Ethiopia - Megadu Yeast Inoculated Natural "Blanc" Lot-B

Tasting notes

In the roaster’s words

Our final special prep release from Megadu and we saved one of our favourites for last - we bought two of the "Yeast Frenzy" lots, special controlled preparations where the only variable changed was the starter culture. Having finished the nanolot sized "Lacto" inoculated natural we're finishing with this wine yeast version. Every special prep we've featured have all had a distinct base "Megadu" profile (from the enzymatically released terpenes from the cherry pulp + the precursors in the seeds), with the fermentation and drying conditions helping develop unique iterations of it - in this case we find lots of boozy patisserie + citrus + stonefruit. Brew Guide: Best Brewed with: Filter & Turbo Espresso Lightest Roaster Influence: Dense, well sorted Ethiopian naturals can take heaps of heat and a snappy roast - more processed coffees tend to want a softer approach and low end temp/short dev time. We split the difference and we like it - trying to get as close to peak aroma/acids without teasing out any extra funk. Best Rested: 4+ Weeks Filter: 64g/L, 91°C when fresh; 88°C when rested Espresso: 18g/50g/18-22s We're tasting: A big high energy process forward cup - we're finding pineapple, yuzu, and berry aromatics. In the cup it's boozy and mega sweet - we're finding it quite like a sabayon, with macerated summer fruits (raspberry, blackcurrant, blackberry) and boozy custard, alongside white chocolate. As it cools the process note evolves to the wilder and brighter fruity notes of a pét nat wine - with white grape, pear, apricot and nectarine, and the floral tartness of tiger lemon. Traceability Country of Origin: Ethiopia Region: Megadu, Shakisso Woreda, Guji Producer: Dawit & Hester Syoum-Westerveld Farm: Bette Buna Megadu Variety: Wild Guji Megadu (local landrace), JARC 74112/74158 Elevation: 2000 - 2200 MASL Process: Yeast Inoculated Anoxic Natural: Ripe cherries selectively picked and sorted before being placed on raised beds for 24 hours, covered with netting to prevent direct sun exposure, allowing for surface oxidation at ambient temperature. Early the following morning, when cherry temperature had dropped to approximately 10°C, cherries were loaded into hermetically sealed barrels. A starter culture of Côte des Blancs commercial wine yeast, prepared in cold water at around 12°C alongside raw sugar and nutrients, was added to the barrel at this point. Côte des Blancs is an aromatic strain selected in France for producing expressive, fruit-forward white

Notes

Farm: Bette Buna Megadu. Best rested 4+ weeks. Filter recipe: 64g/L, 91°C when fresh and 88°C when rested. Espresso recipe: 18g in, 50g out, 18-22s.