Ethiopia – Keramo Honey – Theory Collaborative

I was a huge fan of Theory’s Guatemala-Guayabales I tried a few months back, so I was excited to try their honey-processed Ethiopian coffee I had heard great things about from multiple friends in the coffee community. Naturally processed Ethiopian coffees are some of my favorite, but I am not sure I have ever tried a honey-processed one before.

The coffee begins with a strong, sweet and creamy fragrance with notes of chocolate and strawberries. At the bloom, I smelled an eruption of sweetness with notes of berries and cherries. The flavor of this coffee was simply delicious; it was filled with an incredibly crisp, almost candy-like sweetness. I tasted notes that reminded me of strawberries, raspberries and some other sweet fruit notes I had a hard time identifying. There were subtle floral undertones throughout, but they were secondary to the strong fruit notes that dominated the flavor. As the coffee cooled, a watermelon sweetness became more pronounced and almost reminded me of a watermelon Jolly Rancher. The acidity carried throughout and was strong, yet balanced. The sweetness and acidity linger a long time in the aftertaste leaving your mouth wanting more after each sip.

The Bottom Line

Keramo Honey was an amazing coffee. It was delicious, incredibly sweet and a lot of fun to explore. The play between the sweetness, fruit notes and floral notes created a great combination. I can’t wait to see what I try next from Theory.