Ethiopia Yirgacheffe G1 Washed - Chelbesa

Strawberry, blackberry, brown sugar, black tea
TOP LOT
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Bag Weight 60 KG BAG
Harvest Season 2023/24
Status Spot
Lot Number P611725-2
  • 31 Bag(s)
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About This Coffee

Chelbesa Washing Station, where this coffee was processed, is fairly new to the coffee landscape in Yirgacheffe. Nonetheless, this family-owned and operated washing station is producing exceptional coffees on par with some of the regions most renowned and established outfits. Farmers in this region have farmed coffee for generations upon generations. They are true specialists and are committed to using the best chemical-free cultivation methods. These cultivation methods result in an already stand-out product, and Chelbesa makes the most of this by adhering to stringent post-harvest standards. 

Country of Origin Ethiopia
Region Yirgacheffe
Producer Type Washing Station
Farm Name Various smallholders
Wet Mill Chelbesa
Processing Washed
Processing Description Fermented 24-36hrs, dried on raised beds
Growing Altitude 2000m
Harvest Season 2023/24
Bag Weight 60 KG BAG
Bag Type Grain Pro / Ecotact
Plant Species Arabica
Variety Ethiopia Heirloom

History of Coffee in Ethiopia 

Coffee is ancient in Ethiopia, but coffee farming is not. By the end of the 9th Century coffee was actively being cultivated in Ethiopia as food, but probably not as a beverage. It was the Arab world that developed brewing. Even as coffee became an export for Ethiopia in the late 1800’s, Ethiopian coffee was the result of gathering rather than agricultural practices. A hundred years ago, plantations, mostly in Harar, were still the exception, while “Kaffa” coffee from the southwest was still harvested wild. In 1935, William Ukers wrote: “Wild coffee is also known as Kaffa coffee, from one of the districts where it grows most abundantly in a state of nature. The trees grow in such profusion that the possible supply, at a minimum of labor in gathering, is practically unlimited. It is said that in south-western Abyssinia there are immense forests of it that have never been encroached upon except at the outskirts.” 

Growing Coffee in Ethiopia

As the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia is home to more varieties of coffee plants than any place on earth, much of it still growing wild, and much of it still undiscovered. All Ethiopian coffee is Arabica and at least 150 varieties are commercially cultivated. Traditionally, these have simply been labelled as “heirloom varietals”; however, this is changing as the Jimma Agricultural Research Center works to identify species. Although there are a few estates in Ethiopia, 95% of coffee is grown by small land holders in a wide variety of environments, including “coffee forests” where coffee grows wild and is harvested by the local people. All specialty grade Ethiopian Coffee is grown above 4,000 feet and most above 6,000. In the highlands of Sidamo and Yirgacheffe, coffee can grow above 7,000 feet.

  • Region Yirgacheffe
  • Farm Name Various smallholders
  • Producer Type Washing Station
  • Wet Mill Chelbesa
  • Processing Washed
  • Processing Description Fermented 24-36hrs, dried on raised beds
  • Bag Type Grain Pro / Ecotact
  • Plant Species Arabica
  • Variety Ethiopia Heirloom
  • Min Growing Altitude 2000m
  • On Sale No
  • Top Lot Yes
  • Status Spot
  • Coffee Grade ETH CA WA YIRG G1
  • CTRM Contract Number P611725-2
  • Country of Origin Ethiopia
  • Warehouse Continental NJ