavour notes which make for an unusual but beautifully refined cup, characterised by strong citric acidity, sweet chocolate and floral/herbal notes of lavender, jasmine, bergamot and thyme. 

Farms: Multiple small holders processing under the name of Aramo.
Varietal: Heirloom

Aramo Yirgacheffe

Machina was created by two people looking for their next creative challenge. One, an ex DJ and producer (and coffee nerd) from the music industry, the other, a long time coffee industry professional with a background in training (and an apparent obsession for show singing).

They met through a mutual friend, again through music (a common theme). From here Machina took on it's own momentum, which is an extraordinary story of people, coffee and lots of equipment (that's a lot of equipment...), on a path to becoming a respected speciality coffee roastery.

The business started off as just equipment, but was always working towards one goal - becoming a premium speciality coffee roastery. We just needed to raise funds, and ideally do it without needing to bring in investors who would (no doubt) push us in a direction that we didn't want to go in. We had a vision, and the only way to ensure that actually happened, was to do it ourselves.

Aramo Yirgacheffe

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Aramo Yirgacheffe