Brewing Articles

Ethiopian Coffee Tradition

Ethiopian traditional Coffee ceremonies.

         Revocup Coffee Roasters are proud to present our ancient coffee tradition. For Ethiopians coffee is not just a simple beverage; It is a part of social, cultural, and spiritual life of society. Ethiopians have harvested and enjoyed coffee for many centuries. Their love for coffee leads them to develop strict coffee preparation rules. Over time, this practice becomes a daily ritual in contemporary life. The coffee preparation and ceremonies are a unique cultural heritage of Ethiopian society that can’t be found anywhere else in the world. These coffee ceremonies are a true display of how Ethiopians deeply care for their cherished bean called coffee.  

Come and experience the transformation from crop to cup. You will witness first hand a vibrant and colorful ritual where green coffee is roasted before your eyes, filling the air with fruity and floral aromas. Then enjoy a meticulously prepared, delicious cup of coffee. You will have a chance to chat with Habte Mesfin, the co-founder of Revocup Coffee Roasters and a native of Ethiopia, about the cultural and social significance of the traditional coffee ceremony. 

       

                       In order to remain true and authentic to our culture we will not charge for this service. Performing a coffee ceremony for guests is a gesture of friendship. However, donations will be accepted for our library project in the coffee growing community in Ethiopia.

Call for Reservation (913) 671-0408. Reservations are required.  Minimum 5, maximum 10 people

per ceremony

Ethiopia Amaro Gayo

This exceptional coffee is exported through Ethiopia’s only female miller/exporter, an exceptional woman. Asnakech Thomas is one of the most inspiring figures in Ethiopian coffee today. Native to the Amaro region, Asnakech decided in 2005 to return to her homeland to improve coffee quality at her mill and in local communities. She is one of the few people to travel weekly between Addis and the coffee areas.

The Amaro Mountains are a small range separating the communities of Amaro on the eastern slopes from Nechisar National Park and the lowland tribal areas of Arba Minch in southwest Ethiopia, Sidama region. The local coffee varieties, relatively light population, waterfalls and highland bamboo forests are among the many unique features of the area.

All Amaro Gayo coffee is certified organic. Prices paid for this coffee are at the extreme high end of market, social programs are in the works including possibilities for assistance with capacity building and coffee job creation, schools, clean water and medical care.

Altitude: 5200 feet: Processing Method: Natural and washed: Grade: S.H.B Species: Arabica

Characteristics: Astonishing Fragrance honey and flowery Aroma. Delicate In the cup a soft syrupy mouthfeel, balanced acidity and flavor Notes of ripe fruit Raspberry-Lime and visible blueberry, Tangerine and honeyed sweetness. Long and impressive finish.

Both Natural and washed processed Amaro Gayo make Extraordinary cup of coffee. The natural is a bit more complex and wild than more settled and cleaner finish of washed processed.

Natural Process
* Washed Process: Coffee prepared by removing the outer skin and pulp from the bean while the coffee fruit is still moist.
*Sun-Dried (Natural) Process: Coffee prepared by removing the husk or fruit after the coffee fruit has been sun dried. On African bed raised above ground, developing a quiet sweet fruit-toned chocolate in the long.

New Harvest

 Amaro Gayo: A highly acclaimed Ethiopian Amaro Gayo natural and washed coffee just arrived at our warehouse. Amaro Gayo processed by the first Ethiopian female coffee miller. we will roast Amaro very soon. Please visit our website or face book For cupping note and availability

Revocup Roasters

Ethiopian Coffee Voice

Revocup: Ethiopian Coffee via KansasPublished by Lifestyle Editor n Featured. 7 Comments

Note:This story is  published last year by tadias megazine  recently people are asking the same question that we answered on this interview. we felt we need to post it again here for those who did not get a chance to read the interview.

Thanks,habte

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

New York (Tadias) – While Starbucks lags behind on their promise to open a support center for its coffee farmers in Ethiopia, Kansas-based Revocup Coffee Roasters is giving back 10 cents for every cup of coffee and1 dollar for every pound of coffee sold. After revisiting their birth place, the founders of Revocup wanted to change what they saw as the “deteriorating life” of Ethiopian coffee farmers (well-described in the documentary Black Gold). Ethiopia is known as the birthplace of coffee, and the coffee ceremony is an integral part of the nation’s heritage, which is yet another reason Revocup is keen on promoting fair trade for Ethiopian coffee.

Tadias recently interviewed Habte Mesfin about Revocup:

Tadias: Please tell us about Revocup?

Habte Mesfin: Revocup is a coffee roasting company anda coffee shop based in Overland Park, Kansas. Revocup Coffee Corp. was established to offer consumers a wide range authentic single origin coffee from Ethiopia in the freshest form possible.

Tadias: What inspired you to get into the coffee business?

HM: Coffee cafes are a familiar feature of American life. Every day millions of Americans stop at cafes for an espresso-based drink. People who would not have dreamed of spending more than 50 cents for cup of coffee a few years ago now gladly pay $3 to $5 for their cappuccino, mocha, or vanilla ice-blended drink. The public shows tremendous interest embracing and adopting the new coffee culture. However the quality of coffee offered in the shops has deteriorated. As an Ethiopian who grew up with a superior coffee culture and tradition we felt that it’s time to get into the business as well as share our heritage.

Tadias: Revocup brand is based on promoting freshly roasted coffee beans, similar to how we consume coffee in Ethiopia. Who is your target market in the U.S.?

