Podcast: Sebastian Kohrs on Kenya and Ethiopia. Why don't the coffees taste the same as they used to?

Sebastian Kohrs is part of Plotcoffee in Hamburg, a direct trade coffee importer.

He has left much of his heart in East Africa, and Kenya and Ethiopia as coffee-growing countries have captivated him. And that is what we talk about in these 90 minutes.

Yes, it could have been two or three episodes, but in this conversation, I simply wanted to give him the space to share his extensive experience from Kenya and Ethiopia.

When I talk to coffee people about coffees from Kenya and Ethiopia today, many say that these coffees are no longer what they once were. And yes, I would largely agree with that.

But why is that, actually?

It is a complex mix of political power dynamics, established economic structures that only helped a few, and new varieties.

Sebastian Kohrs in conversation with Philipp Schallberger