Duromina comes to us from the Agaro region of Western Ethiopia, bringing with it notes of ripe, sultry melon and apricot sweetness tied together by vibrant Meyer lemon acidity. Nowadays, Duromina is a well-known heavy hitter with widespread name recognition, but it actually didn’t find its way to market until ten years ago, when USAID’s Technoserve project vested Agaro—once known for less-than-stellar Grade 5 sundried naturals—with brand-new processing equipment, allowing their coffee to showcase its unique character and improve the lives of those growing it in the process. Duromina operates under the leadership of the Kata Muduga cooperative union, whose continued investment in the coops that it leads makes possible some of the most delicious and coveted coffees in the world.
After the coffee is mechanically depulped to remove most of the mucilage, it is soaked overnight in fiberglass tanks to remove the remaining sugars from the seed before being washed clean. During the first 24-48 hours of the 8 day drying process on raised beds, a shaded canopy is employed to protect the wet parchment from direct sunlight which can cause the parchment to crack. This goes a long way to ensuring the integrity of the drying process, and the remarkable longevity that sees these coffees at peak flavor well beyond 12 months from harvest.
