Cup of the Month - Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Honey Process Koke Washing Station
This November, we're featuring our newest Ethiopian bean: Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Honey Process Koke Washing Station! Now that may be one of the longest names we've ever had on one our bags, so let's break it down.
This coffee is grown in the Gedo Zone of Yirgacheffe in Ethiopia, hence the first part of the name. Even more specifically, however, the coffee is processed at the Koke Washing Station. What this means is, after a coffee tree's cherries have been harvested, the coffee then needs to be processed in some way to remove the seed (a.k.a. bean) from the fruit. There are a variety of ways to do so, ranging from 'dried' to 'washed' methods. In this case, the coffee has been processed using a 'honey process' method, and is brought to the Koke Washing Station for this step.
So, the first and last parts of the name are referring to the locations where the coffee is from, but what's a honey process? Basically, instead of being immediately taken out of the fruit, the beans stay encased in the coffee cherry during a portion of the drying process. In this case, these beans are dried inside the cherry on raised beds for twenty days then covered with dried parchment for an additional month. Flavor-wise, this results in a much sweeter cup.
Similar to our other Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, this brew is medium in body with crisp acidity that lends it a lovely fruit notes like watermelon, tangerine & grape. Thanks to the honey process, however, you can expect considerable natural sweetness in every cup! Perfect for those that love their coffee black.
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