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Introduction to Chelelektu

Yirgacheffe has many washing stations that process cherries from nearby smallholders, and the coffee they produce often surprises people, like an orchid hidden in a deep valley. Chelelektu is one of them.

The Chelelektu washing station sits on a hillside surrounded by jungle. If you are not paying attention, you will not even notice it is there. Farmers from the surrounding area bring their cherries in for processing. Their coffee is grown at very high altitudes, between 1700 and 2100 meters. The mucilage attached to the fruit is fermented in the traditional way, then the beans are placed in flowing channels and washed with clean spring water. After that they are sun-dried on African raised beds, and finally defective beans are sorted out by hand.

Chelelektu's flavor profile is widely considered the classic Yirgacheffe taste and represents some of the finest coffee produced on the African continent.

Where Chelelektu Sits

Administratively, Chelelektu is a village in Kochere, the most renowned sub-region of Yirgacheffe, and it is a fairly large village. According to international buyers: "Chelelektu is located approximately 18 kilometers in a straight line southwest of Yirgacheffe. Starting from Yirgacheffe at around 1800 meters above sea level and heading south, the elevation rises continuously. At a three-way intersection, turning right leads toward Chelelektu, while turning left to the southeast takes you to Gedeb and Worka."

Because Chelelektu is a large settlement, quite a few lots carry its name. This coffee comes from the Mestawot Asefa processing station, north of the town center. Broadly speaking, the natural processing at Chelelektu stations is meticulous and refined even by the standards of the whole Yirgacheffe region. The thickness of the cherries stacked on the drying racks is carefully controlled, and materials with different breathability are used as the base layer at different drying stages. During drying, defective and unripe beans are intensively hand sorted. Most notably, Chelelektu stations use movable drying racks that can be shifted according to sunlight and weather to adjust the drying schedule. With this care sustained across the 15 to 21-day post-processing period, they reliably produce dried cherries of stable quality and appealing color.

The Kochere Production Region

Before discussing Chelelektu, it makes sense to talk about the Kochere production region.

Under the ECX production region classification system, Kochere is one of the four sub-regions of Yirgacheffe, alongside Yirgacheffe, Wenago, and Gelena Abaya. Administratively, the Kochere production region covers two Woredas: Kochere itself and Gedeb. Kochere and Gedeb form the two main pillars at the southern end of the greater Yirgacheffe region, one to the west and one to the east. Gedeb was historically an independent Woreda that separated from Kochere, so it is not surprising that the two are grouped into the same production region. Sometimes Gedeb is treated as an independent micro-region. It is worth noting that Worka Kebele in the Gedeb Woreda has become increasingly prominent and is gradually being referred to on its own.

The Chelelektu Settlement

The largest town or settlement in today's Kochere production region is Chelelektu, located roughly 18 kilometers in a straight line southwest of Yirgacheffe town. Starting from Yirgacheffe town and heading south, the elevation rises continuously. At a three-way intersection, turning right leads toward Chelelektu, while turning left to the southeast takes you to Gedeb and Worka.

Chelelektu is a sizeable settlement, not much smaller than Yirgacheffe town, and quite a few lots are named after it. Processing stations near Chelelektu are often simply called Chelelektu. In fact there are two processing stations in Chelelektu town itself, but this year we did not find any lots we liked there. The one we introduced is the Mestawot Asefa processing station, located slightly north of the town center, even farther out than Beloya.

Visiting the Chelelektu Processing Station

During the first cupping session in the capital this year, the author was drawn in by the flavor of this station and put it on the must-visit list. We left our hotel in Yirgacheffe at around seven in the morning, visited two processing stations, and then headed toward Chelelektu. Yirgacheffe town sits at about 1800 meters, and heading south the elevation keeps climbing; at the intersection where you would turn left toward the Oromia Region Guji production area, it even reaches 2450 meters. Under clear skies we ascended continuously. The road was bumpy, but the journey was thoroughly enjoyable.

The terrain of the Chelelektu processing station is somewhat similar to the Aricha/Idido we have introduced before: it sits on the slopes on both sides of a valley. The entrance, on the west side, is on higher ground, with the path running downward ahead. After crossing the small stream, the drying racks rise again along the slope.

The natural processing at the Chelelektu station is meticulous and refined, which explains why it caught people's attention during the cupping session in the capital. The thickness of the cherries on the drying racks is carefully controlled, materials of different breathability are used as the base layer at different drying stages, and defective and unripe beans are intensively hand sorted throughout drying. Chelelektu stations also use movable drying racks that can be repositioned according to sunlight and weather to adjust the drying operation. The result of 15 to 21 days of steady attention is the charming, evenly colored dried cherry in the photo, and what ends up in the cup: a high-altitude, refreshing jasmine fragrance with a passionate, rich blend of fruit juice and wine notes. A captivating natural-processed Yirgacheffe.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

The natural-processed Yirgacheffe in this cup is exactly the style that FrontStreet Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry sets out to capture. It is made only from fully ripe, unblemished red cherries, which are dried whole on raised beds and turned every few hours during the first days to keep the heat even. After three to five weeks of sun drying, the dried fruit is hulled and stored. Because the cherry dries with its fruit intact, the cup keeps the typical Yirgacheffe profile while adding a warm tropical fruit aroma: citrus-like acidity, a berry juice quality, honeyed sweetness, and a creamy smoothness.

For a natural lot with a stronger tropical and fermented character, FrontStreet Ethiopia Huakui is one of the most successful star products in recent years. Its defining feature is a very prominent tropical fruit aroma, often showing strawberry, passion fruit, jackfruit, and even lychee, with clear sweetness and very low bitterness. It is smooth and full of juice, and many drinkers describe it as the coffee that least tastes like coffee, which makes it a good choice for anyone who usually avoids bitterness.

For the washed reference point from the same region, FrontStreet Washed Yirgacheffe remains the classic. Known for white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a tea-like finish, it is the bean many drinkers try first and the clearest benchmark against which a natural Yirgacheffe can be compared.