I was introduced to Ethiopian Harrar by one of my predecessors in the roasting department, Joe Hill. During my first week of training for the roasting position, Joe brewed a press pot of Harrar so thick, strong, and silty that I could have written my name in the bottom of the mug. While this may have been a somewhat radical introduction to this coffee, given some of Harrar's flavor characteristics it was entirely appropriate.

Approached from a purely descriptive vantage point, Ethiopian Harrar may disappoint the coffee drinker in need of a zealous bite at their first sip, but it will amply reward the more patient palate with a deep, complex, and lingering body of fresh blueberries and subtle chocolate . In fact, it is a coffee prized more for its complexity, nuances, and undertones than for any of its over flavors. Harrar is not a bright coffee, and it lacks the outspoken crispness of some of the coffees grown in neighboring Kenya. Rather, it is a coffee of depth and of darkly resounding understatements.