Taste of Harvest Winner - Thermal Shock Honey Shantawene - Ethiopia

I was lucky enough to source one of the last bags directly through And Coffee of this stunning coffee; truly a unique expression of process and meticulous processing done by Samson Zi and his team at the Shantawene station.


After the rippest cherries picked and delivered to the station where they underwent Honey with thermal shock process which is - after pulping the coffee while with it is with its mucilage. We let it go to a thermal shock is basically a rapid temperature change that you introduce during the drying phase. After the coffee cherries have been depulped, the beans still have some mucilage, and they’re dried on raised African beds.

If you apply a quick burst of heat or shift them from a hot environment to a cooler one too fast is the basic idea so what we did is we briefly wash the beans with hot water and then shift them quickly to cold water. That sudden contrast can help remove some mucilage faster, and it can also alter the drying rate. The thermal stress shift create this sudden thermal shock. It usually alters the enzymatic activity, slow down or speed up fermentation, and that can give the coffee some unique fruity or dynamic flavor notes. And we dried the coffees under shade on raised African beds for 19-22 days!

We taste:
Boosted acidity and fruitiness accompany traditional honey process flavors. Expect tart cranberries with purple florals with a potent candied sweetness aroma when hot. As the cup cools, there is noticeable yellow floral tones creeping in alongside meyer lemon and calamansi. The texture is structured and pleasantly silky from hot to cool giving this coffee a powerful impression!