CONTINENT: Africa
COUNTRY: Ethiopia
REGION: Uraga Woreda
VARIETAL: Mixed Heirlooms
FARM: Local smallholder farms
FARMER: Jorge Rojas
PROCESS: Natural
ALTITUDE: 2300 masl

This is a super versatile coffee that works beautifully with just about any brew method.

This coffee comes from smallholder farmers in Uraga Woreda, one of the highest elevation zones producing coffee in Ethiopia. Thousands of farmers live and farm throughout the region, with most cultivating less than half a hectare of coffee. Traditional intercropping is a common practice, with coffee grown alongside other cash crops, such as fruits, vegetables, and grains. Much of the region consists of semi-forest environments, where a natural canopy provides ample shade for the coffee plants. Elevations in Uraga reach above 2300 meters above sea level.

Farmers in the area typically grow JARC (Jimma Agricultural Research Centre) selections, which are specific coffee cultivars from local landraces, chosen to match with the various agro-forestry zones of Ethiopia. These selections are identified by classification numbers like 74110, 74158, and 74112, and are commonly distributed to farmers through seedling programs in Ethiopia.

As with most coffees from Ethiopia, detailed processing information can be limited, since these lots are often made up of coffee from hundreds of smallholder farms. What we do know is that the coffee cherries were hand harvested at peak ripeness, then floated in tanks of water to remove potentially unripe fruit. The remaining cherries were then dried on raised drying beds, where they were carefully hand sorted for defects throughout the 2-3 weeks it took to dry.