Ethiopia is the country considered the origin of coffee as it has a record of large domestic coffee consumption. The reality is that this country is the native home of different species of coffees. Here coffee is grown in different types of regional zones starting from the capital Addis Abba to the south and west of the capital. And the most popular variants are Yirgacheffe and Sidamo. So, if you are thinking of having a specialty coffee, Ethiopia is one of the best sources. And the new regulations have made direct purchasing easy and this coffee also offers you a complete range starting from commercial coffee, and specialty coffee to single-origin variants. The diversity of Ethiopian coffee ensures that you will find a complete range of flavors even between the farms with the same growing and processing conditions. And here the processing method also plays an important role in the final quality of the coffee.
Limmu is another popular coffee variant of authentic Ethiopian coffee United States, which is the birthplace of the famous Arabica coffee. Limmu is the brand name of this coffee. And it is often placed in the shadows of the famous Yirgacheffe and Sidamo coffees. Here the coffee zone is developed based on the structure and strong culture of the large unions and coops. Therefore, it offers the drinkers a completely exciting and different variant of Ethiopian coffee. So, you can only expect to get a delicate, clean, and subtle cup with a similar and profound flavor base.
Limmu coffee is cultivated at the elevation of 1500-1900 MSL. And the result is medium-sized beans in greenish color with a round-shape characteristic. Generally, these beans are washed and then they produce a cupping profile similar to Yirgacheffe and Sidama coffee with features like soft berry undertones, citric acidity, and chocolate-floral notes. The flavor of this coffee is usually characterized by a clean and balanced cup.
Coffee lovers consider this coffee as a premium gourmet one due to its variety and distinctive terroir. And this brew offers vibrant floral overtones and a well-balanced mouth feel to the drinkers. What makes this coffee variant different from other variants is its sweet and slightly spicy and balanced nature with pleasant wine-like features. Some of the variants of this coffee also come with stone fruit and floral notes with notes of black tea and citrus. Coffee drinkers across the globe prefer both the dry-processed and washed higher grade variants of the best Limmu coffee United States. People often say that this coffee offers a great taste because of the better agronomic standards when growing, well-recognized farms, good processing, and the availability of numerous washing stations.
What are the important features of Limmu coffee?
A well-balanced body: The brewed up Limmu coffee is well known for its noticeable spicy and winey flavors and a well-balanced body (mouthfeel), often pleasantly fruit- toned, sweet, and vibrant with some floral overtones. In most cases of Ethiopian- washed coffees, when we check the specifics, some citric notes and more outspokenly orange and lemon appear. But you can also recognize the flavor of some stonefruits, sometimes towards the peachy notes.
Mouthfeel: It is one of the main characteristics of fine quality Limmu beans, which are smooth-bodied and thin to medium. When more outspoken, the berries of these beans are juicy, and when thinner-bodied, they are often defined as tea-like.
Acidity: The acidity of Limmu beans is medium to high, generally on the high-pitched side, and the acidity of these beans is often defined as sweet yet intense. When these beans are delicately washed, the acidity of these beans can be sweet and intense, commonly defined as lemon-like or citric.
How Ethiopian Limmu coffee beans are farmed?
Limmu coffees are produced at elevations ranging from 3,600 to 6,200ft in Southcentral/Southwest Ethiopia. These beans are well-known for their medium sizes, green color, and distinguishing round shape.
Washing process of Limmu coffee beans:
Before washing the Limmu coffee beans, the coffee cherries are sent to the washing stations within 4 hours from the moment when the berries are handpicked from the coffee plants. Then the berries are passed through the pulping machine. After de-pulping the cherries, the rest coffee husks are floated through the channels to an area where they are dried and then are eventually stored to be used as fertilizers. And the seeds float through water channels and during the process, the mature and heavier beans are sorted from the greener, less mature, and lighter beans.
In the next step, the dense and mature beans are shifted to the tanks full of water where they are fermented. Sugar from the berries is removed in this process and this process is decided depending on the region’s climatic conditions where the washing station is located. This procedure mainly spans from 36-72 hours. Once sugar is eliminated through this process, the beans are moved under the sun in parchment for drying.
