Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Washed Gr. 1 – Chelchele

Description

This coffee comes from the Chelchele washing station, which is in the kebele, or village, of Chelchele, in the woreda, or district, of Kochere, in the Yirgacheffe region. Chelchele coffees tend to have a nice backbone of sweetness from toffee and/or soft nuts like almond, with a floral and citrus overtone.

Coffees in Ethiopia are typically grown on very small plots of land by farmers who also grow other crops. The majority of smallholders will deliver their coffee in cherry to a nearby washing station or central processing unit, where their coffee will be sorted, weighed, and paid for or given a receipt. Coffee is then processed, usually washed or natural, by the washing station and dried on raised beds.

The washing stations serve as many as several hundred to sometimes a thousand or more producers, who deliver cherry throughout the harvest season: The blending of these cherries into day lots makes it virtually impossible under normal circumstances to know precisely whose coffee winds up in which bags on what day, making traceability to the producer difficult. We do, however, make every available effort to source coffee from the same washing stations every year, through our export partners and their connections with mills and washing stations.

Typically farmers in this region don’t have access to and therefore do not utilize fertilizers or pesticides in the production of coffee.

Tasting Notes: This Ethiopian cup is a bit more delicate and complex than your average Ethiopian. Light & medium roasts are where this cup will shine. Decent brightness, stronger lemony/floral tone, some soft fruit accents down the peach and grapefruit alley. Stellar aromatics, jasmine & lavender with a little spice note, I love grinding awesome Ethiopians.  The lighter tones pull some balance with  spice/tea chocolate undertones, traditional for a bean from the Yirgacheffe region. Medium roasts really mellow out the acidity and reduce the fruit tone, create a bit more body and a much more recognizable chocolaty factor. A very smooth, balanced and rich cup with exotic highlights. Darker roast burn out all the fruity and acidic notes, gets a little smoky roasty with strong bakers chocolate, unique aromatics but much more plain tasting cup.

Roasting Notes: Easy to roast and shines at the lighter roast points. Good to get a little past first crack but will dull in its tastes if you get it too dark or too close to 2nd crack. Even roasting with medium to low chaff. A longer setup time will promote a greater depth of flavor but will taste real good the next morning after roasting.