YirgZero

Yirgacheffe is a unique place where heirloom varieties, naturally organic farming practices, high altitudes and perfect growing conditions all converge. However, despite those pristine conditions, work still needs to be done in the milling process. We partner with a group of women on the ground to further sort by hand and ensure that there are ‘zero’ defects. What transpires is an exquisite Yirgacheffe coffee which has layers of complexity, beautiful tropical fruit notes, lime-like acidity and a clean finish.

Additional Information

YirgaCheffe is the place where heirloom varieties, naturally organic farming practices, high altitudes and perfect growing conditions converge. The 'Zero' in YIRGZero refers to the absence of defects in this coffee, thanks to the extra cash incentives which are given to the women who painstakingly sort by hand a much smaller amount of coffee over a much longer period of time. The end result is an immaculate 'Zero defect' lot from YirgaCheffe. This particular lot is one which demonstrates all the quality markers this region is famous for — distinct floral notes, sweet citric acidity and delicate flavour complexity.

As an Ethiopian Commodities Exchanged (ECX) lot, the cherries are first handpicked by small-holder farmers within the different kebeles (neighbourhoods) and sold at a buying centre to acrabies or their agents (the owners of the washing stations). Naturally processed or fully washed and dried on raised beds, coffees from the four woredas (districts) of YirgaCheffe (Kochere, YirgaCheffe, Gelana Abaya and Wenago) are graded for quality and stored in parchment at the ECX delivery centre in Dilla, until they are auctioned on the ECX floor in Addis Ababa. As of 2008, 90% of all coffee exported out of Ethiopia goes through the ECX. While the ECX offers little traceability and transparency, hundreds of lots were cupped to isolate this particular profile and create this lot.

Suggested Recipe

Temp: 95°C

In: 21.5g

Out: 46g

Time: 28-30sec