耶加雪菲Dumerso咖啡产区：种植条件、地区故事与风味特点

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Ethiopia: The Birthplace of Coffee

Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee. Legend tells of an anonymous shepherd named Kaldi who, while grazing sheep in the forests of western Ethiopia, discovered this mysterious red fruit that has remained popular to this day: coffee, thus opening a thousand-year coffee market. Ethiopia today remains one of the world's most important coffee-exporting countries, with major growing regions including Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, Kochere, Harar, and Djimma.

Located in southern Ethiopia, Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, and Kochere are the main washed specialty bean production areas, renowned for their excellent fruit characteristics and delicate, elegant flavors. Yirgacheffe is a small city within Sidamo and Ethiopia's most famous growing region, with an average altitude between 1,850 to 2,400 meters and annual rainfall of 1,300mm. In ancient language, it means "wetland." During midday, there are often "shading clouds" and "shading fog" that provide shade and cooling effects. Due to its unique geographical environment and special flavors, it has become independent from the Sidamo growing region.

Kochere is a small growing area located about 25 kilometers southwest of Yirgacheffe, with approximately 10,000 local coffee farmers. Most residents' income comes from coffee harvesting, and the harvested coffee varieties are the local historic Heirloom. Because this growing area has relatively advanced green bean processing equipment, it demonstrates excellent performance in flavor.

The Essence of Specialty Coffee

Specialty coffee beans, like fine wine, require careful selection of the most suitable varieties, cultivation at altitudes, climates, and environments that best contribute to flavor development. After maturation, they undergo meticulous washed or natural processing, selection of flawless green beans, and then perfect roasting techniques to extract the richest regional flavors. Specialty coffee beans are excellent beans produced in "ideal coffee growing climate regions." Because they grow in unique soil, they develop special aromas and mouthfeels.

Dumerso Washing Station: Yirgacheffe's Finest

Produced in Ethiopia's Yirgacheffe Town region at the Dumerso washing station.

Yirgacheffe is located in southern Ethiopia, administratively belonging to the Sidama province, but has become an independent growing region due to its unique flavor. Wet Process Yirgacheffe is famous for its clean, floral, citrus, and honey lemon juice characteristics. Besides the local unique microclimate, the traditional local heirloom cultivar is also an important factor.

The Dumerso washing station was established in 2002 with 246 small farmer members and has grown to approximately 700 members today. Although not certified organic, farmers use organic fertilizers. Coffee is grown at altitudes of 1,800-2,100 meters, where low average temperatures and significant day-night temperature variations cause slow maturation and high density, resulting in full, aromatic, and long-lasting sweetness after roasting!

Processing Method

When farmers deliver ripe coffee cherries to the washing station, manual bean sorting is first performed to remove defective beans (unripe or overripe). Then a depulper removes the fruit skin. Coffee cherries with pulp are fermented in water tanks for 24-36 hours. The next day, they are manually cleaned and scrubbed, then placed on elevated perforbed racks for drying. Sun drying takes about fifteen days until moisture content drops to 11-12% before entering the warehouse for storage.

Dumerso Cooperative: Community Excellence

Dumerso is a sub-growing area located southeast of Yirgacheffe. The harvested coffee beans come from local small coffee farmers, forming the Dumerso Cooperative (Dumerso Coop.) composed of numerous small coffee farmer individuals. This cooperative was established in 1975 and immediately joined the Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (YCFCU) as one of its 305 members.

The Dumerso Cooperative has 2,254 coffee farmer members. These small farmers' coffee cultivation areas average less than 4 hectares, with growing altitudes of approximately 2,000-2,200 meters. Coffee varieties are mainly Typica and Heirloom (local native varieties) mixtures.

Every one to two years, cooperative members conduct elections to select an executive committee. The executive committee can decide on new equipment purchases, exchange business information among members, and determine payment methods for transactions. Additionally, YCFCU assigns professional managers to cooperatives to provide guidance and advice on harvesting, production, and other processes to increase yield and improve quality.

The establishment of cooperatives allows farmers to avoid exploitation by buyers at low prices. When facing economic difficulties, cooperatives can also provide loan assistance. This is beneficial for both farmers and coffee production. The Dumerso Cooperative has its own water treatment plant and has consistently demonstrated high-level coffee flavor performance in the field of washed processing.

The main local production model involves small coffee farmers delivering each harvest of red cherries directly to the cooperative's washing station for unified processing. In the 1970s, Ethiopia began introducing washed processing technology. After washing stations select and grade red cherry-colored coffee fruits, they directly remove the fruit skin for washed fermentation. After washing, parchment green beans are placed on racks for natural sun exposure. When humidity reaches 12% or below, they are sent directly to the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX) warehouse in Awassa. After cupping grading and quantity-based auctions, washed beans are typically stored in parchment form until hulling is performed just before export.

Quality and Community Impact

Etiopien Yirgacheffe Dumerso Cooperative is located in southern Ethiopia with approximately 1,800 local members. Coffee beans are the main source of income. South Yirgacheffe has very advanced and developed processing equipment and is a member of the Fair Trade Association (F.T.). The Dumerso Cooperative hopes for long-term cooperation with the association so members receive reasonable compensation to improve their quality of life.

In recent years, some members have joined the "Red Cherry Action," investing in hand-picking fully mature coffee cherries. The proceeds are entirely used to upgrade the cooperative's processing, logistics, and packaging equipment. Coffee grows at high altitudes of 1,600-2,000 meters and consists of local traditional coffee varieties.

About FrontStreet Coffee

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