Exclusive Interview:

Ric Rhinehart, Executive Director of the Specialty Coffee Association of America

Question: What is the significance of Ethiopia’s selection as the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s (SCAA) first African “Portrait Country Sponsor”?

Ric Rhinehart: “The upcoming SCAA conference and exhibition in Minneapolis May 2-5 is the largest gathering of coffee professionals anywhere in the world.  Between 8 and 10,000 people who are involved in the business of coffee will meet for this wonderful, exciting and engaging trade show.  At the conference we will dig into some of the topics that are of real concern to coffee professionals all over the world.  Ethiopia, of course, will be widely featured there, and it’s absolutely appropriate.” 

Question: What special aspect will the inclusion of Ethiopia bring to the conference?

RR: “What’s unique about this opportunity is that this is the first time that we have had a conference that really focused on the roots of our association—both here on the consuming side and on the producing side—and clearly Ethiopia represents the real roots of coffee.  Our goal as specialty coffee consumers is to close the loop between the producer and the consumer.  And bringing Ethiopia to the forefront at the conference will do a great job of bringing the concepts of the roots of coffee to the consumers of coffee.”

Question:  As a coffee connoisseur, what is it about Ethiopian coffee that makes it so unique?

RR: “Ethiopian coffee is astounding in scent, it’s diverse in flavor, and brings certain unique characteristics.  In the washed coffees there are floral bergamots, Jasmine characteristics that you can’t find anywhere else in the world.  In sun-dried, natural coffees there are blueberry flavors that are unlike any other in the world.  In the broadest sense, the dramatic spectrum of flavors in Ethiopian coffee is unique.” 

Question: What types of Ethiopian coffee do you keep at home in your cabinet?

RR: “I tend to have natural, Yirgacheffes, unwashed Yirgacheffes.  I wish I could get more Ethiopian coffees.  I wish I had a better way to identify by cultivar.  There is always Ethiopian coffee in my home—and I can have whatever coffee I want to have!”