Yirga Cheffe coffees are a renowned wet-processed type with delicate floral and fruit brightness in the cup. As a sub-region of Sidamo, Yirga Cheffe seemed like quite a specific designation several years ago, but times are changing in the coffee world. As small buyers of micro-lots start to travel to coffee origins more, our ability to designate the source of our coffees becomes more specific. And now we have started to find, within the Yirga Cheffe area, special regions with particular cup character. Comically, this lot does not represent that type of coffee; it's an old style pooled Yirga Cheffe by Mullege exports, one that passed through the new Ethiopia Coffee Exchange so that we aren't sure of it's exact origin within the Yirga Cheffe region. However, I thought it was a really nice coffee upon cupping it, not the brightest, most acidic Yirg, but one with balanced character and interesting body. Sadly, there is not much of it so it might be but a blip on our offering sheet. Dry grounds of this lot have a sweet vanilla with a lemon wafer cookie scent. It's quite floral in the wet aroma, rose-like, with mild tropical fruits. The cup impresses me because of it's balanced, buttery sweetness, and moderate acidity. It's not a super-bright Yirga Cheffe, but has a lot of floral and fruit qualities along with a creamy mouthfeel. There are rose-like flowers (like the aromatics), passionfruit and guava, and a refined sweetness. The same "lemon wafer cookie" flavor comes through, a sweet and mild citrus. The finish is slightly nutty. It's not one of those Yirgs that's a citrus explosion, but I appreciate it's quiet appeal. It also does incredibly well as an aromatic component in espresso!



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With the current chaos in the new Ethiopia "ECX" system that permits the export from the country, I was wondering when we would see new crop lots in 2009. No doubt they will be greatly delayed. But this funny thing happened ... a friend calls and says they bought this late, late 2008 shipment of wet-process coffee; did I want any? No, is the immediate answer; that's "current crop" and it's nearing the end of it's time, since new crop is coming. (Or is it?) "No, you have to cup this coffee, it's amazing". Okay, I did and it is amazing. Never have I tasted a coffee this late in time that cupped so faultless, so fresh, so squeaky clean. It's lemony, light-bodied, effervescent in it's acidity, with sugar cookie-like sweetness. You remember Bonko, we had the dry-process starting in December '08. (This coffee is totally different from that lot, wet-process, delicate, light-bodied, bright). Bonko is a 300 member private cooperative mill of small farmers, averaging about 1 hectare each. It's in the Sidama region, Dara subdistrict. I was actually a kilometer from here early this year, but we couldn't make it to Bonko before sunset. The DP coffee from earlier this year was great, and while this cup is a polar opposite, both lots confirm the ability of this mill to produce great coffee. The dry fragrance is mouth-watering in its sweetness, citrusy, with a light brown sugar scent. Adding hot water, the wet aromatic is piquant and delicately spiced with a fennel cookie sweetness and lemony bright fruit. The cup has a lemon cookie brightness that dances on the palate. There is that sugary, confectionary sweetness mentioned before, accented with citrus and a touch of spice. The body is clear and light, which suits the high tonal range of the cup well. I recommend light roasts here to compliment the bright cup, and not to overshadow the flavors I mention with a veil of darker roast taste.



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