New Coffee Release: Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Kochere – Washed
This coffee hails from the town of Kochere, in the Yirgacheffe region, south western Ethiopia. That’s all you’re getting with regards to provenance, as 90% of all Ethiopian coffee is generally sold by region and Town. In 2008, Ethiopia began to centralize all its coffee exports through the Ethiopian commodity exchange(ECX). Since then, it’s been difficult determining provenance in Ethiopia. This, as you can imagine is particularly frustrating for some folk in the specialty coffee scene where traceability is a defining characteristic.
Alas-some things are just out of our control.
One has to remember that Ethiopia is the birthplace of Arabica, that also harbors the future of coffee – a genetic databank of tasty heirloom varieties that awaits us in the highlands of the South west, ready to be classified and isolated by eager Botanists.
But before I get carried away….
Let’s look over the specs-
Varietals: Various Heirloom.
Processing: Fully washed & sun dried on African beds.
Altitude: 1 500 – 2 000 masl.
Owner: Various Smallholder farmers.
Town / City: Kochere.
Region: Yirgacheffe.
A micro- region within a Region?
Two names you’ll see on offer from Ethiopia are – Yirgacheffe and Sidamo. What’s really interesting is that Yirgacheffe is actually a micro-region within the Sidamo region. The washed coffees from this micro-region are so distinctive that they just had to separate it from the rest of Sidamo.
General flavour differences between Yirgacheffe and Sidamo.
Yirgacheffe- Lemon, Lime, Jasmine, Bergamot, Lemon Creams, Lemon Curd, Elegant and refined acidity. Delicate/ Silky mouthfeel.
Sidamo- Milk Chocolate, Cherry, Turkish Delight, Rose, Berries, Tropical Fruit. More body than Yirgacheffe. More of a balanced cup overall.
Conclusion
If you look around, you’ll notice any specialty coffee roasting company in their right mind will try to at least have some Ethiopian coffee on offer. And there’s a good reason for that. It’s distinct, super tasty and is the birthplace of coffee.
In the cup expect- Wine gums, Lime and Cardomom. It has a refined citrus acidity and a delicate mouthfeel.
Keep your eyes peeled for other upcoming Ethiopian coffees.