TASTING NOTES

Coffee tasting notes for Kochere, Ethiopia: peach, jasmine, clove, hazelnut, black tea

COFFEE BACKGROUND

Kochere is a district in the Yirgacheffe region of southern Ethiopia. Its high elevation and iron-rich, acidic soils produce coffees with distinctly small beans and a lovely, complex flavor profile.

Our longtime sourcing partner Moplaco significantly invests in Yirgacheffe’s coffee economy. They operate two collection stations: one in Chelelektu and another in the town of Yirgacheffe. Additionally, they are building new warehousing facilities just north of Yirgacheffe town. A Moplaco partner station processes this washed lot. Moplaco buys the washed coffee, still wrapped in parchment from the station, and then prepares it for export in their sorting facility in Addis Ababa.

Like more than 40% of Ethiopian coffee since the 1960s, this coffee is fully washed. Farmers collect coffee cherries throughout the day. By the early afternoon, they start to deliver them to the washing station. There, station workers hull the cherries and separate the seeds from the fruit. Then, the seeds soak under water in large tanks to break down the sticky fruit mucilage still clinging to them. After 18-36 hours of soaking, the wet seeds move into channels where water runs over them and station workers rake them against the current to fully wash away the mucilage. Finally, the coffee seeds dry on raised beds for a period of 7-14 days. The result is a clean, floral cup with notes of peach, jasmine, and clove.

Our meetings with Moplaco on multiple sourcing trips show us a company committed to intentionality, its people, rigorous milling and sorting, careful processing, and sustainable farming practices. Our return to the region in January, our first visit to Yirgacheffe since 2018, reminded us of the dense and dominant coffee economy in the region. Farms, coffee trees, and collection stations line every major road. The rolling mountains are covered in dense forest, farms, and birdsong. This coffee exemplifies Moplaco’s reputation for sorting and preparing beautiful lots of washed coffee from all corners of Ethiopia. It’s a treat for Moplaco to connect us with more quality producers in southern Ethiopia.

To read more about our perspective on sourcing Ethiopian coffee, visit our blog.