Ethiopia, Mensur Abahika

Producer: Mensur Abahika

Country: Ethiopia

Location: Kota Kebele, Jimma

Elevation: 2000 MASL

Varietal: JARC 74110

Process: Natural

Taste: Lime, Orange, Floral

Mensur Abahika is the husband of Nesru Aba Nura, whose coffee we purchased last year. He is a key component of the Tokuma Farmer Group, a collective of farmers in Western Ethiopia who have organised to market and export their coffees together and share knowledge with each other that allows them to each improve quality and consistency.

Jimma was historically known for low quality naturally processed coffees. In 2009, Technoserve, an international non-profit that seeks to implement business solutions in areas of poverty, began working with co-ops in the area to teach them how to wash their coffees and produce speciality quality coffee. For the past decade, the area has been known as one of the top quality-producing regions in Ethiopia though it is only recently that speciality minded producers in Jimma have sought to produce top quality naturals. It is even more recently, with the relaxing of restrictions surrounding who can market and export their coffees directly to importers, that small to medium sized single producers have been able to market their coffees.

JARC 74110

JARC, Jimma Agricultural Research Center, was established after a devastating epidemic of coffee berry disease in the 1960’s led researchers to begin cataloguing coffee trees that demonstrated resistance. The “74” in this varietal’s name indicates its cataloguing in 1974. Variety 74110 was selected from an original “mother tree” in the Bishari village, Metu Province, Illuababora zone, Oromia region. After researching its resistance to coffee berry disease and overall yield, JARC released the variety in 1979. 74110 trees are short and compact, with small leaves, cherries, and beans; it is known for its floral and citrus flavour profile.