This afternoon, I have opened the beans that came in that slightly confused package that Friday's post delivered from The Ethiopian Coffee Company in London.
And, after another fight (the Lido grinder and I sometimes stare at one another in mutual incomprehension in the morning; it is a lovely machine, but I really do wish that Lido had seen fit to put some sort of numerals on the rings, as my settings seem to occasionally change inexplicably) with the grinder, I finally managed to produce some ground coffee to my taste.
Actually, I re-ground the coffee, as the settings had my original grind far too coarse, so, of course, inevitably, I over-compensated, producing something akin to espresso level ground coffee. Well, it is Sunday. I have the time. However, all that effort (I am not a fan of too much elbow grease on anything) meant that I felt this merited a pot - the French Press - rather than a mere mug of coffee.
Anyway, the coffee is the 'Sidamo 2 Bokasso'. In their accompanying (on their site, not the packet) the Ethiopian Coffee Company mention that this coffee has 'some really surprising distinguishing characteristics', adding that 'first off is the richness of the brew' (I concur) and observing that it is 'quite dense fully rounded on the palate with a nuttiness, brown sugar and cacao'. To that I would add that it has the characteristic clear, clean, bright taste (and aroma) of a really good Ethiopian coffee.
And a further surprise, which the Ethiopian Coffee Company also thoughtfully mentioned in their tasting notes on the 'Sidamo 2 Bokasso'. "A further surprise: This coffee tastes equally wonderful as an espresso as it does with other brewing methods, Aeropress, Cafetiere, stove top, or espresso."
Actually, I can attest to the fact that it does. A delicious coffee, which I am sipping as I write this.
