Taste profile: Floral sour coffee with soft and smooth mouthfeel
Area: Yirgacheffe
Cultivation altitude: 1900-2100m
Species: Heirloom
Process: Fermented in water without skin contact
Harvest period: November - January
Color profile: 120-125CTn
Agricultural practices in the region remain largely traditional. Yirgacheffe farmers usually mix their coffee plants with other food crops. This method is common among smallholder farmers because it maximizes land use and provides food for their families. In addition to remaining traditionally co-farmed, most farms are also organic by default.
Farmers in Yirgacheffe typically use very few - if any - fertilizers or pesticides. Most farm work is done manually by the immediate family. To take advantage of the magnificent climate, that station offers training to help farmers produce better quality coffee berries. The training focuses on procedures for harvesting and transporting the coffee berries. The training focuses on procedures for harvesting and transporting the coffee bar.
Yirgacheffe is a district in the Sidamo region of southern Ethiopia. Yirgacheffe is widely recognized as one of the "birth regions" of coffee. Washed coffee that comes from this district is so well known and sought after. Yirgacheffe is considered its own micro-region.
The majority of coffee grown in Yirgacheffe is local species (often also called Ethiopian heirloom). Other species grown in the region were developed by the Jimma Agricultural Research Center (JARC). JARC is an important research center for Ethiopia and has done a lot of work in developing disease resistant and high yielding varieties that still show quality in the cup.
Most farmers in the region farm on less than 5 hectares (many count their coffee farms in terms of trees rather than area). Farming methods are mostly traditional, with coffee grown as part of an integrated 'coffee garden', mixed with other food crops.
