Today was another day of business cupping at Moplaco.

The cupping table was well organized. The staff of Moplaco worked flawlessly.

What was more interesting was an old story Heleanna shared with us and her episode about there being a coffee god.

Later, we cupped a huge amount of coffee.

In contrast to Wete Ambela, the beans were evenly roasted, and everyone rotated around the cupping table at a consistent interval.

Since we had visited Moplaco already, we were able to check the cupping notes subtly.

I liked some of the cups.

Surprisingly, I could taste the flavors of local food from the coffees.

Even the washed-process coffees had the notes of local food. I wonder if it has to do with anaerobic fermentation.

I think these cup notes come from the environment at the origin. I’d like to cup again after going back to South Korea.

My unforgettable experience in Ethiopia is coming to an end. I feel as if I’d been in a dream this whole time.

When I checked into TYPICA Lab at the beginning of this trip, I set myself a goal of getting deeper into my thoughts and finding something exciting. I could achieve that during this trip. 

I have nothing but gratitude for TYPICA.

In hindsight, I had lost my passion as I went about my humdrum daily life in my comfort zone.

I still remember the feel of a robot toy that I had as a child.

The unusual experiences here in Ethiopia have been a good opportunity for me to reflect on myself. Like the robot toy, this trip will stick with me for years to come.

I’m glad I could see the origin of Ethiopian coffee. At the same time, my heart is throbbing.

Now, I’m going back to my routine work, leaving the soothing landscape and the Ethiopian locals.

I want to do something valuable as a roaster and barista in order to enrich the lives of other people.

Goodbye, Ethiopia.

Business cupping finally got underway. The setup was simple and casual.

It was an important opportunity to choose green coffee to serve to my customers, so I tasted it cautiously and with great concentration.

I guess it is difficult to set up a perfect cupping session in Ethiopia given various circumstances.

To be honest, the session was lacking technical aspects that are important to us, such as roasting profiles and and water hardness.

So I tried to make use of my experience.

I took the technical aspects out of the equation and explored the inherent characteristics of the green beans.

I know that the coffees on the table are packed with the lives of the producers. So I treasured each cup.

Interestingly, the beans selected by the Japanese roasters and myself were different.

I focus on the timing of the arrival of the green beans and keep in mind how they taste when served with ice (which makes up more than 60% of our sales).

That means I gravitated toward fruit-like coffees with good expressions of malic and citric acids.

More precisely, I chose green coffee that expressed quality malic acid.

Simply put, the Japanese roasters placed more emphasis on the overall quality, and I, on the other hand, was looking for something that I think would turn out delicious in a cup.

After the business cupping, we had dinner. It was a wonderful meal.

The moon illuminated us, shining the light on our last night in Ethiopia.

But what seems like an ever-lasting final night in Ethiopia will come to an end tonight. Though drunk as we were, we had to get to our feet and retire for the night.

After breakfast, we prepared to leave . A group of monkeys gathered, as if to see us off on our journey.

We boarded a plane again. I was sad to say goodbye to Yirgacheffe.

Upon arriving in Addis Ababa, we visited Heleana’s dry mill.

I was amazed at the massive facility, so large that I was overwhelmed.

I was impressed by the meticulous attention to detail and cleanliness.

Thanks to Heleanna’s detailed explanation, I was able to more precisely understand the whole process that I had only known from books.

And for the first time in a while, I enjoyed a regular, non-Ethiopian meal.

Heleanna’s cafe attracts customers from many countries, so serves food from all over the world. I especially liked the gelato for dessert.

When we moved on to an inn, I bought some souvenirs.

The Ethiopian coffee ceremony was so memorable that I want my friends back home to experience it, too.

I am so thrilled at the mere thought of my friends experiencing the same ceremony that I couldn’t help but smile. 

We took a short break at the inn and chilled for a while. It was the best feeling to be able to relax for the first time in a while.

During the break, I realized that I had forgotten my everyday life. Maybe it was because the itinerary has been nothing short of perfect.

I am very thankful for that.

Much thanks to everyone at TYPICA for giving me the opportunity to reflect on myself.

Elias from Wete took us to dinner at a restaurant in Addis Ababa, which was enormous.

It was spacious and there was a show going on that was a feast for the eyes and ears. We indulged in drinks and enjoyed the atmosphere.

When we had gotten a little drunk, an adorable cat came to say hello to us.

I gave it some delicious meat. Take care, cute little thing.

I took a moment to reflect on my days spent in this foreign country and thought about myself.

My head is filled with intricate thoughts. It seems like I won’t be able to fall asleep easily tonight.

They were tending to the Ethiopian bananas before breakfast.

They said the bananas are helpful in growing coffee trees because they improve the soil and provide shade.

Apparently, bananas are an indispensable food in Ethiopia, and are said to be a produce with nothing to throw away, from the stem to the leaves.

But I heard that many pregnant Ethiopian women give birth to their　children alone in the woods on a bed of Ethiopian banana leaves. It is a sad reality.

Perhaps because of the high altitude, I found myself short of breath after moving just a little. It is tough. Is this because I’ve gained weight recently?

Maybe I just want to convince myself that it’s because of that….

I hear the cries of hyenas and monkeys all night long, and I need a little more sleep. Maybe it’s because I’m not feeling well.

We have a long drive ahead today. I prepared myself mentally and set off.

