Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Washed Gr. 1 Gedeb – Bedhatu Jibicho

Description

An awesome single farmer top lot washed produced by Bedhatu Jibicho. Bedhatu was born and raised in Worka where her farm is also located. She started working in coffee in the 1960s when the government gave land to her husband. Bedhatu’s takes great pride in the fact that she has managed the farm operations for over 50 years, even before her husband passed away in 1991. As Bedhatu is now over 80 years old, her adult children have started to become more involved in continuing her rich tradition of coffee production. The family plans to use the premiums from coffee sales to expand production and start an export company.

This season Bedhatu and her neighbors have banded together, using the premiums they’ve received on their awesome coffee to establish a farmer-owned export company to sell their coffee independently and direct to consumer instead of through the government organizations that kill traceability to the farmer.

Bedhatu Jibicho is a native to the Worka region of Gedeb. At over 80 years old, she might be the most experienced farmer we work with, having co-managed (with her late husband) the 23-hectare plot of government-allotted farmland since the 1960s. Her family continues to work the farm, especially aided recently by her son Tesfaye Roba.

Originally part of the Worka cooperative, Mrs. Jibicho joined the Banko Gotiti cooperative when it opened in 2013 and that same year, her farm was recognized as a community model, and she took specialty coffee preparation training.

Tasting Notes: We thought best at a light to medium roast. A great example of a washed processed Yirg! Lighter roasts show decent lemony floral acidity with some jasmine aromatics balanced with a smooth and clean black tea (spice) undertone. Medium roasts get smooth and a little fuller bodied, a bit more chocolaty than straight tea like spice with gentle lower acidity floral tones, just a hint, retains those awesome aromatics. Dark roasts work nice as well but turn strong, semi-sweet and a little edgy but not much else will pull lovely spicy dark chocolate tones besides another Ethiopian.

Roasting Notes: Light to dark, a wonderful example of a washed processed Yirg. Not super high acidity, keeping a quicker roasts helps boost those floral aromatics and crisp cup features. A little longer setup really smooths out the cup. Roasts nice and even with medium to low chaff.

Altitude: 1800 – 1900 masl
Varieties: Indigenous heirloom cultivars