Ethiopia Abricontine

• Country: Ethiopia
• Region: Gedeo
• Producer: Gotiti Washing Station
• Variety:  Heirloom
• Processing: Washed
• Altitude: 1980 masl

The roaster's story:

This washed coffee from Gedeo has been processed at the Gotiti Washing Station. Various smallholders have contributed to this lot, with farms located at high altitudes of 1950 - 2300 metres above sea level. Banko Gotiti sits at an elevation of 1980 masl, near Gedeb Town in Gedeo, adjacent to Guji in the south. Renowned for its heavy, intense, floral and stone fruit flavours, the station sources cherries from around 780 local farmers. Each farm is (on average) 2 hectares in size, sitting between 1950 and 2100 masl. The cherries are collected manually and hand sorted later. The cultivars grown by the smallholders are mainly Welisho and Kurume. They are placed directly in the hopper that is connected to the pulping machine (a traditional Agaarde Disc Pulper). The coffee flows from the hopper down to the pulper, and the pulper removes the skin and pulp. The machine is designed to conduct grading of high and low quality (1st and 2nd), based on density. The coffee is then fermented under water for around 48 hours. The coffee is graded again in channels, so that the cherries of lower quality (with a lower density) will float. They are removed, leaving the denser, higher quality beans to be separated as higher-grade lots. The parchment is soaked in clean water for approximately 2 hours, and then dried on raised beds for 8 - 20 days. The coffee is dried in layers of 2-8 cm, depending on the climate, the type of tables, and the stage of drying. Lastly, hand sorting is conducted for 2 - 4 hours.