Free Shipping 2016 Natural Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Coffee Beans - Wenago Cooperative

Roaster: FrontStreet Coffee
Ingredients: Self-roasted
Shelf Life: 90 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk coffee beans
Processing Degree: Roasted coffee beans
Contains Sugar: Sugar-free
Origin: Ethiopia
Coffee Type: Yirgacheffe
Roast Level: Light roast

Ethiopia Natural Yirgacheffe Wenago G1 (2016 Harvest)

Country: Ethiopia
Grade: G1
Region: Wenago
Roast Level: Light roast

Processing Method: Natural
Variety: Local landrace
Processing Station: Wenago Cooperative
Flavor Notes: Strawberry, fresh blueberry, raisin aroma

Yirgacheffe itself is a small town of about 20,000 people. The three neighboring districts of Wenago, Kochere, and Gelena Abaya produce coffee whose flavors are virtually identical to Yirgacheffe's, so they are classified under the Yirgacheffe regional category as well. Culturally and geographically, Yirgacheffe resembles neighboring Sidamo, yet it seems especially blessed with advantageous conditions. Top-quality Yirgacheffe coffee features floral notes, bright citrus acidity, lemon-toned aromas, and a silky smooth mouthfeel.

Introduction

This coffee comes from a single farm in Ethiopia, processed by the Wenago Cooperative.

The cooperative sits in the southern part of Gedeb district. Established in 2005, it joined the famous Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (YCFCU) that same year and is known for producing high-quality natural Yirgacheffe. The Wenago Cooperative manages about 300 coffee farmers. YCFCU itself was founded in 2002 and counts 26 other cooperative members, serving over 45,000 coffee farmers.

Wenago is one of the 22 primary cooperatives within the YCFCU union, established in 2005. It lies in the Gedeb area of the Gedeo administrative zone, a remote corner of Yirgacheffe, 75 kilometers from the local coffee collection center of Dilla town. Road connections are poor — a 20-kilometer dirt road links the cooperative to the paved highway. The altitude is very high, around 1800-1900 meters. Because no chemical fertilizers or pesticides are used in cultivation, the Wenago smallholders have earned Skal organic certification recognized by the European Union. Just as Kochere is famous for washed coffee, Wenago stands out in natural processing — though both districts produce green beans by either method. In recent years natural processing has become increasingly refined, a great improvement on the rough traditional model used for hundreds of years. Far more care now goes into harvesting ripe cherries and tending the drying, letting the beans retain the sweetness of the fruit pulp plus a light, charming winey fermented note that washed processing cannot offer.

Flavor Profile

The aroma is rich and distinct: fresh strawberry and blueberry, raisin, pineapple, mango, layered complex fruits, citrus-berry tones, syrupy sweetness, florals, juicy peach, and other vivid berry aromas. The finish brings apricot and dried-fruit notes, with sweet, lush tropical fruit flavors.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If this natural Wenago wins you over to Ethiopian naturals, FrontStreet Coffee's Red Cherry natural lot is the natural next step. Only fully ripe, defect-free cherries are picked, sorted at the station, and laid out on raised beds, where they are turned every 2-3 hours during the first days to prevent uneven heating and over-fermentation. After three to five weeks of sun-drying, the fruit is milled away — and because the coffee dries inside the cherry, it keeps Yirgacheffe's citrus backbone while adding tropical fruit, berry juiciness, honeyed sweetness, and cream-like smoothness.

For those who prefer the washed expression of Yirgacheffe, FrontStreet Coffee's classic Washed Yirgacheffe — and the washed Guodingding Cooperative lot from the Worka area — offer white jasmine florals with bright citrus and lemon acidity and a clean, tea-like finish. A medium-light roast suits them best; brew them on a V60 at 90-91°C with a 1:15 ratio (15g of coffee) and you will taste exactly why Yirgacheffe became a byword for floral, citrusy Ethiopian coffee after the Ethiopian Commodities Exchange separated it from Sidamo in 2010.