ETHIOPIA | URAGA WINE PROCESS | LIGHT ROAST

• COUNTRY: ETHIOPIA
  REGION: OROMIA
  STATION: URAGA WASHING STATION
  ELEVATION: 1900 - 2110 m.a.s.l
  VARIETAL: HEIRLOOM VARIETALS
  PROCESS: WINE PROCESS
  IMPORTER: BENNETTS
  
  
• CUPPING NOTES:
  APRICOT
  BLUEBERRY
  JASMINE TEA
  
  
• LIGHT ROAST
  FOR POUR OVER AND FILTER COFFEE
  
  

ABOUT THE REGION / COFFEE

This Ethiopian Coffee is produced in the region of Oromia Guji, across a 200-hectare farm. Grown within an altitude of 1900m – 2100m, this coffee provides a unique cup. Anaerobic (oxygen-free) processing method was introduced to the region in 2020. The process is to ‘ferment’ the coffee in a fully sealed and oxygen deprived fermentation tank.

Firstly, the cherries are collected and separated from under ripe, over ripe, and green cherries. Then, only the best fully ripe cherries are selected and added to a special stainless-steel tank and filled until it is tightly-packed and sealed. The tank has an air exhaust valve and temperature measurement to let gasses escape. When the fermentation process begins, CO2 builds up and the tank is filled by gas. Pressure pushes the water in the valve and CO2 out from the tank but restricts oxygen form re-entering. The time the cherry is spent in ‘fermentation’ is decided based on the temperature gauge reading.
Higher temperatures mean the ‘fermentation’ time will be short, while cooler temperatures lead to longer time periods in the tank. For this coffee, the temperature must sit below 25 degrees Celsius throughout the entire fermentation process.

Typically, the cherries will be fermented for 4-5 days as the pressure inside the tank forces the flavours of the juicy mucilage into the coffee beans. When the process is complete, the bright red cherry colour has charged to yellow tones. Once carefully removed from the tank, the coffee is dried slowly for 15-18 days on African drying beds in the full sun. The farmers play a vital role in producing such a unique coffee, Tracon recognise their importance and offer social initiatives to better support their farmers. Tracon provide school program initiatives to the farmers families to offer a greater access to knowledge and information for a brighter future.