brown sugar and honey sweetness, accents of nectarine, orange marmalade, citrus zest, lemon tea, and aroma marked by floral peach and fresh rue
Sweet Maria’s has been involved with Duromina for several years, selecting our favorite lots from the separations they put together starting early in the season. Duromina was formed with the help of a non-government organization that not only coordinated agronomists and managers for each of the coops they work with, but also had a business adviser assigned that helped the cooperative manage their debt, re-invest in quality improvements at the mill, and verifies distribution of income to all members. Seldom a coop to get this kind of expert advice from outside … not in Africa at least. A cooperative can make all kinds of quality improvements, turn out fantastic coffee, and sink deeper in debt all the while. Cooperatives often fail to return a fair and full amount of payment to their farmer-members. Often this is from poor management, and sometimes from graft as well.
Duromina “graduated” from the NGO program a few years back and operates independently with the oversight of a farmer-member leadership group. Duromina is in the Goma region of Agaro Woreda, with farm altitudes between 1900 to 2100 meters. The name, chosen by the farmers, has quite a straight-forward meaning: it roughly translates as “Make More Money!” With the solid price Duromina receives for their coffee, and their success reinvesting in the Goma area, the name has proved quite appropriate.
The dry fragrance is front-loaded with a layer of honey sweetness, assorted stone fruits, and spice smells. Adding the hot water brings up a scent of dark honey, and the wetted crust is saturated with simple brown sugar and stone fruit sweetness. The cup flavors echo the aromatics in multi-layered fruit tones, subtle floral hints, and unrefined sugar sweetness. City roasts make for the brightest cups, a somewhat soft lemon tea note cuts through the dense brown sugar and honey sweetness. Fruited flavors accent the base sweetness as the coffee cools, and my list included nectarine, orange marmalade, and a zesty citrus note too. A floral aroma is most prominent in light roasts and shows elements of floral peach, and also a rue herbal hint. Body is boosted with darker roasting, but Duromina showed tactile appeal at every roast level we tasted.
- Origin: Ethiopia
- Region: Goma, Agaro, Jimma Zone
- Producer: Duromina Coffee Cooperative
- Altitude: 1900-2100m
- Cultivar: Heirloom Varietals
- Grade: Grade 1
- Processing: Washed
- Sourcing: Sweet Maria’s