Hi there, I know I have had other Ethiopia coffee as a monthly special before but I really love the coffee which comes from this area. This month I have a small number of beans from the area known as Kochere.
Kochere is one of the districts in the Borena zone 25 miles south west of Yirgachaffe, South Nation. The varietal of the beans is Heirloom (which means it is made up of many old varieties growing in the local area). The coffee is grown at an elevation of 1900-2100 metres above sea level, and processed by the washed method.
Kochere is a tiny area within Yirgachaffe with a washing station where local farmers can bring their coffee harvest for processing. The farms themselves are generally very small. The washing station, which acts as something of a community centre, is well run. The manager takes pride in running a tight ship and ensuring that the cherry coming in for processing is exceptional and sorted appropriately. A great deal of time is spent hand sorting pergamino (dried coffee in husk) for defects during its drying period on raised African beds.
About 50% of the coffee produced in Ethiopia is consumed there as the population has a rich coffee drinking culture, complete with ceremony and tradition.
Cup Characteristics:
Bright, sweet, very clean, citrusy. Hints of melon. Chocolate body. Crisp with lingering finish. Particularly complex lot of Ethiopian coffee, wonderful to begin with but further enhanced by extreme sorting. Highly aromatic. A good daily coffee candidate for connoisseurs.
Ethiopia coffee facts:
Population (2006): 75 Million People
Domestic Consumption: 1.5 Million bags per year
Coffee Export: 1.5 Million Bags of 60 Kg. (132.29 lb.)
Cultivated Area: 400,000 Hectares (988,000 Acres)
Harvest:
Unwashed: October to March
Washed: End of July to December
Arabica Introduced:
The birthplace of coffee. Oldest recognized country of origin for uncultivated Arabica species.
Farms:
331,130 (94%) Smallholdings (less than or equal to 2.47 acres)
19,000 (6%) Government
Specialty Coffees:
Washed: Sidamo, Yirgachaffe, Limu, Bebeka
Unwashed: Harrar, Sidamo, Djimmah, Lekempti (wild coffee trees)
Botanical Varietals: Numerous indigenous cultivars