Progress Coffee Roasters - Ethiopian Harrar

I picked up this bag of beans from Progress Coffee Roasters back in June (see post) and had been eager to try this one once I made it though my stash from March.  I like peaberry coffee beans for an afternoon brew (see January post) as they have a sweet, light character that I find perfect for a casual brew.  I normally like something stronger and bolder for my morning ritual, but I was eager to check out this legacy bean since I have enjoyed so many coffees from Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian Harrar from Progress should have been a slam dunk for me.  It checks all the boxes of my preferred coffees. Plus, when I was at Progress - I had a cup of their house blend and found it delicious!  

But... my first cup of this coffee was highly disappointing.

When I opened the bag, the coffee smelled good: aromatic fruits such as plums and candied currents were present.  But after grinding up the beans, something smelled off.  And after brewing - the coffee didn't smell right at all.  By "right", I mean that it didn't smell sweet as I expected it to be.  It smelled like it was burnt in the roasting process.

I took a few more sips and made a note that the coffee tasted like a Starbucks regular roast - which is to say that the coffee tasted burnt. I truly hate Starbucks roasts because their coffees tastes like they are hiding the low quality of their beans by over-roasting them.  I'm not alone in this sentiment!

After finishing one cup and then pouring myself a second one - I decided I just couldn't drink any more of this stuff.... so I dumped the brew down the drain and tried brewing another batch.

I have a Baratza Encore Coffee Grinder and I normally use the middle  grind setting for my brews with my Moccamaster brewer.  So, I tried a higher setting on the grinder (for a more coarse grind) and tried brewing again.  Even with the coarse grind and adjusting the measurements, the coffee was still burnt-tasting, but not as much.  This coffee does not have that sweet, ripe fruit notes that is normally present in an Ethiopian.  Especially with a peaberry bean!  

BUT THEN - I had an epiphany. I don't think this a bean for a standard drip coffee bean.  This coffee should be used for making traditional Ethiopian coffee... something like this.  

I experimented again by using a slightly finer grind setting and letting the boiled water stay in the drip hopper of the Moccamaster for 30 seconds. I also added a pinch of cardamom to the ground beans in the hopper as I recalled the mélange of spices that were added to ground beans when I had traditional Ethiopian coffee at an Ethiopian shop. I then let the brew slowly drip into the carafe... and then.

Voilà, that made quite a bit of difference, but I still wasn't in love with this coffee.  Since I still have quite a few beans left in the bag and I don't plan on using this coffee again, I'm just going to leave the bag at the office and let someone else give it a try.