About This Coffee
This naturally processed grade 1 lot is sourced from Konga Amederaro station in Konga village, Yirgacheffe. The station sits at 2,000masl and works with 1890 local farmers serviced by the Toracho river. Konga Amederaro is renowned for its excellence, having placed 7th in the inaugurul Ethiopia Cup of Excellence competition and placing on the final table for the Taste of Harvest competition in both 2018 and 2019. This consistently high performance is no fluke, but a product of the extremely strict and uncompromising standards.
The smallholder farmers in this region typically cultivate Jarc (an Ethiopian heirloom sub-variety) on small plots of land around their house. Hence, these plots are colloquially known as 'garden coffee'.
The Region
The kebele (village) of Konga is located in Yirgacheffe district, Gedeo zone, in the ‘Southern Nations, Nationalities & Peoples’ (SNNP) region of Ethiopia. Over a number of years, the region has developed a distinguised reputation for fine coffees, producing some of the most sought-after microlots in the world. The combination of high altitude (up to 2,200m in some areas), fertile soil, consistent and plentiful rains, and an abundance of local knowledge are all contributing factors to the high status of Yirgacheffe coffees.
The local indigenous ‘heirloom’ varietals, which grow wild in Ethiopia, are responsible for the unique flavour notes which make for an unusual but refined cup. When processed naturally through sun drying, these present with juicy and jammy stone-fruit flavours, floral and chocolate notes with a creamy body.
The Process
Shade grown, ripe cherries are selectively harvested based on Brix readings to ensure optimum ripeness and sugar content. After delivery to the station the cherries are subjected to extremely thorough and careful hand sorting, as well as flotation in clean water to separate less dense, lower quality cherries.
The selected cherries are then dried on raised African beds for 15-18 days. In the daytime, they are raked and turned periodically to ensure a consistent drying process; covered between 12 pm and 3 pm to protect them from sun damage, and at night to protect it from rainfall and moisture. Moisture and water activity are measured throughout and dictate when the drying process is complete. At this point, the coffee is rested for around 1 month, then milled, graded, sorted and thoroughly handpicked, before being bagged in GrainPro for export from the port of Djibouti.