Description
Town/Region: Idido valley, Yirgacheffe
Varietal: Heirloom
Processing: Natural, at Aricha mill
Farm: Various local small holdings
In the cup: Tropical, pineapple, pomegranate, complex fruit blend, mid body
Background: This is a very special coffee. Consistent, exotic, but minus the sometimes rough edges of natural processed Ethiopians beans.
The area surrounding the market town of Yirgacheffe seems to be nothing short of a coffee wonderland. Thousands of farmers tend small plots of only a few dozen coffee plants, bringing their produce to one of the many local coffee mills. The remote hills of this region are coffee’s homeland. Many of the plants being harvested are wild or semi-wild heirloom cultivars. Only a small percentage of the coffee produced in Ethiopia comes from the “improved” and homogeneous varieties that represent the vast majority of the rest of the world’s production.
The Kerbal Aricha mill, which processed this coffee, sits only a few kilometers from the center of Yirgacheffe town, but receives coffee from over 700 growers. Much of the reason this lot is so spectacular is a result of the terroir in which it is grown. These hills sit above 1900 meters (6230 feet) and have soil that is extremely iron rich, conditions to which the coffee plants are perfectly adapted.
The other factor that contributes to this coffee’s greatness is the care with which it is handled post harvest. The Aricha mill accepts only coffee cherries picked at the peak of ripeness, winnowing out under and over ripe fruit. It is then spread on raised beds, allowing the drying process to occur with maximal airflow. Natural processed coffees like this are dried with the fruit still intact and surrounding the seed, and the early stages of the process are crucial. During the first few days the Aricha mill spreads the coffee in very thin layers and turns it every two to three hours, making sure that it doesn’t over ferment or even mold, either of which can lead to off, foul flavors.
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