Episode 359 on Monday the 28th of September 2015 Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Gedeb Washed

 The growing region of Yirgacheffe in central-southern Ethiopia is world famous and has some amazing plant stock. This coffee comes from 800 smallholders in the town of Gedeb, which is about 40 km south of Yirgacheffe (pronunciation: Irgachefe) town, heading towards the Kenyan border, at an altitude of around 1,900–2,100 metres above sea level.

Many thousands of bags marked ‘Yirgacheffe’ are sold every year but there may be significant differences between them in terms of cup quality. Selecting by cupping cuts the wheat from the chaff, and this coffee was very special on the cupping table. It has been classified as a 'Q-grade Grade 1 fully washed coffee' by the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange Central Liquoring Unit, which really highlights it as an extra special lot.

The varietal is one we don't often see around these parts. Kurume is an indigenous Ethiopian varietal. It's smaller in size than other Typica/heirloom beans, but it's very sweet in the cup and also gives a very aromatic cup.

Processing-wise, ripe cherries are delivered to the mill where they're graded, sorted, de-pulped and then fermented underwater for between 36–48 hours. The fermentation time varies depending on temperature, humidity and other local factors that the team at the mill know all about. Parchment is sorted in washing channels and then placed onto raised African drying tables made of bamboo tree and mesh wire. The drying period generally lasts for up to 2 weeks or until the moisture level of the coffee reaches 12% or lower.

In the cup it's all about the fruit: loads of apricot up front, which is backed up by buckets of fruit sweetness. The acidity is lower than you might expect from a washed Ethiopian, I'd even go as far as to call it 'soft'. In the finish it's super delicate – there's a real floral edge with hints of jasmine.

• Country: Ethiopia
• Region: Yergacheffe
• Town: Gedeb
• Varietal: Kurume
• Processing: Fully Washed
• Producers: 800 smallholders, with up to 2 hectares each
• Altitude: 1,900 - 2,100 m.a.s.l.
• Soil: Red brown, depth of over 1m.
• Rainfall: 1,980 mm per year, 8 months rainy, 3-4 months dry
• Temperature: Averages 21ºC