Yabitu
ETHIOPIA
A unique, experimental lot from the Uraga Yabitu washing station, processed with the semi-dry (a.k.a. honey) method. Once the cherries have been pulped into the fermentation tanks, black cardamom is added along with the removed pulp. This mixture is left to ferment for 72 hours and then dried on raised beds followed by hand- and machine-sorting to reach a high level of uniformity. The added cardamom gives a hint of spiciness to the cup.
Ethiopia is the home of extraordinary coffees. Ethiopian coffee is instantly recognizable even in blind cuppings due to its distinctive flavour made up of several hundreds of indigenous arabica varietals grown wild in the various micro-climates of the country. 95% of Ethiopia’s 300 000 tonnes of coffee export is supplied by more than a million small, independent farmers. The rest is grown by an increasing number of private and state-owned plantations. Recently the Ethiopian government began reforming the export system to open the market and allow exporters and bigger farms (estates) to export their own coffee with one condition: the selling price must always be higher than that which would have been fixed by the ECX (Ethiopian Commodity Exchange) for a comparable quality of coffee. Several farms are currently in the process of applying for export licenses and have begun to detach themselves from the washing stations by processing and selling their own coffee.