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About Ethiopia Yrgacheffe Grade 1 "YirgZ"

Arrived April 2021, new crop, in grainpro. Our importer calls this coffee YirgZ as the ending "Z" stands for zero defects. This coffee is machine and hand sorted multiple 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 coffee stood out because of its pronounced aroma of peach, mango, and other stone-fruits.

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

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.

Cup Characteristics: 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. Particularly complex lot of Ethiopian coffee, wonderful to begin with but further enhanced by extreme sorting.

Roasting Notes: FC is a nice level for this coffee, taking it up to but not pushing fully into second crack. Or, at City+ the floral/lemony character is better preserved while the body will be a bit reduced. This coffee is interesting over a range of roasts and profiles.