Ethiopia Aricha Washed  G1

ROAST: Espresso Roast
PROCESS: Washed
REGION: Yirgacheffee
ELEVATION: 2200

VARIETAL: Mixed Heirloom

CUP: Floral, Lemon, Earl Grey Tea

Part of our goal in selecting different filters is to give you ‘good examples’ of coffee from different regions and with different processing methods. 16 months ago we brought you a natural anaerobically processed Ethiopian coffee from the Aricha district in Yirgacheffe. This year we bring you the washed process version! 

Produced by Gizat Alemayohu and processed at the Gizat washing station, this coffee was still fermented for a brief 36-72 hours before it was washed, floated for defects and then dried on raised beds for 8-15 days, until it reached 11.5-12% moisture content.

The coffee also comes from a high altitude of 2200 metres above sea level, contributing to the density of the coffee and its complexity. Similar to most coffee in Ethiopia, these cherries were hand selected by trained pickers at their optimal ripeness. This was completed after the rainfall season (April-October) between November to December. This particular coffee received an average annual rainfall of 1800-2000mm. For reference, this is not the highest rainfall a coffee could receive in a given season for this area but it is still an ample amount of rain for the full growth of the coffee cherries. The general idea is that rainfall brings with it moisture, cooler temperatures and increased cloud cover which slows the ripening of the coffee so that the overall ripening period is extended. In turn, this helps the coffee fully develop and maximise all of its inherent characteristics like sweetness, acidity, body, et cetera.

Although anaerobically processed coffees are the trend now, we always want to keep a place on our menu for classically washed coffees. Each coffee has within it a potential for different flavours and characteristics that can be amplified with anaerobic/hybrid/infused techniques. However, when we taste coffees like this washed process coffee, we are tasting a more pared back representation of the coffee’s varietal and growing conditions.

Although a washed Ethiopian coffee like this is nothing new, we still think it hits the spot!