ETHIOPIA GUJI HARO LEBETU NATURAL

Each single origin coffee we purchase is carefully chosen for its character, fragrance, sweetness and body, to showcase the coffees from that farm.  We roast these single origin coffees a little lighter to enhance the specific characteristics from each crop.  This tends to give a focus on these roasted coffees for drinking black, extracted by filter or espresso as the unique characteristics are often lost with the addition of milk.  If you do add milk to these coffees we recommend to add a little less to let the real flavour shine through.

Origin: Ethiopia
Region: Guji
Producer: Welichu Wachu
Score: 89
Varietals: Kudhumi and local selections
Altitude: 2220 MASL
Process: Natural
Roast Level:  Light-Medium
Body: Heavy
Roasted For: Espresso
Brewing Method:  Espresso, Moka Pot, AeroPress, Plunger and Cold Brew
Tasting Notes: Passionfruit, milk chocolate, honey

Welichu Wachu draws on wet and natural processed coffee from a number of coffee growing zones such as Suke Kudansa, Hawata Harsu Hanku, Harsu Sala, Harsu Haro muda (Muda Tatesa), Lacho Torka, Raro Boda, Boye, Yabitu Koba (Haro Lebetu).

All the coffees from one of the 36 grower co-operatives, each farmer cultivating coffee in what’s known locally as ‘coffee gardens.’ Each farmer grows roughly 1000 to 1800 trees per hectare, the plants are mostly fertilised with organic material and intercroped with various food crops. This type of farming accounts for roughly 50% of the coffee grown in the regions.

Welichu Wachu washed coffees soak in water for 4 – 6 hours then dried on raised beds for 5 – 6 days, the drying parchments no more than 2 – 3 cm deep. The parchment is frequently raked and then covered during hot midday sun. Beans exposed to the hot noon sun especially on the 4^th or 5^th day can lead to the parchment cracking and the green bean inside becoming shrivelled. After drying, the parchment is packed in clean bags and then it spends a further 5 days conditioning in the warehouse.

The Natural coffees undergo laborious hand sorting to remove green or under ripe cherries before being spread on the drying tables 4-5 cm deep. The drying cherries are raked and ridged hourly and like the parchment, covered during the midday heat. After drying for 10 – 12 days, a handful of dried cherries should produce a rattling sound when shaken. The final test is that the weight of a sample of coffee is the same for two consecutive days.