Coffee Tasting Trials: Ethiopia ARDI Grade 1 Natural

On all of our retail bags, we list tasting notes. The tasting notes are what we predominately tasted when we cupped the coffee. Although we may experience other flavor attributes, we narrow it down to what you are most likely to experience. There are many factors that can effect what you experience including the brewing method. In our coffee tasting trials, we hope provide you with some insight to what we experienced using various brewing methods. Each trial will assess what we taste using 4 different brewing methods: cupping method, pour-over, full-immersion and auto-drip. We’ll include the device we used, recipe and the results. Today's tasting trial coffee: Ethiopia ARDI Grade 1 Natural: Let’s dig in:

Cupping Standard

Tasting the coffee this way, we found this method to be the most balanced of all the brew methods. I personally experienced tons of brown-sugar like sweetness, balanced fruit/floral notes and lingering finish. Tony found it to be juicy, very balanced, really sweet and complex.

Pour Over (Chemex, 28.5g coffee, 450g water)

Can you say complex? Brewing it with this method, we noticed that the florals really opened up. I found sweet citrus notes, strawberries and a chocolate finish. Tony recorded notes of blueberry syrup, candy-like sweetness and a coating finish. This method was definitely our favorite.

Full-Immersion (French Press, 25g coffee, 400g water, 4:00 steep time)

Using this method, the coffee retains its sweetness but the citric acidity is muddled. Cocoa is definitely at the forefront with a heavy body. However, this coffee’s complexity is masked due to the grounds being retained in the cup.

Auto-Drip (Bonavita BV1800, 40g coffee, 400 mL water)

Brewing the coffee this method, we found the coffee’s citric sweetness to be the most prominent attribute. I found the coffee to be sweet, lots of berry and a sweet cookie finish. Tony also found the coffee to be really sweet, with a mild blueberry flavor and a balanced finish.

In conclusion, the Ethiopia ARDI tasted delicious across multiple brewing methods. My favorite brewing experience was via pour-over as it showcased this coffee's floral and berry sweetness. Would you like to check it out for yourself? Order your bag today!