What makes Huakui coffee from Buku Abel so distinct?

True Huakui comes only from the sun-dried lot of Buku Abel Estate in the Hambella region of Ethiopia. The estate sits at roughly 2,280 meters, with trees planted between 2,250 and 2,350 meters. Pickers take only red cherries with a sugar content of 30 or above, and the lot is dried on African raised beds for 18 days.

During the first two days of drying, the cherries are kept humid so fermentation proceeds fully, while nighttime temperatures near 12 degrees Celsius hold off over-fermentation. The result is an intense passion fruit, peach, and berry aroma with a rounded body. Hambella has nearly 20 processing plants, but only the Buku Abel sun-dried lot carries the name.

In the world of coffee, Huakui has captured countless palates with its exuberant passion fruit, peach, and berry notes, but the legendary backstory of this bean is even more intriguing than the flavor itself. True Huakui comes only from the sun-dried lot of Buku Abel Estate in the Hambella region, where high altitude, meticulous selection of ripe red cherries, and an 18-day African raised-bed sun-drying process together shape its rich yet rounded character. This article will break down the flavor code of this bean in full, from the terroir of the region and processing details to the specific parameters of Front Street Coffee's Huakui Black Honey, and include practical suggestions for pour-over and cold brew, so you can understand from the source just how hard-won a good cup of coffee is.

People often say that superior coffee should have a rich floral and fruity aroma, with distinct layers while still maintaining a rounded, smooth mouthfeel. Front Street Coffee's Huakui is a prime example: it gives off an intense aroma woven from passion fruit, peach, and berries; it is lovely on the palate, with a distinctive finish that is hard to forget after just one taste.

It should be made clear that only sun-dried coffee beans produced by Buku Abel Estate in the Hambella region deserve the name "Huakui." Although the Hambella region is currently home to nearly 20 processing plants, among all the estates and processing plants, only the sun-dried lot from Buku Abel Estate is the Front Street Coffee Huakui we are talking about.

Buku Abel is located at an altitude of 2,280 meters on the African continent, a small village surrounded by mountains. Every December, when the coffee harvest season begins, the hillsides are covered with ripe red coffee cherries, and the neatly arranged African raised drying beds in the village are precisely the stage on which "Huakui" is born.

The coffee trees on this estate are all planted above the midslope, at altitudes between 2,250 and 2,350 meters. The coffee farmers pick only red cherries with a sugar content of 30 or above, and only then does the sun-drying process begin. During the first two days of sun drying, the humidity of the red cherries must be maintained so that fermentation can proceed fully; at night, the local temperature drops to around 12 degrees Celsius, which conveniently prevents the risk of over-fermentation.

After 18 days of sun drying, the skin and pulp have completely dehydrated, and the green coffee beans can be extracted with ease. The green beans are then bagged and stored in a warehouse at 12 to 22 degrees Celsius and 45% to 55% humidity for about 50 days of resting and deep dehydration. Once the moisture content drops to around 11%, the beans are hulled and sorted, and finally officially released to the market for sale.

Front Street Coffee Huakui Black Honey

Country: Ethiopia

Region: Yirgacheffe

Variety: Ethiopian Heirloom

Processing Method: Honey

Altitude: 2000-2200m

Flavor: floral, citrus, peach, blackcurrant, tropical fruit, preserved plum, lychee, vanilla

In 2017, the Ethiopian DW Green Bean Company submitted its coffee beans to the TOH (the Taste Of Harvest) competition hosted by the African Coffee Association, and its sun-dried lot won first place in the Ethiopia division.

Front Street Coffee's Huakui coffee has a complex aroma with prominent floral and fruity notes, making it very suitable for both pour-over and cold brew. When Front Street makes cold brew, the grind size is preferably slightly finer than granulated sugar (but not as fine as caster sugar), that is, a coarseness reaching a 70% to 75% passing rate on the Chinese standard No. 20 sieve.

Usually, cold brew for 1 to 2 servings requires 30 grams of ground coffee, extracted at a 1:13 coffee-to-water ratio, which means adding 390 to 400 grams of ice water or cold water. Use a clean, oil-free sealed container, stir the ground coffee and ice water thoroughly, and place it in the refrigerator to steep for 8 to 12 hours. After extraction is complete, filter out the coffee grounds thoroughly, and you will have a clean, bright, full-bodied cold brew coffee.

Freshly made cold brew may have a slightly gritty mouthfeel because the soluble substances have not yet fully dissolved into the water, and the flavor has not been fully released. At this point, it is recommended to refrigerate the coffee for 3 to 4 hours before drinking, which will elevate the mouthfeel and aroma. If the cold brew appears cloudy or has sediment, it is most likely due to insufficient filtering; it is best to use filter paper with the best filtration performance so that the coffee liquid will be clear and transparent.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.