Ethiopia Yirgacheffe G1 Arenja Washed

Driving along the rugged mountain roads from the southern edge of the Sidamo coffee region, you come upon the high-altitude village of Yirgacheffe, where coffee is tended with great care.
Most of the farmers here are smallholders who grow their coffee trees under natural forest shade, generally without the use of chemical fertilizers.
This is a classic Yirgacheffe, carefully processed by the washed method from hand-selected Grade 1 cherries.

Processing takes place during the strong midday sun, between 11am and 3pm. The parchment (the pale brown skin that surrounds the coffee bean) is covered with plastic sheeting, both to protect it and to prevent it from drying too rapidly.
At this high altitude, and this close to the equator, sun that is too intense can damage the cherries and parchment and cloud the flavor.
In addition, while the usual drying period is 8 days, here the beans are dried slowly over 12 to 15 days. This slow drying evens out the moisture within the coffee, creating a flavor that is complex yet clean.

Region: Yirgacheffe, Dumerso
Producer: Arenja Washing Station
Process: Washed