Our first Brew Crew coffee release comes from a small private wetmill in the community of Chelelectu in Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia.
Ethiopia is quite literally the birthplace of the varieties of coffee that we’re going to be sharing with you as part of your subscription.
This is an Ethiopian Heirloom coffee, which means rather than being one varietal of coffee it’s actually a mix of the natively growing varietals of the area.
It’s this mix that gives it the complexity that’s a signature of Ethiopian coffee. The genetic diversity in Ethiopian coffee farms also gives them greater resistance to pests and disease which leads to less use of pesticides.
Producers
This coffee comes from 700 smallholders, mainly small family plots of both recently planted trees of improved varietals and traditional old varieties.
Processing
Cherries are hand sorted for unripes and overripes by the farmers before they go in to production. A machine called a pulper removes the skin and pulp. The coffees are then fermented under water for 24–36 hours, depending on the weather conditions. It’s then graded in washing channels in to two grades based on density, and soaked under clean water in tanks for 12-24 hours. They are then sun dried for 10–15 days days on raised drying beds on hessian cloths, which allows for air movement around the coffee.
