Ethiopia Beloya Natural 7 Day Fermentation by Mame Pole Pole Coffee Roaster in Okinawa.
This coffee was an incredible surprise and treat from my love, Aya. I did not expect anything and she caught me off guard with this beautiful gift of three coffee beans, all from a world championship medaling roaster in Okinawa. I had never heard of Mame Pole Pole Coffee Roasters (Mame means bean in Japanese) but now I can’t wait to visit them the next time I’m in Okinawa.
This bean was my favorite of the three and it was something really really funky. The 7 day anaerobic process means the beans took on a more fermented, dull tone, being darker and more brown, even the skin of the coffee beans being distinctly different. The smell was this wonderful complex mix that I couldn’t quite place. It was fruity, full, smooth, but also … did something to my brain that felt like magic. It was jarring in the best possible way <3
Not only that, the beans themselves were beautiful. The quality of the selection and roasting was really noticeable. They were light in the hand, uniform, no cracks or misshapen beans, and honestly … just beautiful. This roast was something special and I enjoyed every single cup of it.
This coffee was the coffee I drank through many of the most important moments of my life.
It was the coffee I drank going down in the mornings to the river to watch the sunrise.
It was the coffee I drank with Aya as we sat under the sakura tree next to our home, watching the early blossoms open and surprise everyone.
It was the coffee I was drinking when Aya and I decided to get married and be husband and wife.
It was the coffee I brought with me when we visited Ichi Kamakura and had our wedding bands designed.
It was a coffee that I shared with Aaron and Jing since I really wanted them to try and experience it as well.
And it was the coffee I drank the morning of my wedding, the equinox, March 20th, 2024, where I married the woman of my dreams and my true love Aya Shigefuji.
This coffee saw my life change in so many ways, but also stay the same, filled with love and appreciation for what life has given me.