During the journey, Hiro-san talked to us about the Japanese coffee culture. There was something I wanted to ask him about roasting, but I missed the chance to do so… I realized that I had to prepare in advance to overcome the language barrier.

Anyway, it was interesting to hear about Starbucks’ roasting profile.

Finally, we arrived at a washing station where the Bensa River flows.

There was a pleasant welcoming ceremony at the Kokosa washing station, and I felt like all the fatigue from the ride seemed to disappear.

Various diverse processes were taking place before our eyes: a machine to peel cherries, a washed process by using water from the river, a honey process by moving peeled cherries onto an African bed, and a natural process by drying the cherries intact.

It was such a valuable experience.

Sometimes I found that my previous knowledge was different from the actual processes.

Nowadays, it seems that the Yirgacheffe and Gedev regions are facing the problem of too much population growth and not enough space to plant coffee. The government should step in to help solve this problem, but it appears that the current government is not interested in coffee.

This is very unfortunate news for consumers like myself.

At the end of today’s itinerary, we had dinner at the inn.

I enjoyed the ramen prepared by the representative of FAABS Coffee, and it tasted even better than usual when eaten abroad. I was thankful for this meal.

After half a day, I remembered that I was halfway around the world.

We got in the car, not knowing that we would be in for a long ride.

Arriving at the farm, I learned about how they process cherries and grade them. The criteria were a little different from my own. But I know I can trust them because those standards are based on their experience.

At the Wete farm, I had the privilege of planting coffee seedlings.

It was a touching experience to be able to plant a coffee tree. It’s a single tree, but it holds a lot of my thoughts and emotions.

Leaving the wonderful experience at Wete behind, we were back on the road. A cool breeze was blowing and we could see lush green trees.

I was told that these trees were eucalyptus and khat. I heard these names often during the drive.

Eucalyptus and khat soak up moisture from the soil around them and dry out the ground.

Instead of coffee trees, eucalyptus and chert were being grown.

I can understand how difficult their lives must be.

While the soil dries up in the coffee-producing regions and the environment deteriorates, I, meanwhile, can do little to stop that. It pains my heart to think about that, even though I am from a consuming-country.

What contrasted with the harsh reality was the cheerful laughter of children.

It reminded me of my childhood when I was disadvantaged.

When we stopped by a school that Costa built, I saw smiling children, but I had mixed feelings.

Coffee can mean different things in consuming and producing countries.

Coffee brings a little joy to our day in consuming countries, but it is a means of livelihood for those in producing countries.

The thrill I felt when I first got a taste of coffee penetrated back into my heart for the first time today.

I am  looking for something exciting.

I came to Ethiopia for that reason.

10 years ago, I had my first taste of specialty coffee. I was fascinated by coffee and thrilled like an impressionable young man. But then I got used to it, and took coffee for granted as part of my daily life.

Now I wonder if I am doing a good job.

I would like to find an answer by looking back on my journey in Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee.

Our journey began with a check-in at an inn that was lined with large trees with sprawling branches. 

After we were all set, we headed out for the first farm visit of this trip, to  Guji. As we traveled, I spotted several checkpoints, but we passed through them without any trouble because we had already made arrangements in advance.

The trail was very steep. The car shook violently as it alternated between paved and unpaved roads. It took over five hours just to get there.

As we approached the farm, we saw children waving and smiling by the rural road.

I smiled and waved back, moved by their innocence.

I thought about life as I watched the peaceful scenery and their relaxed faces.

Then I remembered the phrase, ” You can only fill what is empty.”

The moment I arrived at the farm in Ethiopia, it finally dawned on me.

I am in Ethiopia.

As I hiked up the mountain and looked around, I saw coffee trees standing all around.

They said that they grow only heirloom varieties and process only two types of coffee: natural and anaerobic.

Unfortunately, the processing was already finished the day we visited, so we were not able to see it.

They said that they hire 300 to 400 pickers during the harvest season.

I tried to soothe away my regret of not being able to see the processing with a cup of coffee. It was so strong that it awakened me.

I cannot remember the last time I drank coffee with such a strong acidity.

I have a feeling this coffee will turn out delicious. If I have a chance, I would love to serve it in our café.

The much-anticipated lunch at the farm was beautifully put together despite the unforgiving circumstances of the farm. The food was perfect.

They say that half of the satisfaction of the trip comes from the food. I can’t wait to see what food this trip has in store, I thought to myself after the meal.

From Guji, we traveled back to Yirga Chefe.

Ethiopia is so large that the roads are not very well maintained, so it takes a lot of time to get from one place to the next.

It was something we were not used to, but the rainbow we saw during the drive brought peace to our hearts.

We arrived later than planned because of rain.

People from Moplaco gave us a pleasant welcome.

We enjoyed the evening with food, coffee, and delightful dancing.

Everyone enjoyed dinner while dancing to the music.

There was a talk show by Moplaco’s owner, Heleanna. It was not on the itinerary, but everyone was so interested that they could not stop asking questions.

It’s been a nice day.

It is already midnight.

• Can a cup of coffee enrich our lives?

We use all our five sense to capture a fleeting moment and etch that into our mind.

As someone who doesn’t drink alcohol or smoke a cigarette,
coffee brings comfort to my day-to-day life.

I wanted to share this special moment, my special moment, with everyone else.
That’s how Coffeeguy started.

How will I remember this trip to Ethiopia?
What will I be thinking at the end of this trip, and what special moments will I be carrying home to South Korea to share with everyone else?