People often consider Ethiopia as the birthplace of different coffee variants. Coffee is cultivated there since the 1500s, in almost a similar way as it is grown at present. Usually, coffee in Ethiopia is grown wild in the shade of other plants or trees and it is called forest-grown coffee. Other coffees are grown in gardens with other crops and with minimal agricultural intervention. Besides, there are coffees, which are a combination where the cultivators cultivate lightly and weed the forest crops to ease harvesting. In each of these cases, the majority of the smallholders can produce just 5 bags every year on an average.
Limmu is one of the best variants of coffee grown in the Ethiopian region. This coffee is named after an area, Limmu that lies in the Western highlands of Oromia, Ethiopia. This area is well known for the availability of forests and an abundant supply of water. The majority of the coffee grown in Limmu is semi-forest cultivated in less than one-hectare area. One of the main reasons why Limmu is a heaven for coffee growers is here the humus-rich soils are constantly renewed through the decomposition of organic matters and continual fall.
The Limmu coffee beans of Ethiopia have beautiful flavors of caramel and chocolate. Here the mouthfeel is also balanced, and this thing makes this coffee a distinct one. A fruity aroma blended with a grape-like taste sits on your mouth to offer a satisfying finish. A slightly more citric snap is one of the things that make Limmu coffee different from the next-door neighbors like Yirg and Sidamo. Coffee lovers also consider Limmu coffee more consistent and reliable compared to other variants of Ethiopian coffees, which sometimes be very fruity, acidic, and winey. The beans of this coffee have a distinctive round shape, a medium-size, and greenish color. But Ethiopian variety of Limmu G2 coffee has a winey acidity and a fuller body.
Here are some important features of Limmu coffee beans that you need to know about:
1. These beans have a sharp yet low acidity
2. These beans have the aroma of spice, cocoa, and mixed berries
3. The body of these beans are well balanced
4. The common flavors of these beans are spicy, chocolaty, and pleasantly sweet with some floral overtones.
Some more details about Limmu coffee:
Limmu beans are more consistent than some other variants of Ethiopian coffee beans. Being a washed bean, it exhibits full flavor and a clean cup with a dark and strong cocoa finish and a hint of fruit. This coffee also works as a perfect blend enhancer and you can even add a great punch to the coffee by adding milk. And coffee drinkers often give high rank to the best Limmu coffee United States among all types of Ethiopian coffee beans because of their consistency.
Washing and processing of Limmu beans:
Conventionally, Limmu beans were dried in the fruits and then stored in the homes by the growers until they were taken to dry mills for exchange. In recent times, collective wet mills have developed in this region, which results in washed variant Limmu coffee. The availability of water in Ethiopia simplifies the washed process. This method along with the genetic diversity of the varieties of heirloom coffee helps to grow the characteristic flavor profile.
In this process, ripe cherries are picked selectively by hand and collected. After that, the cherries are floated to separate the right fruits. The next step is to machine pulp the cherries and to wash them. And the last step is to sun-dry the coffee for 7 to 10 days on raised beds where they are regularly turned to ensure even drying.
Washing the cherries leads to a clean flavor profile while representing the perfect processing method for those drinkers, who prefer both bright and mild brews. During the washed process, the raw coffee cherries are taken and weighed. Then the cherries are removed with a mechanical, large de-pulping machine where a blade cuts open the cherries, extracts the pair of beans from inside, and discards the empty cherries. The beans are then left with a single layer of mucilage that is set aside for removal by other methods. As the processing job cuts and washes off the cherries from the beans while removing as much mucilage as possible, as a result, you get the coffee, which boasts a bright clean cup and a light body.
The mucilage in coffee beans is made of alcohols and different sugars that affect the last flavor of the beans in a significant manner if it is left on. It is said that the mucilage changes the structure of the cells of coffee beans. In the case of dry-processed and semi-washed coffees, the mucilage in beans is left covering the beans and parchment. As a result, a much sweeter flavor can be obtained.
