Ethiopia | Yirgacheffe Region | 2018 Adado Cooperative Natural G1

Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Adado Cooperative Natural G1

Region: Yirgacheffe

Variety: Local Indigenous Varieties (Typica & Heirloom)

Producer: Adado Cooperative Processing Station

Altitude: 2,000-2,400 meters

Processing Method: Natural

Grade: G1

Flavor Description: Red fruit natural fermentation aroma, strawberry, cherry, citrus

Introduction

Ethiopia has eight major coffee-producing regions: Ekempti, Limu, Illubabor, Djimma, Harrar, Teppi/Bebeka, Sidamo and Yirgacheffe.

Yirgacheffe lies in the Gedeo region of southern Ethiopia. This area governs two well-known regions, Yirgacheffe and Kochere. Because of the special flavor characteristics and unique style of the coffee produced there, which is widely loved, Yirgacheffe has established its own category in the global specialty coffee market. Yirgacheffe itself is a small town in Sidama province, with three neighboring small producing regions: Wenago, Kochere and Gelena Abaya. Because the coffee from these regions tastes almost identical to Yirgacheffe's, Kochere has also been classified within the Yirgacheffe region. In November 2009, Ethiopia implemented a new trading and grading system, establishing the Commodity Exchange (ECX), where coffee and other agricultural products are publicly auctioned through this official institution. Besides Yirgacheffe, Wenago, Kochere and Genlena Abaya were added as three sub-regions, indicating that the flavors of these three areas are extremely refined and can be further subdivided. Since the ECX system was implemented in 2008, most raw coffee beans have been sold through this auction system, but cooperatives are not subject to the regulation and can negotiate, price and export directly with buyers.

The Adado Cooperative is one of the 26 unions of the Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperatives Union (YCFCU). YCFCU currently represents over 50,000 coffee farmers across more than 300,000 households. Established in June 2002, all 26 unions are located in the Gedeo region of southern Ethiopia, a very famous and important coffee-producing region in the country.

Ethiopia, known as the coffee Garden of Eden, is the homeland of indigenous coffee varieties and a genetic treasure trove for coffee growers. It has five major specialty coffee-producing regions: Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, Harar, Limu and Gimbi. Among them, Yirgacheffe is the highest-altitude coffee region in Ethiopia, surrounded by mountains and water, producing beans with a flavor enthusiasts simply call the "Yirgacheffe flavor," marked by rich jasmine fragrance, sweet citrus aroma, pleasant lemon acidity and almond sweetness.

The Adado Cooperative comes from the Gedeo Zone of Yirgacheffe and is one of the founding cooperatives of the Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperatives Union (YCFCU). It is also an important base for the Fair Trade Association in Ethiopia. Adado sits in the lush high-altitude mountains between 2,000 and 2,400 meters, where 1,250 farmers work together in coffee cultivation. Using traditional farming methods, they interplant original coffee varieties with enset (Ethiopian banana), which shades the coffee trees, fertilizes the soil and contributes to the coffee's unique flavor. This batch of 2018 Yirgacheffe Adado G1 was rated G1, the highest grade by ECX.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For drinkers who enjoy Yirgacheffe's jasmine and citrus core, FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe is the classic starting point. It is known for white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity and a tea-like body, and its affordable price makes it many people's first specialty bean.

If you would rather explore the natural side of the region, FrontStreet Coffee's sun-dried Yirgacheffe Red Cherry keeps the typical Yirgacheffe character while adding the tropical fruit aroma that comes from drying with the fruit still attached, showing citrus acidity, a juicy berry mid-palate, honey sweetness and a creamy smoothness.

FrontStreet Coffee's Gedingin cooperative coffee rounds out the range from the Worka area at the southeastern edge of Yirgacheffe, with the traditional washed method that keeps the cup free of bitterness and full of bright citrus, lemon acidity and jasmine fragrance.