HM:Our target market is not directed to a certain group or population. We are offering our product for people who seeks quality coffee. Revocup coffee strongly believes that freshness is very important, there is no short cut or substitute. Coffee should not be an industrial product. It is a farm product, which does not have a long shelf life. Coffee needs to be consumed while it is fresh. Based on this principle we are roasting our coffee per order and according to the amount of coffee that we sell in our store.

Tadias: On your website you mention that most professional
roasters in the industry agree that 95% of the coffee consumed in this
country is stale. Can you elaborate?

HM:This is very true. In order to give a good answer for this question we need to look into how the coffee supply chain works. Large coffee companies roast thousands of pounds of coffee at a time at remote locations andthen send that coffee to be bagged to anther part of the country. Then it will go to a distribution center. From there it make its way to grocery stores. Once it makes it to the shelf you do not know how long it is going to sit on the shelf. By the time it gets into your hands as a consumer the coffee is old and stale. You don’t know when this coffee was harvested or roasted when you pay to buy it. The coffee that you take home has essentially lost its character, wonderful aroma andunique natural flavor. That is why almost all craft roasters agree on the above mentioned fact. The sad part is that there is no rule or regulations to enforce coffee companies to put a roast date on their coffee labels. Amazingly, they get away with selling stale products. We ensure the authenticity of our coffee at Revocup by disclosing the origin of coffee, and mentioning the country of origin and farm name. We also post the country’s flag as an identification mark on our label. In order to guarantee freshness we also include the roast date on each bag of coffee sold.

Tadias: Isn’t the coffee preparation from “crop to cup” time consuming for the fast-paced lifestyle in America?

HM:In order to enjoy a great cup of coffee it requires meticulous preparation from the farm all the way to your cup. Along the way so many things can go wrong to affect the bean quality. What we are doing is preventing potential causes of negative impact. The very first thing you do even if it is expensive, is to purchase authentic high quality single origin coffee andmake yourself familiar with the beans, and develop a roast profile that can show the coffee character. Then roast the coffee per order prior to shipping and bag the coffee into a one-way degassing valve bag to prevent air intrusion. Finally, disclose to consumers when the coffee was roasted and advise them on appropriate ways of coffee brewing that enhances taste andflavor. I can understand that people may not have the time to roast coffee every morning like we do traditionally in Ethiopia. However, they can selectively purchase freshly roasted coffee from a local roaster such as Revocup and enjoy their cup of coffee while the full flavor is intact. I do not see a reason why people pay for dark roasted (burnt) pre-ground coffee that tastes like charcoal. In my opinion it is a great injustice to the farmers and the people who work hard to produce the coffee.

Tadias: Are all your coffee beans are from Ethiopia?

HM:We purchase coffee from all coffee producing countries. That includes Brazil, Guatemala, Kenya, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, Mexico, Indonesia Etc. But over 60% of our coffee comes from Ethiopia. We carry almost all Ethiopian coffees including Harrar, Sidamo, Yergacheffee, Limu, as well as special reserve micro lot selections like Beloy, Aricha, Aleta and Wondo.

Tadias: Do you have any less well known, unique brands at Revocup?

HM: We carry all sorts of coffee and each coffee has its own character and flavor profile. Our website, Revocup.com, lists over 42 different type of coffee. Consumers can also order our coffee online.

Tadias: Why Kansas?

HM: We initially moved to Kansas to get closer to family and relatives. Arriving here we realized that being located at the nation’s center was very convenient for transportation of our products.

Tadias: Thank you Habte, we’re glad to see an Ethiopian-owned company involved in fair trade coffee distribution andwe commend your efforts!

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7 Responses to “Revocup: Ethiopian Coffee via Kansas”


  1. 1Abebe Woldeleuel Mar 21st, 2009 at 1:46 pmDear Habte,My business partner andI are very much interested in Fresh Ethiopian coffee to offer to our customers. We own two cafes here in Florida. We would like to try your coffee. Can you please sendus your price list, I could not find it on your website? By the way, congratulations and I think it is wonderful that you are promoting the proper preparation of coffee based on our thousands of years of coffee tradition in Ethiopia. Good luck.
  • 2Jose Mar 22nd, 2009 at 10:25 pmIt is so wonderful to see an Ethiopian engaged into coffee business with passion. Ethiopians never benefited from coffee trade as much as they should.
    I am certainly impressed the way revocup coffee roasters roast andhandle their coffee beans. I recently ordered one pound of their special reserve Ethiopian Aricha micro-lot selection 14. Ethiopian Aricha is incredible coffee we loved it. keep up the good job.
  • 3 Habte Mar 23rd, 2009 at 11:57 amSelam Ato Abebe.Thank you for your kindwords. Please send me a privet message at habte@revocup.com and i will reply to your inquires.Thanks
    Habte
    1. 1 Ethiopia, Top African Coffee Grower, Shuts Warehouses at Tadias MagazinePingback on Mar 26th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
    2. 2 JJTrackback on Apr 4th, 2009 at 7:08 am
    3. 3 Ethiopia Denies Nationalising Coffee Sector at Tadias MagazinePingback on Apr 8th, 2009 at 12:47 am
    4. 4 Kansas City roasters go to great lengths to buy a sustainable brew at Tadias MagazinePingback on Dec 9th, 2009 at 1:32 pm

    The Faces of Coffee are in Ethiopia

    In Ethiopia there is a saying…”Buna dabo naw”, written in Western alphabet, and roughly translated as “coffee is our bread.” The coffees of the world originated in Ethiopia and the legend of the goat herder Kaldi is a wonderful story in itself. Ethiopia produces 4 million bags of coffee a year, and drinks half the production. The two million bags they export find their way around the world. 12 million people in Ethiopia work in the coffee trade.

    Read more of this blog post by Tom Ryan at crossroadscurrents.