Ethiopian Yiracheffe

£8.30£30.80

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe

There’s a reason why Ethiopian Yirgacheffe consistently ranks among the best coffee in the world, and certainly the among the best in Ethiopia itself. This unique coffee, thought to be the variety closest in flavour to the original wild plant has mild character, offset by a subtle gamey aftertaste.

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Ethiopian Yirgacheffe

Light Roast

There’s a reason why Ethiopian Yirgacheffe consistently ranks among the best coffee in the world, and certainly the among the best in Ethiopia itself.

Yirgacheffe (also spelled Yirgachefe, Yergacheffe, or Yerga Chefe) is a micro-region within the much larger region of Sidama (or Sidomo) in southern Ethiopia. It is widely considered the birthplace of coffee.

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe has a light to medium body (although they can be full body as well). As is typical with other coffees from this region, it has a distinctively fruity flavor profile and a bright, floral aroma thanks to wet-processed beans cultivated at a high elevation (between 5,800 to 6,600 ft).

Boledu Coffee is the operator of washing stations in the Yirgacheffe district (Konga, Gedeb, Aricha) and the Guji district. We have integrated supply chains with growers in both districts and are organically certified, maintaining traceability throughout the supply chain to ensure the best quality. Founded in 2018 by two friends Abiyot Ageze and Mebrahtu Aynalem, the company aims to work with farmers in partnership to showcase the best of their coffee by bringing the best practices for coffee preparation & management to Ethiopia and the regions where they work.

Boledu, founded in 2018, means “source” in the local language and combines over 12 years of experience in coffee from both Abyote Ageze and Mebrahtu Aynalem. “We have been producing and exporting both natural and washed high-end traceable qualities in our own washing stations located in the Guji zone, Dimtu Hamblea, Yirgacheffe, Aricha and Gedeb. We also have vertical agreements  in Uraga and in Sidamo, collecting quality coffees from different small farmers.”
By vertical integration, Mebrahtu means the coffee is sourced directly from the washing stations and not purchased from the Ethiopian Coffee Exchange (ECX). “We prefinance the washing station owners and he agrees to supply us. If I was to get a good coffee at the ECX I wouldn’t necessarily be able to do it again in the future. There is no transparency. For consistency, I must have an agreement directly with the washing station. I also have an agronomist there to help prepare the coffees,” he explains.
“The farmers we work with have been working with us for a good time. Before the harvest, we train them and explain the standards of cherry collection for specialty coffee and the premiums that come with it. We have a quality supervisor at the washing stations looking into who is bringing good quality and who isn’t. Their job is really important! They know when someone mixes unripe cherries with the ripe ones. Up to 10% unripe is okay and we will sort them at a later stage, but if farmers bring more than that we know we might not work with them until they agree to the standards.”

Internal prices for cherry have been high for the second consecutive year. In the Yirgacheffe area, buyers were paying 24 Ethiopian birr in November 2020 according to Mebrahtu. He says Boledu was paying around 25.50 birr to be above the competition and secure the supply. “However the farmers know they need to bring us the ripe cherries. And we buy from 10 to 16 thousand kilos of cherry every day during harvest season,” he says.

Yirgacheffee Grade 2 Washed designates the second highest quality you can buy from this region. The specialty grades are 1 and 2, followed by commercial grades ranging from 3 to 9. Though cherries will be bought in similar ways, grades are determined largely by the sorting process and cleaning of defects. Boledu’s Yirgacheffe Grade 2 is sourced from Aricha washing station.

The varieties themselves are often referred to as heirloom, though, having high genetic diversity means that what is heirloom in one area is not a guarantee of the same characteristics as an heirloom from another region. Kumie (kurume, kudhume) is often labelled as Yirgacheffe or Yirgacheffe type, and is quite a small bean, whilst Dega is more widely spread and Wolisho typical in the highlands.

Coffee is brought to the washing station by the many smallholders that live locally. The cherry is handpicked to remove any noticeable defects before being taken to the raised drying beds and dried for around 21 days. Once dried, it is hulled to remove the husk, then stored before being taken to Addis Ababa for sorting, grading and export.

Origin – Ethiopia
Process – Washed
Harvest – October – February
Species – Coffea Arabica
SCA score – 83.75
Varietal – Heirloom

Rory’s Tasting Notes:

White tea, Plum, Stone fruit, Lemongrass, Rhubarb

Additional information

Size?

250gm, 500gm, 1Kg

Ground?

Beans, Espresso, Filter, Cafetiere

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