Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Chelbasa Washed

This is a washed Yirgacheffe coffee from the subregion of Gedeo Zone, grown by the Chelbasa co-op.  They are sorted, sorted, sorted until they have acheived Grade 1 status. These are heirloom varietal coffees, grown by small land-owning farmers, and taken to Gedeb for organic certification and export. The result of all this care is that you have a flawlessly clean tasting coffee with sweet fruity tastes and aroma.  Crystal-clean and sweet as candy. The main flavor is flowers (particularly jasmine and lychee), but also lime and sugarcane.  If you tweak the coffee a little darker you get a little  bit of chocolate, and on the lighter side you get more zing and citrus with intense floral notes. The coffee has a thick body, no earthy or fermented tastes, lots of pleasant citrus acidity, and a nice lingering aftertaste that is sweet and fruity.  Drink it slowly and methodically, savoring the sweetness, lack of bitterness, and the unusual but special fruity flavor that the average coffee drinker has never experienced. This is always a favorite of mine to drink iced on hot days.

Roast this pretty lightly.  If the citrus and floral notes are too potent, take it a degree darker to subdue it.  If you're missing the acidity, take it a degree lighter next time to appreciate the effervescence in this bean.  You shouldn't take this coffee into the 2nd cracks, and we don't really get it anywhere close to that level. 

US Arrival: September 2024