Few regions of the coffee-growing world have quite the name and cachet of the Yirgacheffe region in Ethiopia. Despite very traditional farming practices and cultivation at a very small scale, high-quality lots are prized the world over and command significant premiums. If you've tasted a great Yirgacheffe, you probably aren't surprised that lots from this region are in such demand. Why is it that this Ethiopian sub-region's smallholder farmers are able to produce such great specialty coffee?

The role of tradition isn't to be underestimated in answering that question. Ethiopia, and the general area of Yirgacheffe in particular, is believed to be the birthplace of coffee, and local farmers are following traditions that have been passed down for centuries. Although low-tech, their approach to coffee-growing is extremely effective and is based around a semi-forested model rather than mass-production.

The Ethiopian coffee industry is also built around washing stations that play an important role in grading, sorting and processing coffee to ensure that the lots that are exported are of a very high standard. By bringing together the crops of hundreds of farmers, washing stations are able to help Yirgacheffe's best coffee reach markets and achieve prices that otherwise would be impossible.

With all of these reasons to want to drink coffee from Yirgacheffe, you may be surprised that our friends at Quaffee haven't had a lot from this region for years. The reality is that they are extremely selective in the lots that they source and with competition for top-quality Yirgacheffes heating up, they had not found something they deemed worth releasing for some time. That makes this release worth taking note of!

There are other aspects of this release that we are also excited about. It was sourced via Nordic Approach, a green bean distributor known for the quality of the lots it sells. It is also is certified organic and Rainforest Alliance at the washing station, meaning that it was cultivated with minimal use of chemicals.

Quaffee’s notes

• Taste profile: Red berry, lime and black tea finish with a hint of stone fruit.
• Roast used: Intense heat at the start of the roast. Followed by a decreasing ramp rate, with a kick ramp rate to finish the roast, dropping 45 seconds into the first crack.
• Roast degree: Cinnamon
• Quaffee's brews:
• Espresso: 1:2.4
• AeroPress: 17g:200g (finer)
• Plunger: 48g:800g
• Pour-over/filter: 18g:300g (45s bloom, 3.5m total brewing time)

Coffee details from Quaffee

• Country: Ethiopia
• Region: Yirgacheffe, Gedeb
• Producer: Chelchele Washing Station
• Farmers: 396 local farmers
• Altitude: 1,900 - 2,200 masl
• Processing: Washed
• Variety: Ethiopian heirloom varieties
• Packaging: Hessian with GrainPro inside

Quaffee’s transparency information

• Producer/Organisation: Chelchele Processing Site by Tadesse Desta Business Group
  
• Sourced from: Nordic Approach
• FOB price: $14.52 + $0.17 (docs)
  
• Cupping score: 86.75 (Nordic Approach)
• Lot size bought: 2 x 60kg
• Relationship: We have purchased coffee from Nordic Approach for over a decade. This is the first Yirgacheffe from Chelchele.