Ethiopia - Uraga, Guji - Layo Teraga - Washed Bourbon

Country: Ethiopia
Region: Uraga, Guji - Layo Teraga
Varietal: Bourbon
Process: Natural
Altitude: 2,000 MASL
Cupping Notes: Kiwi, Lemon, Raspberry, White Tea - This coffee is extremely complex for a washed coffee, and we were super impressed and surprised when it hit the cupping table

Description: Layo Teraga is a kebele (village) in one of our favorite producing regions in Ethiopia, the Guji Zone. The coffee delivered to this washing station is grown in fertile clay soil situated around 2,000 meters above sea level. Coffee grown at this high of elevation is characterized by high acidity and sweetness, often with tea-like and citrusy notes. Once coffee is delivered to Layo Teraga, the processing details are fairly typical, but “typical” coffee in Ethiopia is often far above the bar for specialty coffee.

Coffee is first floated to separate out unripe cherries, and then immediately pulped to remove skin of the fruit. Once pulped, coffee is put in fermentation tanks with spring water for roughly 60 hours during which the water is changed 3 times. After fermentation, coffee is washed through channels where “floaters” are separated again. After being washed clean, the coffee is soaked for 8-16 hours, our export/milling partner tells us that this step improves cup quality. Now the coffee is taken to drying beds where it will be moved regularly until it reaches ideal moisture content, roughly two weeks.