Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Aricha Washing Station G3 Natural 2020

Widely considered the birthplace of coffee, Yirgacheffe is a micro-region in Sidama, Ethiopia’s leading coffee-producing region. Its lush climate and mountainous topography are ideal for producing some of the finest Arabica coffees—fruity and floral, bright and balanced. The region is common for “garden coffee” production, where smallholder farmers grow coffee fruits and vegetables alongside coffee, which is their primary cash crop. Most of the coffee grown in smaller plots of land are farmed organically, though not certified as such.

Grown in the kebele (village) of Edido, these hand-harvested beans were processed at the Aricha Washing and Drying station, which serves an estimated 1,000 smallholder farmers from the surrounding communities. This is a natural coffee, processed in the traditional method of drying bean and cherry together before hulling the fruit. The longer fermentation of the bean inside its fruit creates a punchier flavor than washed processing, and this coffee is no exception, yielding superb notes of strawberry and green tea, with medium body and acidity.