Ethiopian Heirloom Coffee Beans: The Collective Term for Local Varieties

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FrontStreet Coffee - Heirloom Coffee Introduction

Those who frequently drink Ethiopian coffee should have heard of the "Heirloom" variety. Most Ethiopian varieties are named this way because Ethiopia has an incredible diversity of coffee varieties. It serves as a natural gene bank for Arabica coffee. On one hand, there are numerous varieties that are difficult to identify and classify. On the other hand, the Ethiopian government,出于 protective considerations, is unwilling to disclose information about these varieties. Therefore, they are collectively referred to as "Heirloom native varieties."

The Konga Cooperative is one of the 26 cooperatives under the Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperatives Union (YCFCU). Established in 1994, it was named Konga due to its proximity to the Konga River. The Konga Cooperative encompasses 1,556 smallholder coffee farming families. These small farmers typically have coffee cultivation areas averaging less than 1.25 hectares, with planting altitudes between 1,800 and 2,000 meters. The coffee varieties are mainly a mix of Typica and local Heirloom varieties.

What makes Konga special is its red soil for growing coffee beans (which reminds me of the recent article about Pomerol, also known for its red terroir). The red soil is rich in iron and has a depth of up to 1.5 meters. The deep soil contains abundant nutrients, and the high iron content is highly beneficial for coffee beans. Iron is a micronutrient that helps plants produce chlorophyll, which is very helpful for photosynthesis, allowing plants to absorb more energy and produce better fruits.

Red soil is undoubtedly one of the key factors in the Konga Cooperative's production of delicious coffee beans.

The Konga Cooperative has improved traditional natural processing techniques. Before sun-drying, unripe green fruits or defective beans are manually sorted. Instead of the traditional ground exposure method, they use high-cost African raised beds to prevent the absorption of ground odors and miscellaneous flavors during the drying process. During sun-drying, a second round of sorting removes moldy or damaged coffee fruits. After two weeks, when the pectin and sweetness in the coffee cherries have been fully absorbed by the coffee beans, machines are used to hull and extract the coffee beans. Finally, another manual sorting removes any defective beans that were missed. This layered quality control process creates the naturally processed Yirgacheffe coffee with its smooth and clean taste, elegant floral and fruit aromas, silky red wine-like texture, and charming chocolate aftertaste.

Knowledge Point: Arabica and Robusta varieties are divided into single-origin coffee and espresso coffee based on the combination of coffee beans.

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