Classic Yirgacheffe notes that are bright, sweet, fresh, very clean, citrusy, especially at the beginning of the crop year. Hints of melon. Chocolate body. Crisp with lingering finish.
The exporter calls this coffee YirgZ as the ending “Z” stands for zero defects. This coffee is machine and hand sorted three times to produce a final product that is free from various defects and which maximizes uniformity when roasting. Sorters are paid triple their normal rate for this extra level of quality control, income which helps to send their children to school and toward other community expenses.
During harvest, which normally takes place between late October and mid-January, farmers bring their red cherries to the washing station. Incoming coffee is washed with water from a nearby river, after which are pulped with an older style pulping-machine. The mucilage is removed by traditional fermentation, which lasts 36 to 48 hours depending on the weather conditions. The coffee is then dried on raised African beds for 10 to 12 days.
The staff involved in securing ripe cherry and processing is well trained and educated, so a judicious protocol is followed. They make sure only ripe cherries are selected and separated by harvest time and geographic origin. This staff controls every aspect of lot preparation.
- Zone: Yirgacheffe
- Region: Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples
- District (Woreda): Kochere
- Altitude: 1800-2000m above sea level
- Coffee variety: Heirloom Varietals, Kurume
- Processing: Washed
- Harvest: October-January