Drink of the Week: Barrington Coffee Ethiopian Sidamo Korate Natural 2008

Sure, you could spend today immersed in the shopping frenzy of Black Friday, or you could spend it more peacefully, celebrating today’s other holiday, the National Day of Listening. Sponsored by StoryCorps, a nonprofit dedicated to recording American oral histories, the Day of Listening (the first of what StoryCorps hopes to make an annual event) is a chance to sit with a friend or family member while they tell you a story from their lives. And what better way to do that than over a good cup of joe? Which brings us to today’s Drink of the Week, a coffee that we were lucky enough to get a sneak peek taste of recently, and which will soon be available online through Barrington Coffee. Unlike many coffees imported into the U.S., which are wet-processed, Barrington’s Sidamo is dry-processed, which means the coffee beans are dried while still inside the fruit. It’s a method that results in a bright, lush coffee with notes of sweet strawberries and tangy cherries. This medium-roasted coffee is great alone in a press pot, but for a deeper concentration of strawberries and cream, sip it as a single-origin espresso or with a dollop of milk foam in a macchiato. It’s perfect post-Turkey Day, whether you’re looking to rouse droopy eyelids or hone your listening skills, so the minute you see this coffee for sale online, be sure you get your share before it’s gone for another year.